Oh, this "Dark Goddess"! As soon as people did not distort her in their attempts to commune with her, attributing more and more new qualities that, in an amazing way, made her almost the mistress of Hell … You will not find this in this article. Instead of "black magic" interpretations, a philosophical and very simple conclusion awaits you, something that we all know from an early age. But to get to this folk wisdom, you have to wade through a dense forest of symbolism and folklore. And this, in my opinion, is a very interesting journey, with the right attitude to which, you will have the opportunity to replenish the cup of your spirituality.
I believe that the interested reader of this article is lucky in the sense that below he can read in brief form the finished result of what my convolutions have been wriggling over for quite a long time - a completely new version of Hecate. Therefore, if anyone wants to show off this data, please respect someone else's lost and not recovered gray matter and indicate the author of this article: both I am pleased and you are + to karma. In any case, for you this is just information for thought, for me it is a great experience, this is the difference.
Well, after a short tediousness, let's get down to business.
Hecate turned out to be a very figurative construction, the symbolism of which is shown in folklore in two different forms, but talking about the same thing. And this must be taken into account and not confused. And it’s impossible to understand its full depth using only Greek myths! It is the Slavic folk customs that reflect the deepest part of it, which is already becoming a familiar phenomenon for me. And the final (generalizing) point is put by Sanskrit. On these three whales, I will build my article.
Revered by all
When encyclopedias write about Hecate, they focus on her connection with the dark side, witches and evil spirits, and do not take seriously the text of Hesiod, which, as it were, simply praises this goddess. In fact, Hesiod shows us the first layer of Hecate's understanding … And this is noticeable even in the Russian translation, which, as we have seen earlier, is not always accurate. Therefore, I recommend that you familiarize yourself with the translation of V. V. Veresaev's lines of "Theogony":
As you can see, there is no question of any "dark side" sung by Apollonius of Rhodes in "Argonautics". And what is it about?
We see a goddess who exalts the worthy, gives profit, multiplies, nourishes.
And by the way, the word “honor, honor” has been mentioned here so many times that I cannot pass by. The Greek text uses the word "τιμή", it occurs 8 times and is usually translated as "honor" in the context of how much Hecate is revered by Zeus and all gods and all people, but in general this word means not only an abstract "honor", but a specific "price", in the sense that it is rewarded to someone for the service rendered, i.e. as if a debt or who is worthy of something for something, to whom is owed - that's where the translators got the "honor".
And in the end, we see the function of Hecate as "κουροτρόφος" - educator of children, nurse. But children - κοῦρος - are not babies, but boys and girls, which were discussed in the article about "Scallops" (it will not be superfluous to note that "kouro" is also a curved top of something, that is, the same scallop) - these are young people who are on the verge of independent life, matured, who have to make a choice in life, accept the heritage of the clan, find out their destiny, and enter into rights. For all this, the mythical heroes went on their incredible journeys. All heroes (except for Hercules and Odysseus are men who already have children, and therefore belong to a different symbolic category) were "κοῦρος". Thus, Kurotrofos is the one who creates these "kuros", that is, makes children out of them - mature youths. Here,what kind of “feeding” (“care for children” in the text) are we talking about? To some extent, the image of Mary with a baby in her arms is Kurotrophos. But I will not touch this fact here, since it does not directly relate to the topic, although the mention of Mary will nevertheless occur later; and a reluctance to inflate this article to incredible proportions.
The same epithet is mentioned in the late Orphic hymn to Hecate, along with others, where the fate of the goddess was already predetermined in the direction of witchcraft:
The special place of Hecate in the worldview is emphasized by her importance for the earth, and for the heavens, and for the sea - all three worlds.
The main quality that we see in the hymn of Hesiod is still multiplication. That is why they call her in prayers in order to get more benefits. Cattle litter? - more! Glory? - Even more … Etc. In this regard, it is extremely revealing to compare the name of the goddess "Ἑκάτη" with the Greek "ἑκατά", which means "one hundred" or "very much." Speaking in Russian, "a hundred times." After all, this is precisely what Hesiod's text means.
But this is the least interesting part of Hecate, which for some reason is not voiced anywhere. Much more curious is the very philosophy of this "a hundredfold", which can be emphasized in the Slavic traditions.
Orthodox Hecate
The most common image of Hecate we find in Pausanias:
That is, it looks something like this:
Hecate's classic is a three-faced goddess with two torches in her hands.
