Hecate’s Family Tree

About Hecate →

Family

• Asteria(parent),Perses(parent)— Marriage

  The Titans Perses and Asteria bore Hecate, whose powers Zeus confirmed when he overthrew the older gods. Through Asteria, Hecate was cousin to Apollo and Artemis.

Allied with

• Olympians

  Hecate alone among the Titans retained her ancient honors under Zeus's reign, and he granted her a share in earth, sea, and sky — a reward for siding with the Olympians in their rise to power.

• Persephone

  Hecate heard Persephone's cries during the abduction and helped Demeter search for her. After the reunion, Hecate became Persephone's attendant and torchbearing companion in the underworld.

Equivalent to

• Hecate(Roman)

  Greek Hecate was adopted directly into Roman religion as Hecate or Trivia, the goddess of crossroads and nocturnal sorcery, retaining her triple form and association with the underworld and magic.

Associated with

• Artemis,Selene

  Later Greek theology identified Hecate, Selene, and Artemis as a triple goddess of the moon — Selene the full moon, Artemis the crescent, and Hecate the dark moon and the crossroads between worlds.

• Demeter

  Hecate heard Persephone's cries during the abduction and approached Demeter bearing torches. In the Homeric Hymn to Demeter, she led Demeter to Helios to learn the truth of what had happened.

• Gigantomachy

  Hecate fought in the Gigantomachy, burning the Giant Clytius with her twin torches. Her participation linked the chthonic powers to the defense of the Olympian order.

• Golden Fleece

  Medea invoked Hecate's power and used herbs sacred to the goddess to enchant the sleepless dragon guarding the Golden Fleece in the sacred grove of Ares.

• Hades

  Hecate heard Persephone's cries during Hades' abduction and later became her torch-bearing companion, greeting her each time she emerged from the underworld and guiding her back when she descended.

• Medea

  Medea served as a priestess of Hecate in Colchis, deriving her powers of pharmakeia from the goddess of witchcraft and the night. She invoked Hecate in her most potent spells and enchantments.

• Zeus

  When Zeus overthrew the Titans, he confirmed Hecate's ancient privileges and granted her dominion over heaven, earth, and sea. Hesiod's Theogony praises her honors above all other deities.