In the pyramid texts, Sekhmet is written to be the mother of the kings reborn in the afterlife. Religion in ancient Rome; Marcus Aurelius (head covered) . In a middle kingdom treatise, the wrath of the pharaoh toward rebels is compared to the rage of Sekhmet. by Patricia Monaghan, which is a very comprehensive encyclopedia of Goddesses; Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses. Sometimes she is seen as the daughter of Geb and Nut, and sometimes as the principal daughter of Ra. The center of her cult was in Per-Wadjet, later called Buto by the Greeks. She is believed to have caused plagues. Lady of Life: Spells exist that regard plagues as brought by the messengers of Sekhmet. The triple moon symbol, also called the triple goddess symbol, is represented by two crescent moons flanking a full moon. According to a New Kingdom story, as 'Lady of the Sycamore', she heals the eye of Horus with milk from a gazelle. Hekate: Her Role and Character in Greek Literature from before the Fifth Century B.C. It is speculated that these statues were created to pacify the goddess and please her. [61], Cult images and altars of Hecate in her triplicate or trimorphic form were placed at three-way crossroads (though they also appeared before private homes and in front of city gates). Sekhmet brought terrible plagues toon the land. "[105] A secondary purpose was to purify the household and to atone for bad deeds a household member may have committed that offended Hecate, causing her to withhold her favour from them. 8. 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. 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). Memphis and Leontopolis were the major centers of the worship of Sekhmet, with Memphis being the principal seat. She was invoked to ward off diseases. Much like Shiva did with Kali, Ra had to resort to trickery to calm Sekhmets anger and bring her out of her killing spree. 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. Myths mention how an angry Ra, created Sekhmet out of Hathor and sent her to destroy mankind because it was not upholding the laws of Maat, the ancient Egyptian concept of order and justice. 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. 394 K), Antiphanes, in Athenaeus, 358 F; Aristophanes, Plutus, 596. [28] It has been speculated that this triple image, usually situated around a pole or pillar, was derived from earlier representations of the goddess using three masks hung on actual wooden poles, possibly placed at crossroads and gateways. "[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. Because of this association, Hecate was one of the chief goddesses of the Eleusinian Mysteries, alongside Demeter and Persephone,[1] and there was a temple dedicated to her near the main sanctuary at Eleusis. [75] In one version of Hecate's parentage, she is the daughter of Perses not the son of Crius but the son of Helios, whose mother is the Oceanid Perse. 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. The maiden represents young women, full of potential and life, while the mother symbolizes a fully mature woman. Sekhmet was worshipped along with Ra at the Heliopolis since the early Old Kingdom. Goddess of boundaries, transitions, crossroads, magic, the New Moon, necromancy, and ghosts. Larger Hekataions, often enclosed within small walled areas, were sometimes placed at public crossroads near important sites for example, there was one on the road leading to the Acropolis. [13] However, while Ashtart (Astarte) and Anat were closely associated with each other in Ugarit, in Egyptian sources, and elsewhere,[14][15] there is no evidence for conflation of Athirat and Ashtart, nor is Athirat associated closely with Ashtart and Anat in Ugaritic texts. [8][9] Her attendants draped wreathes of yew around the necks of black bulls which they slaughtered in her honor and yew boughs were burned on funeral pyres. She has three faces for her role as the goddess of boundaries and the guardian of . [citation needed], The spelling Hecat is due to Arthur Golding's 1567 translation of Ovid's Metamorphoses,[24] and this spelling without the final E later appears in plays of the Elizabethan-Jacobean period. 7, Suidas s.v. Isis: Mother Goddess of Ancient Egypt - Learn Religions The dog was Hecate's regular sacrificial animal, and was often eaten in solemn sacrament. Horus was an ancient Egyptian God of the sky, and he is typically depicted as a falcon. Some triple goddess that I know of are the following: Greek: Hekate (Hecate), Selene, and Persephone. Kek and Heqet: Egyptian Frog Gods Who Inspired A Meme - Realm of History Lesko Barbara (n.d) The Great Goddesses of Egypt, University of Oklahoma Press, [1] Marcia Stark & Gynne Stern (1993) The Dark Goddess: Dancing with the Shadow, The Crossing Press. He noted that the cult regularly practiced dog sacrifice and had secretly buried the body of one of its "queens" with seven dogs. Medusa came to Greece from Libya as the Serpent Goddess, and the destroyer aspect of the Great Triple Goddess. 