In ancient Greece, as in Rome, the dominant religion was paganism, characterized by polytheism, also called polytheism. This means that for each area of ​​human activity a separate mythological character was responsible. The main deities, called the pantheon, included a dozen super-beings led by Zeus, who was considered the ruler of the sky, the thunderer and the personification of absolute power. His wife Hera, who patronized the family, also entered into a narrow circle; Poseidon, formerly a sort of minister of the sea; Athena, who oversaw the wisdom; Aphrodite, who owned the strings of beauty and love; Ares, the leader of the generals, as well as Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Hephaestus, Demeter and Hestia. In addition to their special capabilities, all these myth heroes possessed another interesting property. They were very similar to ordinary people both externally and in actions and motivation. The humanity of these deities is called anthropomorphism. The goddess Hecate in Greek mythology occupies a special place. She was worshiped and sacrificed by many, but did it infrequently, very carefully, and sometimes even secretly.
Origin
If Apollo was a bright god, it is only logical that someone in ancient Greece should have been responsible for the darkness. Such was the goddess Hekate, a bearer of a clearly chthonic character, who fell into official mythology from pre-Olympic times, that is, before Zeus ascended the sacred mountain of Olympus. Her responsibilities included supervising sorcery, witchcraft, nightmares, and other grim manifestations of mental human activity. Its origin is partly eastern, the father is the titan Persian (Destroyer), and her mother is Asteria (the goddess of light, oracles and nightly prophecies, including prophetic dreams, astrology and necromancy). The goddess of hell Hekate is also the granddaughter of Helios (the Sun). All this means that there is no direct genealogical connection with the Olympic celestials (according to Hesiod). Moreover, she represents the class of defeated titans, but, despite this, she retained her functions, and also won the respect of Zeus himself, who introduced her to the narrow circle of inhabitants of the new pantheon, entrusting her with a very responsible work.
Field of activity Hecate
The goddess of darkness, Hekate, is actually not always scary - she helped people in their everyday lives, patronizing cattle breeding, court clerical work, the assembly of the people, sports and military successes. In addition, she protected young children and adolescents, “managed” motherhood, provided assistance in the process of birth (now it would be called a perinatal function) and further education. And the goddess Hecate helped the wanderers and comforted the abandoned lovers. Such a wide range of responsibilities is explained by the fact that part of the functions was transferred to her from Apollo, Artemis and Hermes. But all this was only a "part-time job." But the main thing for her was still darkness.
Image research
The earliest references to her are found in Hesiod's Theogony (Greek epic poetic period between the 8th and 7th centuries BC). The inscription on the gates of the ancient city of Miletus in the form of the name of the goddess as a protector serves as further evidence of her presence in the archaic Greek religion (about the VI century BC).
The first sculptural images give an idea of ​​a one-sided female image, later statues appeared with a large number of faces (mainly with three, but sometimes four). In 1896, historian Lewis Richard Farnell noted that images and literary references are more common on the outskirts than in the centers of Greek polytheism. The goddess of darkness Hekate is described in a contradictory and polymorphic manner, and her definition and description eludes the reader. Her worlds are land, sea and sky. Her ability to create or subjugate storms probably played a role in accepting her as the patroness of shepherds and sailors.
Moon
The last day of the month belongs to Hekate, it was at this time that the ancient Greeks paid tribute to her and made their requests. For this reason, she is also the goddess of the moon. Hecate was often portrayed with her sacred dogs, sometimes dressed in a medium-length robe and shod in boots, like her cousin, the patron saint of hunters. Nevertheless, Hekate and her dogs often have three heads and are able to see in all directions. Like Artemis, the Greek goddess Hecate loves solitude and is virgin. This means that in most literary sources she never gets married and does not give birth to children. Perhaps it is precisely because of the lack of joy of motherhood that she protects pregnant women and alleviates their suffering. The goddess Hecate stands guard over the health of children.
Appearance
According to legend, it is invisible or feels like a certain movement of ethereal light. Perhaps due to precisely this quality, Hekate is considered the goddess of the moon, although her images contradict this view. It is possible (as some scholars believe) that her ability to glow is inspired by the image of her mother, the stellar Asteria. Each statue of the goddess Hecate gives an idea not of a certain ethereal being, but rather of a solid and quite earthly one. A consequence of the desire to resolve this contradiction is manifested in the torch, which the ancient Greek sculptors put into her hand. Usually the goddess of the underworld Hekate is portrayed in the image of a beautiful woman (it happens, however, a three-headed one), but sometimes she is pretty scary. Sometimes it is shown with lion, snake, horse, dog or boar heads (in various combinations). It is clear why she is considered the goddess of visions and knowledge.
Abilities
Her ability to see in several directions at once (including in the past, present and future) is central to the most famous myths. For example, when Hades abducted Persephone, it was Hekate, who had the opportunity to see all the way to the kingdom of the dead, accompanied Demeter during the search for her missing daughter, illuminating the path with her torch. The underworld goddess Hekate continued to play an important role in Persephone's life, supporting her during the annual captivity. Hades was glad of friendship with her, showed hospitality to her, honoring her with his guest, who was allowed to freely come and go.
