[66] Nevertheless, the Homeric Hymn to Demeter shows Helios and Hecate informing Demeter of Persephone's abduction, a common theme found in many parts of the world where the Sun and the Moon are questioned concerning events that happen on earth based on their ability to witness everything[66] and implies Hecate's capacity as a moon goddess in the hymn. Sometimes she is also stated to be the mother (by Aetes[76]) of the goddess Circe and the sorceress Medea,[154] who in later accounts was herself associated with magic while initially just being a herbalist goddess, similar to how Hecate's association with Underworld and Mysteries had her later converted into a deity of witchcraft. These are the biaiothanatoi, aoroi and ataphoi (cf. "[30], While Greek anthropomorphic conventions of art generally represented Hecate's triple form as three separate bodies, the iconography of the triple Hecate eventually evolved into representations of the goddess with a single body, but three faces. Barret Clive (1996) The Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, Diamond Books, 10. Sekhmet: Egypt's Forgotten Esoteric Goddess | History Cooperative Hecate, goddess accepted at an early date into Greek religion but probably derived from the Carians in southwest Asia Minor. Adopted by the pharaohs as a symbol of their own unvanquishable heroism in battle, she breathes fire against the kings enemies. 5. [173] In Wicca, Hecate has in some cases become identified with the "crone" aspect of the "Triple Goddess".[174]. In her book The Dark Goddess: Dancing with the Shadow, Marcia Stark describes Sekhmet as Lady of the beginning / Self-contained / She who is the source / Destroyer of appearances / Devourer and creator / She who is and is not. Similar descriptions are used for many lunar goddesses serving esoteric functions. The Triple Goddess is arguably the most important deity in the vast majority of Pagan and Wiccan pantheons. Isis, Egyptian Aset or Eset, one of the most important goddesses of ancient Egypt. At this time, the sculptor Alcamenes made the earliest known triple-formed Hecate statue for use at her new temple. In early portrayals she is shown as a naked woman standing upon a lion. Other than in the Theogony, the Greek sources do not offer a consistent story of her parentage or of her relations in the Greek pantheon. [10] A 4thcenturyBCE marble relief from Crannon in Thessaly was dedicated by a race-horse owner. Her temple was known for its triple-towered temple or 'Magdala.' Much imagery in the gospels regarding the Marys corresponds with the worship of Mari-Anna-Ishtar. A digital collage showing an image of Qetesh together with hieroglyphs taken from a separate Egyptian relief, Iconography of Deities and Demons in the Ancient Near East, Reallexikon der Assyriologie und vorderasiatischen Archologie, A Reconsideration of the Aphrodite-Ashtart Syncretism, Transformation of a Goddess. Known sources do not associate her with fertility or sex, and theories presenting her as a "sacred harlot" are regarded as obsolete in modern scholarship due to lack of evidence. [28], Variations in interpretations of Hecate's roles can be traced in classical Athens. [59], This function would appear to have some relationship with the iconographic association of Hecate with keys, and might also relate to her appearance with two torches, which when positioned on either side of a gate or door illuminated the immediate area and allowed visitors to be identified. [164] Such derivations are today proposed only by a minority[165][166] Sekhmet is believed to have 4000 names that described her many attributes. Hecate - Wikipedia Some of the significant ones are listed below: 1. d'Este, Sorita & Rankine, David, Hekate Liminal Rites, Avalonia, 2009. [7] A connection with Ptah or Ra evident in her epithets is also known from Egyptian texts about Anat and Astarte. Egypt is perhaps the only pantheon to have all of these responsibilities attributed to one deity. [32][33], Dogs were closely associated with Hecate in the Classical world. Maiden, Mother, and Crone: The Wiccan Triple Goddess Hecate - Mythopedia Such things they call charms, whether it is the matter of a spherical object, or a triangular one, or some other shape. Priests of Sekhmet became known as skilled doctors. [28], By the 1st century CE, Hecate's chthonic and nocturnal character had led to her transformation into a goddess heavily associated with witchcraft, witches, magic, and sorcery. To cite this article in an academic-style article or paper, use: Amy Parikh, "Sekhmet: Egypts Forgotten Esoteric Goddess", History Cooperative, March 13, 2023, https://historycooperative.org/sekhmet/. roads, which she carries as she attends her mistress in the sky[68], This speech from the Root Cutters may or may not be an intentional association of Hecate with the Moon. Food offerings might include cake or bread, fish, eggs and honey. In Neopaganism, the triple goddess appears in the form of three aspects of womanhood, representing the maiden, the mother, and the crone. 