A Goddess for Witches
If there can be said to be such a singular thing, Hecate would be it. In Ancient Greek religion and mythology, she was associated with crossroads, night, light, magic, witchcraft and the moon. Common symbols for her would be paired torches, dogs, serpents, keys, knives and lions.
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Three For the Price of One
Many religions have a, “triple goddess,” frequently more than one, and Hecate is often depicted as having three bodies. Hecate’s triple form traditionally looks three ways at once: she is the goddess of the threefold crossroads, and her torches burn at every door that marks a between.
She is also a goddess with remarkable range: Hesiod calls her a universal benefactress, the Homeric Hymn makes her the compassionate witness to Persephone’s abduction and her guide afterward, and the later Neoplatonic philosophers place her as Soteira (the Saviour) at the hinge of the cosmos itself. The witch-queen of horror films is a real face of her, but she is bigger than it.
The Witch-House bears her name because of all of this. It is a threshold; she is the goddess of thresholds. It guides its residents through curses; she guides souls through passage. It is hoped that, in some small way, this makes the House her Hekataion.
Going Deeper
For substantially more on the goddess, covering her mythological sources, her many titles, her rituals, the goddesses she resembles in other cultures, and the ways her story has woven itself into the Sanctuary’s, see the research compiled under Research Hub. The hub branches into:
- Mythological Narratives: the primary sources: Hesiod, the Homeric Hymn, the Argonautica, Ovid, Lucan.
- Epithets and Titles: a working glossary of the names she was invoked under.
- Magic and Mysticism: cult practice, the monthly Deipnon, the Greek Magical Papyri, the Chaldean Oracles, curse tablets.
- Cross-Cultural Parallels: Trivia, Artemis–Selene–Hecate, Isis, Heqet, Baba Yaga, the Morrígan, Kali, Lilith, Papa Legba, and more.
- Campaign Hooks: GM notes on using this material in the campaign.