Hekate, above perhaps all others, is the original and official goddess of witchcraft. The "goddess of the crossroads" is also the goddess of night, magic, necromancy, the Moon, and ghosts.According to the most common traditions, Hekate was originally a Thracian deity who—as both a Titan and the daughter of Zeus, had power over the heavens and Earth. She was originally considered a nature and lunar goddess (on par with Demeter and Artemis) and either granted or withheld blessings of abundance, victory, wisdom, and luck—depending on how her worshipers treated her.It wasn't until the time of the Greek tragedians that she became associated with witchcraft and death. A legend arose that she journeyed to the underworld after witnessing the abduction of Persephone by Hades—there, she became her companion. After that, she began to be "regarded as a spectral being, who at night sent from the lower world all kinds of demons and terrible phantoms, who taught sorcery and witchcraft, who dwelt at places where two roads crossed each other, on tombs, and near the blood of murdered persons. She herself too wanders about with the souls of the dead, and her approach is announced by the whining and howling of dogs."Is it any wonder that, even today, Hekate is considered to be the undisputed goddess of witchcraft?Lance LeClaire is a freelance artist and writer. Look him up on Facebook and keep an eye out for his articles on Listverse.