According to legend, she visited the graves, cemeteries and places of crime, and her arrival is usually preceded by barking or howling dogs. Also, the goddess Hecate is considered the defender of the oppressed. In ancient Rome, many slaves were set free to serve her cult as priests in special gardens built in her honor.
Victims of Gekate
An indispensable element of the worship of this goddess in the ancient world was the so-called Hecate dinner. He was preparing to appease the powerful patroness of the humiliated and to avoid many of the troubles possible in the event of an inadequate level of reverence (living dead ghosts, for example). The offerings were brought to the crossroads to the statue and included various products. It was believed that one should be generous and not spare eggs, milk, honey and black lambs - this is what Hekata loves to eat most. The goddess of the offering shared these with the homeless and destitute, who were under her protection. It was also customary to expose chicken hearts at the end of the lunar month, sacrificing them for the glory of Hecate. History is silent about who ate them, but you can guess that cats and dogs were very happy with them.
Quotes
In Roman mythology, Hekate was known as Trivia (the goddess of crossroads). The ancient Greeks revered her as the goddess of fertility and fertility, the moon and night ghosts. An interesting mythological rationale is why the goddess Hecate brings wealth. Quotes from ancient texts indicate that:
1. “Goddess Gaia, through the love of God ... gave birth to Asteria, which Perses brought to his big house to call her dear wife. And she conceived and gave birth to Hekate, whom Zeus, son of Kronos, revered above all. "
2. “He gave her magnificent gifts, a share of the land and the barren sea. She also received the starry sky and the honor of the immortal gods. For whenever any of the people on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for the good, according to custom, he calls Hecate. ”
3. "A great honor comes to those whose prayers to the goddess are pleasing, and she will bestow wealth on him."
4. “And when people arm themselves for battle, the goddess will give victory to those whom she favors. It’s also good when people claim that they won the games, because the goddess is with them, and the one who receives victory by power and strength easily wins the rich prize with joy and brings glory to his parents. ”
5. "Herds of cows and wide herds of goats, and flocks of fleecy sheep, if she so wishes, increase from a few, or she makes many to be smaller."
Priestesses of Hecate
Euripides in "Iphigenia in Tauris" directly pointed out that "Iphigenia was a priestess of the goddess, worshiped Taurus."
The mighty witch Circe (Kirke), the character of Homer's Odyssey, is also believed to have been the priestess of Hecate.
Medea was also a priestess and possessed the secrets of witchcraft. She appealed to the name of Hekate in Colchis and Corinth to direct her: "... she was busy all day in the temple of Hekate, since she herself was a priestess of the goddess." And also: “There is a girl ... whom the goddess Hecate taught to handle magical herbs with excellent skill” (Book of the Argonauts, III).
Ultimately, Medea ordered the Argonauts to appease Hekate by sacrifice.
What was hecate
After all the reader has read, accustomed to a simplified modern scheme for evaluating characters and dividing them into antagonists and protagonists, one might be interested in answering the question of which class of mythical creatures the ancient Greek goddess Hekate should be assigned to. Is her image positive, or is it rather the personification of universal evil? Most likely, such a formulation of the question would have introduced a resident of Hellas into a stupor. The fact is that the epic gods were endowed with the features of ordinary people. They liked flattery, they were subjected to the same temptations as ordinary inhabitants of ancient Greece or Rome, they wanted generous offerings, and they did not shy away from simple human joys. In light of this, they were also characterized by the emotions of ordinary people. They sympathized with someone, but not with someone. To make conclusions about how good they are, kind or, on the contrary, evil and merciless, was considered unacceptable in the ancient world. Already there are, there are, and the task was only to please these gods.
But what if the Statue of Liberty is an image ...
It just so happened that democratic values ​​on our planet are usually associated with the symbols of the New World. One of them is the Statue of Liberty, built by the French sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdy, who professed Masonic views. The author previously proposed to create a work in honor of Eastern civilization and install it at the entrance to the Suez Canal, but then it did not work out, but he managed to become famous a little later in the USA. What common features with this statue does the goddess of darkness Hekate have? The statue raises a torch, which indirectly hints at the darkness surrounding it. The head of this lady is crowned by a crown consisting of pointed spikes. When comparing these attributes of Freedom and the images of ancient Greek idols, certain associations involuntarily suggest themselves. Most of all, the American statue resembles the goddess of darkness Hekate. The photo of the sculpture's face gives an idea of ​​perfect beauty, which does not cause any erotic associations. What can she look for during the day with fire and why does she need a torch? What do these ray-horns symbolizing on the brow symbolize like the snakes of the Gorgon?
Now it remains only to guess what deity Bartholdi had in mind when working on his sketches. The fact remains the undeniable similarity, which have the symbol of "universal democracy" and the goddess of the underworld Hekate. Photos of these statues are easy to compare. As in past millennia, they arouse hope in the souls of some, and frighten others. Still others do not believe in the omnipotence of darkness and are ready to fight it.