And what was my surprise when I came across a description of one Ukrainian rite:
That is, enchanting girls gather at night in the place where three streams converge, collect water there and pour it into a bowl so that the stream passes between two burning logs, while speaking. The crossroads of three streams, two torches, a conspiracy - this is Hecate !!! In the Slavic lands.
The most interesting thing is that this ceremony is timed to coincide with the "Introduction" or, as the church calls this holiday, the Introduction to the temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, that is, Mary, the future kurotrophos. In the folk calendar, it is associated with the amount of snow falling enough to move on a sled. In the age of exact numbers, of course, everything has its own date, but the peasants had everything according to signs, so many holidays, which are broken down on different days in the calendar, were essentially one whole. So, we observe the same rituals and reasons for them both at the Introduction and at the date that goes three days after it - St. Catherine's Day (Katerini) or, in the popular way, Katerina Sannitsa.
Of course, this nickname is just for the fact that these days it was customary to go on a sleigh, ride down hills, etc. Naturally, all this refers to wedding and love ceremonies, with which the entire winter period is saturated (and in general, the topic of marriage is the main one in peasant society, for the main commandment of the Lord is "Be fruitful and multiply").
That the name Catherine must have a direct relationship to Hecate, I suspected for a long time, but there was no evidence. The official version insists on the Greek "Αικατερίνη", which supposedly translates as "eternally pure" (derived from "καθαρή" - "pure, spotless"), but in these official versions, everyone is always "pure and luminous", or related to God. One and the same explanation every time, which does not agree much with popular beliefs (and if there is at least some hint of meaning in Greek interpretations, then when it comes to the allegedly Hebrew roots of names, then write it down! - there are generally explanations, it seems, invented, as they say, "on the knee"). I have a feeling (again, FEELING, not facts) that the calendar names that Christian saints bear and are associated with signs are not at all the names that were used by the people. That is, the children were not called that. But since baptism is associated with naming, and everyone was baptized according to the calendar, then the names at baptism were already given by those that were established by the church. The church name replaced the generic or community name, and the church names were originally not names at all, but symbolic words (in fact, coming from a distant Indo-European community, when there was no such thing as a “Christian church”). Here is such a problem, AT MY LOOK (that is, do not take it at face value, check it).when there was no such thing as a "Christian church"). Here is such a problem, AT MY LOOK (that is, do not take it at face value, check it).when there was no such thing as a "Christian church"). Here is such a problem, AT MY LOOK (that is, do not take it at face value, check it).
But why did I decide that Hecate and Catherine are one field of berries? Well, firstly, it is insanely similar in sound (considering that the "g" in "Hecate" is not so obvious - Ἑκάτη), there is even in mythology the male name "Hecateros", and his children were called "Hecaterides" (after Russian, Ekaterichi), which even more resembles Ekaterina. Secondly, this is the above rite, which completely repeats the "three-faced, two-torched" goddess-witch. Thirdly, the very ritual of the Introduction and Katerini, which will be discussed below.
First, some rustic magic. I take the text from the same book by O. Voropai, only I will immediately translate it into Russian:
This is about the notorious "witches" and "sorcery" associated with Hecate. In general, most of the very "magic" that all sorts of inquisitors and censors were so afraid of was, in fact, a love and marriage ritual, no matter what gloomy clothes the literate might wear. But that's just for general development. For the meaning of "Hecate" we do not really need this, since love motives were an attribute of the entire annual cycle (with an emphasis on the two main holidays of the year). And now what is really important to us:
Without further ado, let's turn to Wikipedia:
Thus, skating became the main symbol of Katerina's day. Yeah, we caught the connection: "Katya" and "Katat". From the dictionary of V. Dahl:
That is, the nickname of Katerina - "Sannitsa" - this is the decoding of the word "Katerina" (katunki). I have already met similar things in other saints, and there is nothing strange in this, because even Saint Catherine herself is depicted with a wheel on icons:
Saint Catherine.
Caravaggio “ Saint Catherine. ”
How much more direct a hint! The very case when the writers of the Life had to adjust the biography to the symbol. Not all saints have such problems, since not all of them have some kind of graphic symbol, but with Catherine it was necessary to tinker and come up with a version of her martyrdom:
I hope my intelligent reader will understand that I have no goal to discredit the Saints or the Church, but still, not every living is a fact. Even the church itself suggests taking all this metaphorically, which is absolutely true. Everyone believes what he wants, but for me all this is a neutral symbolism that pushes me to see in “Ekaterina” the root “Kat”, which refers to the word “To roll”.
Attention, dive
So "breathe in and don't breathe"! If someone does not come back, you should know that now you are in a better world, in the world of symbols and words.
