Hecate

Hecate is often considered to be one of the 'darker' Goddesses, and she is certainly more mysterious than most of the other Deities in this pantheon. Hecate did not play a large role in many Greek myths. Early representations of her are youthful, but over time she has become a crone Goddess.

She ruled over crossroads, the graveyard and the shadows, and is referred to today as the Goddess of the Witches. Hecate was a Goddess with great power of both life and death, and was closely associated with the Underworld (where she resided). As a triple-goddess, she is closely tied with the phases of the moon. When she travels at night, she is usually accompanied by a pack of dogs.

Besides her control over the things of darkness and the night, Hecate was also called up by women in childbirth and she helped protect the home from evil spirits.

She was different from the other Gods and Goddesses of the Greek pantheon in that she was older than the other Olympians and had a different lineage. Sometimes she is described as being a Titan in her own right, as daughter of Perses (Titan of man-made destruction). Occasionally, she is the daughter of Zeus and Hera, but this seems contrary to most of her qualities. Regardless of the details, she was powerful enough that even Zeus respected her and often requested her advice.

Hecate was seldom seen in the Roman pantheon, but there her name was Trivia.