9. Limestone fragments discovered from the valley temple of Sneferu (dynasty IV) at Dahshur depict the monarchs head closely juxtaposed to the muzzle of a lioness deity (presumed to be Sekhmet) as if to symbolize Sneferu breathing in the divine life force emanating from the goddesss mouth. [139], Hecate is also referenced in the Gnostic text Pistis Sophia. The initiates supposed that these things save [them] from terrors and from storms. In early portrayals she is shown as a naked woman standing upon a lion. "[92] She was most commonly worshipped in nature, where she had many natural sanctuaries. [2][3][4] Her earliest appearance in literature was in Hesiod's Theogony in the 8th century BCE[5] as a goddess of great honour with domains in sky, earth, and sea. The coffin texts associate her with Lower Egypt. It has been claimed that her association with dogs is "suggestive of her connection with birth, for the dog was sacred to Eileithyia, Genetyllis, and other birth goddesses. [29][28] Some hekataia, including a votive sculpture from Attica of the 3rd century BCE, include additional dancing figures identified as the Charites circling the triple Hecate and her central column. Weird Rituals Laid to Primitive Minds, Los Angeles Examiner, 14 October 1929. The pharaohs wore the uraeus as a head ornament: either with the body of Wadjet . 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. This and other early depictions of Hecate lack distinctive attributes that would later be associated with her, such as a triple form or torches, and can only be identified as Hecate thanks to their inscriptions. In the New Kingdom funerary literature, Sekhmet is said to defend Ra from Apophis. Supporters of this etymology suggest that Hecate was originally considered an aspect of Artemis prior to the latter's adoption into the Olympian pantheon. 5. Lady of the mountains of the setting sun: Watcher and guardian of the west. 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. "Beyond Erekigal? The polecat is also associated with Hecate. [99], Hecate's island ( ) also called Psamite (), was an islet in the vicinity of Delos. Known to represent the three stages of man, Youth, Father, and Sage, the Horned God symbolizes the good intent. Isis often reminds one of Persephone or Psyche just as Hathor reminds one of Aphrodite or Venus. Which of these is true, we do not know. Dogs, with puppies often mentioned, were offered to Hecate at crossroads, which were sacred to the goddess. The sanctuary is built upon a hill, at the bottom of which is an Altar of the Winds, and on it the priest sacrifices to the winds one night in every year. "[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. 7), dated to the late 3rd or early 4th century CE, Hecate Erschigal is invoked against fear of punishment in the afterlife. Barret Clive (1996) The Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, Diamond Books, 10. The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet. Images of her attended by a dog[35] are also found at times when she is shown as in her role as mother goddess with child, and when she is depicted alongside the god Hermes and the goddess Cybele in reliefs. All' ei tis humn en Samothraikei memuemenos esti, The play Plutus by Aristophanes (388 BCE), line 594 any translation will do or. 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. [e], As Hecate Phosphorus (the 'star' Venus) she is said to have lit the sky during the Siege of PhilipII in 340BCE, revealing the attack to its inhabitants. Hecate was greatly worshipped in Byzantium. 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. [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. The number three has a long history of mythical associations and triple deities are common throughout world mythology. In the Michigan magical papyrus (inv. For to this day, whenever any one of men on earth offers rich sacrifices and prays for favor according to custom, he calls upon Hecate. Circle for Hekate: volume 1. Phoenix, 24(4), 283295. The eye of Horus Hecate or Hekate[a] is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs,[1] and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. How old is the United States of America? [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. There she was worshipped with her consort Ptah. She is believed to have caused plagues. Grandmother of the three cousins was Phoebe[123] the ancient Titan goddess whose name was often used for the moon goddess. She protected the pharaohs and led them to war. Mesopotamian Magic Traditions in the Papyri Graecae Magicae", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hecate&oldid=1151338190. They have a son named Nefertem. 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. [17] The word "heka" in the Egyptian language is also both the word for "magic" and the name of the god of magic and medicine, Heka. She was usually called the daughter of the Titans Asteria and Perses, but there were many alternate versions of her parentage, including some that made her a daughter of Zeus.Though Hecate was most commonly depicted as a sinister goddess of magic, witchcraft, and the Underworld, she was sometimes portrayed as kind and helpful. Deities, heroes, animals, and other entities often fight against each other because they are representations of opposing qualities. At Athens, it is said there stood a statue of Hecate Triglathena, to whom the red mullet was offered in sacrifice. 