30 Days of Devotion to Hekate: Day 1

1. A basic introduction of the deity.

Hekate's Symbols
1. Keys - Used to open the gates to the underworld and to access the knowledge of occult mysteries and the afterlife hidden there. The Orhpic hymn to Hekate addresses her as "holder of the keys of Cosmos".

2. Hekate’s Wheel/Circle or Strophalos - Mentioned in the second century in the Alexandrian text known as the Chaldean Oracle - an emblam of the initiatory lunar Goddess Hekate in her triple aspect.

3. Torches - Brings light and wisdom to the world, Hekate uses her torches to reveal what is already there. Lights the way and that of the subconscious. Shining light on the shadows of our self doubt and removes our fear of the unknown. That which the person NEEDS to heal, but not necessarily what they WANT to see. Used when Hekate assisted Demeter in searching for her daughter, Persephone.

4. Dagger - Later known as the athame of witches - used to cut delusions and as a symbol of ritual power. Hekate uses her knife (dagger) to sever the cord as midwife and to detach the body from life force at death.

5. Rope - Also called a whip, scourge and cord that symbolizes the umbilical cord for rebirth and renewal.

6. A single golden, bronze, or brazen sandal (sometimes referred to as a pair worn with a white gown/robe and polos (headdress).

7. Oinochoe - a libation pitcher - sometimes included in modern and ancient depictions.

8. Phiale - Libation/offering bowl, also seen in modern and ancient depictions.

9. Fruit - Often a pomegranate amongst others for her role in reuniting Persephone and Demeter, and her continued friendship of Persephone.

Sacred Animals: ALL animals are sacred to Hekate.
1. Dogs - It is said when the dogs howl at night they sing to Goddess Hekate. Dogs/black dogs or she-wolf are often depicted as her familiar and primary animal form. Sometimes as having 3 heads or sometimes Hekate is depicted as having 3 heads, one of which is a black dog. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus received Queen Hekabe/Hecuba as his captive. During the return voyage, Hekabe murdered a Thracian king and was stoned and the gods transformed her into a black dog, henceforth known as the the animal familiar of Bendis, the Thrakian Hekate who was in ancient times offered dogs as a sacrifice (particularly on/around Deipna/Deipnon if they wanted to please Hekate and bring good fortune back into their homes). Alternatively, it is said that Hecuba threw herself from a rock once the city was captured and Hekate took pity on her, thus turning her into a dog.

2. Lion - During the times when Hekate is depicted as having 3 non-human heads, one of those heads is often times a lion.

3. Snakes - One of many non-human heads depicted (Dog, Snake, Lion and sometimes a Bear, Cow or Boar). These have been connected with her chthonic powers and of the uncommon wisdom of the other world.

(Raven, owls, crows, frogs and dragons - All dark animals are said to be Her messengers.)

4. Bulls - It was written in the Greek Magical Papyri, which is a collection of spells and incantations that have been dated from the 2nd century BCE to the 5th century CE. Hekate, in the Prayer to Selene, is addressed thusly. "O Night Bellower, Lover of Solitude, Bull-Faced and Bull-Headed One," and also as "Bull-Eyed, Horned, Mother of Gods and Men."

5. Horses - "...and she [Hekate] is good to stand by horsemen, whom she will." - the Theogeny (Evelyn-White, tr 1914). Hekate is also said to appear as a horse in the Chaldean Oracles (theological Alexandrian literature providing practical information for the masses to practice theurgy. In these, Hekate "tells" the theurgist a set of words or phrases to invole her presence. Hekate is then said to appear in the form or a child or horse (Johnston, 1990 pg 111): “...you will see a horse flashing more brightly than light, or a child mounted on the swift back of a horse, a fiery child or a child covered with gold ... or even a child shooting arrows, standing upon a horses’ back.” Furthermore as part of invoking Hekate in particular spells, horses have been included in such invocation (Betz, ed. 1992): PGM IV 2441-2021 and PGM VII 756-794; and utilising their power PGM III 1-164. Such associations have led to her being illustrated as a horse (D’Este and Rankine, 2009, pg. 138) or as the horse being one of the three depicted heads.

6. Polecats - There are at least two myths as to how the polecat became associated with Hekate. One, as the myth goes involves a witch named Gale. Gale was so full of greed and lust that the gods punished her by turning her into a black polecat, and Hekate welcomed her amongst her favorite animals. (Greek natural history C2nd A.D.): "I have heard that the land-marten (polecat) was once a human being. It has also reached my hearing that Gale was her name then; that she was a dealer in spells and a sorceress (Pharmakis); that she was extremely incontinent, and that she was afflicted with abnormal sexual desires. Nor has it escaped my notice that the anger of the goddess Hekate transformed it into this evil creature. May the goddess be gracious to me : fables and their telling I leave to others."
The second pertains to Alkmene and the birth of Herakles. Antoninus Liberalis, Metamorphoses 29 (trans. Celoria) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.): "At Thebes Proitos had a daughter Galinthias. This maiden was playmate and companion of Alkmene, daughter of Elektryon. As the birth throes for Herakles were pressing on Alkmene, the Moirai (the Fates) and Eileithyia (Birth-Goddess), as a favour to Hera, kept Alkmene in continuous birth pangs. They remained seated, each keeping their arms crossed. Galinthias, fearing that the pains of her labor would drive Alkmene mad, ran to the Moirai and Eleithyia and announced that by desire of Zeus a boy had been born to Alkmene and that their prerogatives had been abolished. At all this, consternation of course overcame the Moirai and they immediately let go their arms. Alkmene’s pangs ceased at once and Herakles was born. The Moirai were aggrieved at this and took away the womanly parts of Galinthias since, being but a mortal, she had deceived the gods. They turned her into a deceitful weasel (polecat), making her live in crannies and gave her a grotesque way of mating. She is mounted through the ears and gives birth by bringing forth her young through the throat. Hekate felt sorry for this transformation of her appearance and appointed her a sacred servant of herself."