So, for a reason, I highlighted the tradition above on Catherine's Day to RUN down the hill in a sleigh. After all, this tradition helps to understand the etymology of the word "Roll":
Greek "κατά" or "καταί", or "καθ᾽" - means "down", as well as "movement from top to bottom (just the aforementioned" slope "), inward (κατα γᾶς - underground), in, on the contrary, according to which something, in relation to something, correspondingly to something, about something (more or less), back, come back."
Downward and inward movement, backward movement is movement to the beginning, to the source. The rest of the values (relative, according to, about) draw us a circle (a set of points relative to the center). A circle is a constant movement to the beginning, a RETURN. Cycle, in a word.
This lies in "Catania": to roll is, as already mentioned above, movement with the help of turns. At least put the logs under the weight, at least roll the wheel. Gradually, this word from wheeled transport passed to any other, up to mountable animals, for example, dogs - symbols of Hecate (compare the words "horses" and "canis", that is, "dogs" - all mounts, Greek "κῑνέω" - "to move, move "). But here the meaning is somewhat deeper:
The constant return to the beginning, zeroing, the cycle is the basis of the movement. If the point on the wheel does not return to its previous place on the circle, the cart will not move. This is, as it were, a response to all these Samsaras and natural cycles - movement in a small circle generates forward movement of the entire system.
This is called an Experience. The child will not start walking until he has tried it many times. You will not create anything qualitatively new until you make a few attempts or at least scroll in your head (virtual models of the brain replace real experience), and generally you will not step further until you master the existing human experience. Inability, mistakes … Trying, trying and trying - this is how our body learns new things, this is how our memory remembers new things. We constantly return to the beginning, "down", until the new action becomes habitual, and then we can take the next step - that very movement forward thanks to repeated cycles. Repetition is the mother of learning !!
What can I say! - Walking itself is a repeated repetition of the same leg movements - and the body is directed forward.
This is what the wheel in the hands of Catherine means.
Therefore, young couples did the real "κατά", sliding down to the beginning: marriage is a transition to a new level, the beginning of a new life, this is a kind of nullification of previous experience and at the same time moving forward in social status. Back to the beginning for the sake of development. And the rest of the peasants rolled their sleighs down the mountain too, in order to throw off the old year with all its troubles (autumn is over, the harvests are harvested, the main work is completed) and move on …
But! The word Hecate or Ekata is not only the root "Kat". There is also "Ek". Let's turn to Sanskrit:
एकता - ekata - unity, union, coincidence, identity
एकधा - ekadha - one way, together, alone
एकदा - yekada - once
एक - eka - one, lonely, the same, identical, truthful.
You can immediately recognize the Russian "yako" - the comparison "how, how;" what, what, is what; for, before, I will, because, since; ostensibly, as if, as if, as if, as if ". Comparison is one-to-one - again the meaning of one, as in Sanskrit. In Greek it is "εἷς, οἶος".
That is why Hecate came to be associated with Hesiod's "multiplication, growth, multitude" and was expressed by the symbol of the crossroads or the three-faced goddess - many in one, the unity of many.
That is why I spoke at the beginning of the fact that the symbolism of Hecate is shown in folklore in two different forms. These are either multiple attempts - multiple returns to the beginning, but with one goal (development), or the unification of many forces in one striving. That is, either building a house alone brick by brick, or with a friendly company - there is one goal, one work, but in the first case it is the perseverance of one person due to many repetitions, and in the second - due to many people.
That is why in any undertaking, according to Hesiod, they called on Hecate - in order to increase the effect a hundredfold, instead of making a bunch of attempts yourself. And therefore, some conspiracies or rituals were carried out at crossroads, just like those enchantresses at the confluence of three rivers, in order to also increase the likelihood of an effect. And, here, in Russian fairy tales, the hero does without "additional power", only at the expense of his own multiple attempts - three times repetition of the plot, when it turns out to do the action (and move further along the plot) only for the third time.
So there is nothing satanic about the three-faced Hecate, only figurative thinking …
And the last thing is the Moon as a symbol of Hecate. The moon repeats its cycle of phases over and over again, advancing time forward. The same phases add up the months that make up the year.
And the very last thing is the "witch's potions" that Hecate taught Medea in "The Argonauts". Any drug or "potion" is usually a mixture of herbs. Grasses alone are not as strong as together - many in unity. And then the process of mixing the potion - visual circle, rotation, cycles. Even if it is shaking - also several times the same. "Yes, one more time, many, many more times" ©
Author: peremyshlin