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. The Triple Goddess - The Bridging Tree [13] Another Greek word suggested as the origin of the name Hecate is Hekatos, an obscure epithet of Apollo[10] interpreted as "the far reaching one" or "the far-darter". d'Este, Sorita & Rankine, David, Hekate Liminal Rites, Avalonia, 2009. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Gods of Death For example, "willing" (thus, "she who works her will" or similar), may be related to the name Hecate. "[167], Shakespeare mentions Hecate both before the end of the 16th century (A Midsummer Night's Dream, 15941596), and just after, in Macbeth (1605): specifically, in the title character's "dagger" soliloquy: "Witchcraft celebrates pale Hecate's offerings"[168] 79, n. 1. also Ammonius (p. 79, Valckenaer), Betz, Hans Dieter, ' The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation: Including the Demotic Spells, Foreign Influence on Ancient India, Krishna Chandra Sagar, Northern Book Centre, 1992, Household and Family Religion in Antiquity by John Bodel and Saul M. Olyan, page 221, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2009, d'Este & Rankine, Hekate Liminal Rites, Avalonia, 2009. The crone symbolizes elderly women and the wisdom which comes with aging. 40 Protection Symbols and Their Meanings - TheMindFool Sekhmet is believed to have 4000 names that described her many attributes. "In Byzantium small temples in her honour were placed close to the gates of the city. She is variously associated with crossroads, entrance-ways, night, light, magic, protection from witchcraft, the Moon, knowledge of herbs and poisonous plants, graves, ghosts, necromancy, and sorcery. [Hekate] teaches the, Although usually the daughter of Hyperion and Theia, as in, Magliocco, Sabina. The yew in particular was sacred to Hecate. These statues are rarely discovered in complete form. [3], A passage from the Book of the Dead reads, superior to whom the gods cannot be . [33][133], Hecate is the primary feminine figure in the Chaldean Oracles (2nd3rd century CE),[134] where she is associated in fragment 194 with a strophalos (usually translated as a spinning top, or wheel, used in magic) "Labour thou around the Strophalos of Hecate. She was invoked to ward off diseases. [100] The island is the modern Megalos (Great) Reumatiaris.[101]. Berg, William, "Hecate: Greek or "Anatolian"? [citation needed], One surviving group of stories[clarification needed] suggests how Hecate might have come to be incorporated into the Greek pantheon without affecting the privileged position of Artemis. In the Old Kingdom, the priests of Sekhmet are an organized phyle and from a slightly later date, in its extant copy, the Ebers papyrus attributes to these priests a detailed knowledge of the heart. [12] However, no sources suggested list will or willingness as a major attribute of Hecate, which makes this possibility unlikely. Qetesh (also Qadesh, Qedesh, Qetesh, Kadesh, Kedesh, Kade or Qades /kd/) was a goddess who was incorporated into the ancient Egyptian religion in the late Bronze Age. Mary McMahon 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. In Early Modern English, the name was also pronounced disyllabically (as /hk.t/) and sometimes spelled Hecat. "Hecate mediated between regimesOlympian and Titanbut also between mortal and divine spheres. Francis Douce, Illustrations of Shakspeare, and of Ancient Manners, 1807, p. 235-243. Hecate's importance to Byzantium was above all as a deity of protection. Hecate (Hekate) is a goddess of Greek mythology capable of both good and evil. In addition, we particularly recommend The Book of Goddesses and Heroines. In the Greek pantheon, Apollo was the god of medicine and often brought down plagues to punish mankind. Antoninus Liberalis used a myth to explain this association: Aelian told a different story of a woman transformed into a polecat: Athenaeus of Naucratis, drawing on the etymological speculation of Apollodorus of Athens, notes that the red mullet is sacred to Hecate, "on account of the resemblance of their names; for that the goddess is trimorphos, of a triple form". She also is often one of the most misunderstood. 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. [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. Triple Goddess Symbol - What Does It Really Mean? When Philip of Macedon was about to attack the city, according to the legend she alerted the townspeople with her ever present torches, and with her pack of dogs, which served as her constant companions. 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. And she is good to stand by horsemen, whom she will: and to those whose business is in the grey discomfortable sea, and who pray to Hecate and the loud-crashing Earth-Shaker, easily the glorious goddess gives great catch, and easily she takes it away as soon as seen, if so she will. 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