7. Red Mullet - Since Hekate rules over three domains, including the sea, fish are sacred to both Her and Poseidon. Red mullet is and was a common offering to Hekate. As noted in Marquardt (1981), red mullet is also an appropriate offering during the Eleusinian Rites. She also notes the inclusion of fish on a painted amphora where Hekate's outfit has a fish patterned on it (pg. 254).

8. Frog - A creature that lives in two worlds, in the sea and on the earth, a creature that can cross the border between them at will. These are sacred to Hekate and the Egyptian goddess Hekat (whom some equate with early Hekate).

9. Boar - one of the occasional non-human heads depicted on her triple form.

10. Bees - Honey is a common offering for Hekate, especially during the Deipna/Deipnon. This is the food of the Thriae/Thriai (three prophetic Nymphs of Mount Parnassos in Phokis ((central Greece)), the most ancient Delphic prophetesses, who wove golden tissues of words of truth or madness. They sang the thriambos, a honey-intoxicated bee song, in honor of the flowering pollen-producing rod, the magic wand of the phallic God, reunifying nature and spirit.

11. Owls - The owl which represents wisdom and far sightedness was associated with Hekate as she had the ability to see into three different directions at once and also had the ability to see and travel in the hidden realms.

Sacred Plants: 
1. Yew - considered the central tree of death, associated with immortality because it takes longer than any other tree except the oak to come to maturity. Hekate’s cauldron contains ‘slips of yew’ and Her sacred tree is said to root into the mouths of the dead and release their souls and it also absorbs the odors of death. Yew has long been associated with the Underworld. Yew has strong associations with death and rebirth. A poison prepared from the seeds to be used on arrows as the seeds are highly poisonous. The fleshy coral-colored 'berry' surrounding the seed, is not, however, if prepared correctly, can cause visual hallucinations.

2. Cypress - Similar to reasoning for the Yew, Cypress was a common plant used to decorate graves.

3. Hazel - attributed but I can find no explainable reasoning.

4. Black Poplar - As Hekate stood at the gateway between shadow and light, between the Underworld and the upper, the bicolored leaves reflect her borderland qualities. Black poplar was sacred to Hekate as a funeral tree.

5. Willow - The willow tree and it's bark are sacred to Hekate. They are believed to be extremely important to witches as they are supposedly bound to them and helpless without.

6. Oak - An Oak tree stands in the center of Hekate’s garden in Orphic Argonautica and Hekate wears a crown of oak-leaves.

7. Juniper -  The wood and berries are a very powerful protection as well. It is well known for breaking curses or hexes.

Sacred Herbs and Plants:
There are several herbs and plants associated with Hekate. Garlic, almonds, lavender, myrrh, mugwort, cardamom, mint, dandelion, hellebore, and lesser celandine. Several poisons and hallucomogens have also been linked to Hekate. Belladona, foxglove, hemlock, wolfsbane, mandrake, aconite  (which is also known as Hecateis) and opium poppy.

Holidays: 
Deipna/Deipnon - a ritual of cleaning the home and leaving an offering for Her and the restless dead at the crossroads in Her honor. Done each dark moon/monthly.
August 13th - Known as Hekate’s Night, the feast of Hekate. Used as a proprietary celebration to avert the harvest-destroying storms.
October 31st - Some modern Pagans celebrate Hekate’s role as a Psychopompe - one who guides the dead - as part of their Samhain rituals.
November 16th - Hekate’s Night
November 30th - Hekate is honored as the Goddess of the Crossroads. 

Hekate guards the gates between our world and the Underworld and that of the crossroads (the three way crossroads to be specific). The keeper of the keys, unlocking the mysteries and knowledge of witchcraft, guardian of the restless dead. The Goddess of thresholds, of liminal spaces. It is her liminality that defines who She is. She is the Torchbearer, bringing light and wisdom to the world, revealing what is already there and shines light on our self doubt.

Hekate, who had dominion over 3 realms, pledged to help Zeus in his defeat over the Titans, and in doing so, earned His favor, was honered by Him and was allowed to maintain her dominion over her realms.
"Hecate whom Zeus the son of Cronos honoured above all. He gave her splendid gifts, to have a share of the earth and the unfruitful sea. She received honour also in starry heaven, and is honoured exceedingly by the deathless gods.... The son of Cronos did her no wrong nor took anything away of all that was her portion among the former Titan gods: but she holds, as the division was at the first from the beginning, privilege both in earth, and in heaven, and in sea".

Her parentage is listed frequently as the Titans Perses (Destroyer) and Asteria (Starry One). It is sometimes given as Asteria and Zeus. Or that She is the daughter of Nyx, Night itself, or of Deo (Demeter).

Originally she was the Goddess of wild places, presided over childbirth and crossroads. Of the outcasts of society. Those in between spaces associated with the spirit world. For the wilderness and wild animals. She guarded the gates between the worlds and the crossroads and was associated with witches, magic and ghosts. It is from those that she became the Goddess of Magic, of witches and of the restless dead and later took on the Crone persona to many modern pagans.