Hecate
(redirected from HigherPower.Hecate)
Hecate, the Queen of Night
Introduction
The goddess Hecate -- called Trimorphe, 'three-faced' or 'three-bodied' -- is known first in antiquity from ancient Greece, where she was worshipped as the guardian of crossroads and the patron goddess of magic. Her Greek cult came to prominence in Thessaly, where she was worshipped by the witches well-known to congregate there.
Some hypothesize that Hecate's origins lie earlier: Greek magicians called her sometimes Hecate Ereshkigal, linking her with the Sumerian Goddess of the Underworld, and indeed Hecate is said to have power over ghosts and the dead. In the Godrealm today, she is said to dwell in the Palace of Irkalla, named after the ancient Mesopotamian land of the dead.
Hecate is often called the 'Queen of Night', and is associated with the moon and the night sky. She is also known as the 'Mother of Monsters', and reportedly birthed many ancient terrible things. After the ancient Greek period, her worship remained among magicians, who knew her as the Queen of Witches, and among vampires, a sect of whom revere her as their ultimate ancestress.
The Greeks and Sumerians did not distinguish between gods and demons, and Hecate's worship in the middle ages was often conflated with the worship of the Devil by the medieval church, which leads to some text calling her the 'demon goddess' or labeling her as the bride of Satan.
She was active as a higher power until around the end of World War II, when her influence seemed to fade from the world. Before that disappearance, the Goddess was known to be working to increase the power of witches, vampires, and other creatures of night and magic.
Perhaps because of her metaphoric association with demons or her association with magical, she is well-known to be an entity those desiring power can entreat in order to bargain for magical power. Those who seek her out in her Palace of Irkalla, who summon her in a crossroads, or call to her in a household shrine known as a 'Hekataion' can enter into a magical bargain for her to use fleshforming, hypnosis, or ritual magic on behalf of the one who requests such service.
Stories
Hecate drives three or four different stories in Haven:
Occult and Witchcraft Stories: As the goddess of magic and witchcraft, Hecate is in the business of promoting magic (and witches particularly) in their mortal ends. Expect plots about warring covens, more traditional wizards trying to stomp out Hecate's followers, and the like.
Vampire Stories: Many vampires revere Hecate as the Mother of Monsters, the mother of the first vampire. Several vampire cults worship her, and they have political ambitions in regards to the vampire empire. Expect plots about vampire cults fighting with each other about who rules the night with religious overtones.
Government Occult Stories: Hecate was held prisoner by the Soviet Union's occult science section for a long time. Expect plots about sinister government types trying to use occult power to advance their national interest, with some heavy doses of industrial horror.
Godrealm Stories: Hecate rose to power in a series of conflicts between the Gods in ancient times, and those fights continue til now. Expect plots about rival divine houses, stolen power, and millenia-old vengeance.
RP Hooks