647. [72], From her father Perses, Hecate is often called Perseis (meaning daughter of Perses)[73][74] which is also the name of one of the Oceanid nymphs, Helios wife and Circes mother in other versions. The symbol is a representation of the changing phases of the moon which also correspond with . Most display systematic mutilations of specific parts, especially the head and arms. Egyptian Protection Symbols 10. The pharaohs wore the uraeus as a head ornament: either with the body of Wadjet . In the New Kingdom funerary literature, Sekhmet is said to defend Ra from Apophis. Sekhmet represented the Lower Nile region (north Egypt). Good is she also when men contend at the games, for there too the goddess is with them and profits them: and he who by might and strength gets the victory wins the rich prize easily with joy, and brings glory to his parents. He also symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt relied on for agricultural fertility. Some think this deity is Athirat/Ashratu under her Ugaritic name. [16] The concept of Athirat, Anat and Ashtart as a trinity and the only prominent goddesses in the entire region (popularized by authors like Tikva Frymer-Kensky) is modern and ignores the large role of other female deities, for example Shapash, in known texts, as well as the fact El appears to be the deity most closely linked to Athirat in primary sources. [138] Schwemer believes that this use of Ereshkigal's name merely furnished "the Greek Netherworld goddess with a mysterious-sounding, foreign name". 2. Mason-Dixon Line Hecate's Deipnon is, at its most basic, a meal served to Hecate and the restless dead once a lunar month[102] during the New Moon. Dated to the 7th century BCE, this is one of the oldest known artefacts dedicated to the worship of Hecate. As the holder of the keys that can unlock the gates between realms, she can unlock the gates of death, as described in a 3rd-century BCE poem by Theocritus. William F. Albright proposed in 1939 that she was a form of the "lady of Byblos" (Baalat Gebal), while Ren Dussard suggested a connection to "Asherat" (e.g. From the abundant number of amulets and sculptures of Sekhmet discovered at various archaeological sites, it is evident that the goddess was popular and highly important. "[10], The Romans knew her by the epithet of Trivia, an epithet she shares with Diana/Artemis, each in their roles as protector of travel and of the crossroads (trivia, "three ways").[11]. In the Argolid, near the shrine of the Dioscuri, Pausanias saw the temple of Hecate opposite the sanctuary of Eileithyia; He reported the image to be the work of Scopas, stating further, "This one is of stone, while the bronze images opposite, also of Hecate, were made respectively by Polycleitus and his brother Naucydes, son of Mothon. Sekhmets origins are unclear. Triple Goddess (Neopaganism) - Wikipedia She seems to have been born in the Delta region, a place where lions were rarely seen. Much like Shiva did with Kali, Ra had to resort to trickery to calm Sekhmets anger and bring her out of her killing spree. Heqet - The Egyptian Frog Goddess It should be noted that in spite of popular culture, the 'connection' of Kek to frogs is quite obscure, given the ambiguous nature of primordial gods in Egyptian mythology. Mooney, Carol M., "Hekate: Her Role and Character in Greek Literature from before the Fifth Century B.C." "[c] [13], R. S. P. Beekes rejected a Greek etymology and suggested a Pre-Greek origin. [95] In Thrace she played a role similar to that of lesser-Hermes, namely a ruler of liminal regions, particularly gates, and the wilderness. The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet. There she was worshipped with her consort Ptah. [3] Marcia Stark & Gynne Stern (1993) The Dark Goddess: Dancing with the Shadow, The Crossing Press, [4] Marcia Stark & Gynne Stern (1993) The Dark Goddess: Dancing with the Shadow, The Crossing Press. "[28], Like Hecate, "the dog is a creature of the threshold, the guardian of doors and portals, and so it is appropriately associated with the frontier between life and death, and with demons and ghosts which move across the frontier. I have worked with Selene and still work with Persephone. [8][9] The Athenian Greeks honoured Hecate during the Deipnon. A medieval commentator has suggested a link connecting the word "jinx" with Hecate: "The Byzantine polymath Michael Psellus [] speaks of a bullroarer, consisting of a golden sphere, decorated throughout with symbols and whirled on an oxhide thong. Within the enclosure is a temple; its wooden image is the work of Myron, and it has one face and one body. If Hecate's cult spread from Anatolia into Greece, then it possibly presented a conflict, as her role was already filled by other more prominent deities in the Greek pantheon, above all by Artemis and Selene. Hekate's Suppers, by K. F. Smith. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. An important sanctuary of Hecate was a holy cave on the island of Samothrake called Zerynthos: In Samothrake there were certain initiation-rites, which they supposed efficacious as a charm against certain dangers. [81] Shrines to Hecate were often placed at doorways to homes, temples, and cities with the belief that it would protect from restless dead and other spirits. Memphis and Leontopolis were the major centers of the worship of Sekhmet, with Memphis being the principal seat. Hecate was associated with borders, city walls, doorways, crossroads and, by extension, with realms outside or beyond the world of the living. Sekhmets father is Ra. [4][5], The functions of Qetesh in Egyptian religion are hard to determine due to lack of direct references, but her epithets (especially the default one, "lady of heaven") might point at an astral character, and lack of presence in royal cult might mean that she was regarded as a protective goddess mostly by commoners. To commemorate this timely phenomenon, which was attributed to Hecate, they erected a public statue to that goddess []". This line of reasoning lies behind the widely accepted hypothesis that she was a foreign deity who was incorporated into the Greek pantheon. He is told to sweeten the offering with a libation of honey, then to retreat from the site without looking back, even if he hears the sound of footsteps or barking dogs. New age or neo-paganist practices and theology rarely include Sekhmet, yet she does feature in a handful of personal works. Many of her statues can be found in museums and archaeological sites, and her presence testifies to the historical and cultural importance of this goddess. [69] In Seneca's Medea, the titular Medea invokes her patron Hecate whom she addresses as "Moon, orb of the night" and "triple form". As Sterckx (2002) observes, "The use of dog sacrifices at the gates and doors of the living and the dead as well as its use in travel sacrifices suggest that dogs were perceived as daemonic animals operating in the liminal or transitory realm between the domestic and the unknown, danger-stricken outside world". Sekhmet is a powerful and unique therianthropic (part-animal, part human-like) mother goddess from ancient Egypt. They have a son named Nefertem. doi:10.2307/1087735. One theory is that Hesiod's original village had a substantial Hecate following and that his inclusion of her in the Theogony was a way of adding to her prestige by spreading word of her among his readers. Triple deity - Wikipedia Later poets and historians looked to Diana's identity as a triple goddess to merge her with triads heavenly, earthly, and underworld (cthonic) goddesses. He noted that the cult regularly practiced dog sacrifice and had secretly buried the body of one of its "queens" with seven dogs. While disclaiming all his paternal care for Cordelia, Lear says, "The mysteries of Hecate and the night, Whether or not Hecate's worship originated in Greece, some scholars have suggested that the name derives from a Greek root, and several potential source words have been identified. [125] Another theory is that Hecate was mainly a household god and humble household worship could have been more pervasive and yet not mentioned as much as temple worship. "[28], Apart from traditional hekataia, Hecate's triplicity is depicted in the vast frieze of the great Pergamon Altar, now in Berlin, wherein she is shown with three bodies, taking part in the battle with the Titans. [169] Researcher Samuel Fort noted additional parallels, to include the cult's focus on mystic and typically nocturnal rites, its female dominated membership, the sacrifice of other animals (to include horses and mules), a focus on the mystical properties of roads and portals, and an emphasis on death, healing, and resurrection. She appears to have been particularly associated with being 'between' and hence is frequently characterized as a "liminal" goddess. Paired torches, dogs, serpents, keys, daggers, and Hecate's wheel is known as a stropholos. She became merely an aspect of Mut, Hathor, and Isis. Hecate's importance to Byzantium was above all as a deity of protection. Lady of the flame: Sekhmet is placed as the uraeus (serpent) on Ras brow where she guarded the sun gods head and shot flames at her enemies. In Hellenistic syncretism, Hecate also became closely associated with Isis. She was invoked to ward off diseases. Subsequent studies tried to find further evidence for equivalence of Qetesh and Asherah, despite dissimilar functions and symbols. What's interesting about this deity is that Isis has mothered more religions than you may think. Pp. [76] Karl Kerenyi noted the similarity between the names, perhaps denoting a chthonic connection among the two and the goddess Persephone;[77] it is possible that this epithet gives evidence of a lunar aspect of Hecate. It is possible that the representation of a triple Hecate surrounding a central pillar was originally derived from poles set up at three-way crossroads with masks hung on them, facing in each road direction. EC490 - Y Ganolfan Eifftaidd / Egypt Centre The gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt were an integral part of the people's everyday lives for over 3,000 years. Hecate was the chief goddess presiding over magic and spells. See Heckenbach, p. 2776 and references. While this sculpture has not survived to the present day, numerous later copies are extant. From the tomb of Kenamun quoted from Alix Wilkinson The Garden In Ancient Egypt Hathor is the tree goddess of Memphis and is often known as 'Lady of the sycamore'. Her cult became popular in Egypt during the New Kingdom. She is good in the byre with Hermes to increase the stock. Goddess of: creation, war, rivers, the cosmos, mothers, childbirth, rivers, and hunting Consort: Set, Khnum Children: Sobek, Re, Tutu, Serket, Apep Association: Isis, Hathor, Mehturt (Mehet-Weret) Symbol: Spider, loom, Deshret (Red Crown of Lower Egypt), ankh symbol, bow and crossed arrows Her name literally means She who is powerful or One who has control. Looking at Egypt, Isis is the only deity that one can conceive of as being esoteric because she brought back her husband from the dead. Danu was the source of the tribe's common heritage, as well as its nobility, unity, and power. Phoenix, 24(4), 283295. Beginning during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, a Semitic goddess named Qetesh ("holiness", sometimes reconstructed as Qudshu) appears prominently. She became the patroness of the Nile Delta and the protector of all of Lower Egypt. While many researchers favour the idea that she has Anatolian origins, it has been argued that "Hecate must have been a Greek goddess. 7000 jars of red beer are spread over the land during the night. No, right? She was said to have saved the city from Philip II of Macedon, warning the citizens of a night time attack by a light in the sky, for which she was known as Hecate Lampadephoros. She was also the patron of physicians and healers. Qetesh's sexuality led to a natural association with the Egyptian goddess Hathor. Qetesh is also the name used in The Sarah Jane Adventures episode Goodbye, Sarah Jane Smith, and confirmed to be the humanoid species (also known as "soul-stealers") of Ruby White (the episode's villain) who feeds off excitement and heightened emotion and have stomachs that live outside their bodies. Neith - Origins, Family, Meaning, Symbols & Powers In Hesiod she is the daughter of the Titan Perses and the nymph Asteria and has power over heaven, earth, and sea; hence, she bestows wealth and all the blessings of daily life. A triple deity is a deity with three apparent forms that function as a singular whole. There is no standard version of the Egyptian pantheon. The main purpose of the Deipnon was to honour Hecate and to placate the souls in her wake who "longed for vengeance. Of the 200 books available in open source about Egyptian mythology, hardly seven or eight had anything substantial to say about Sekhmet. [21], William Berg observes, "Since children are not called after spooks, it is safe to assume that Carian theophoric names involving hekat- refer to a major deity free from the dark and unsavoury ties to the underworld and to witchcraft associated with the Hecate of classical Athens. [3], A passage from the Book of the Dead reads, superior to whom the gods cannot be . An inscription on the statue is a dedication to Hecate, in writing of the style of the 6th century, but it otherwise lacks any other symbols typically associated with the goddess. American Book Company, 1910. iPhone History: A Timeline of Every Model in Order The figure is flanked by lions, an animal associated with Hecate both in the Chaldean Oracles, coinage, and reliefs from Asia Minor. 4060 in. [71] In Italy, the triple unity of the lunar goddesses Diana (the huntress), Luna (the Moon) and Hecate (the underworld) became a ubiquitous feature in depictions of sacred groves, where Hecate/Trivia marked intersections and crossroads along with other liminal deities. Hecate | Myth & Symbols | Britannica There are also many that are put together as triple Goddesses but as individuals, such as in Egyptian Mythology, Bast (Maiden), Hathor (Mother) and Sekhmet (Crone). "[27] A 6th century fragment of pottery from Boetia depicts a goddess which may be Hecate in a maternal or fertility mode. Sekhmet was depicted with the body of a woman clothed in red linen, wearing a Uraeus and a sun disc on her lioness head. 39 K), and 358 F; Melanthius, in Athenaeus, 325 B. Plato, Com. The number three has a long history of mythical associations and triple deities are common throughout world mythology. Amulets depict her as seated or standing, holding a papyrus-shaped scepter. For example, "willing" (thus, "she who works her will" or similar), may be related to the name Hecate. Triple goddess - General Discussion - The Spells8 Forum
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