Hecate,Morrighan,Brigit

NAME: Hecate, also Hebe the Virgin, Hera the Mother, Hecate the Crone, and Hecate Trevia.
SYMBOLS: Three-way crossroads, Dogs, the Moon, a Frog.

USUAL IMAGE: One of the triple goddesses. She was seen at different times as a young girl, mother, and crone, the ancients ideas of the three states of female power. She is most often shown as a crone, an old hag with the power of death.

HOLY BOOKS: The Book of Shadows.

HOLY DAYS: September 21, Feast of Divine Life, October 31, Samhain.

PLACE OF WORSHIP: Where three roads meet.

RELATIVES: Dionysus, son (as Hecate Selene).

FORM OF WORSHIP: Wine, dancing, running around naked, the basic stuff.

SYNODEITIES: Hequit (Egyptian), Kali-Ma (Hindu), Baba-Yaga (Russian), Morgan Le Fay (Arthurian), Joan Collins (Hollywood).

DETAILS: One of the oldest Greek versions of the Trinitarian Goddess, Hecate was derived from the Egyptian midwife-Goddess Hequit, Heket, or Kekat, who in turn evolved from the heq or tribal matriarch of pre-dynastic Egypt: a wise-woman in command of all the hekau or "mother's words of power."

As a heavenly midwife Hequit delivered the Sun God every morning. Her totem was the frog, symbol of the fetus, and this animal was sacred to worshipers of Hecate.

In Greece Hecate was one of the many names for the original feminine trinity, ruling heaven, Earth, and the underworld. Hellenes tended to emphasize her Crone or underworld aspect, but continued to worship her at places where three roads met, especially in rites of magick, divination, or consultation with the dead. Her image was used to guard three-way crossroads for many centuries; thus she was called Hecate Trevia or Hecate of the Three Ways. Offerings were left to her roadside shrines on nights of the full moon. Dogs were said to be the only animals that could always see her when she moved about on the Earth, so that it was said when dogs barked at night for no reason Hecate was walking by.

During the early Middle Ages, Hecate was turned into the Queen of the Ghostworld or Queen of the Witches. One reason for this may have been because she was one of the favorite versions of the Crone, an archetype of the belief that as women had the power to bring life into the world with birth, at some point they must also gain the power to take it away..

NAME: Morrighan. The Washer at the Ford. 
SYMBOLS: Bloody linen, Ravens, Baying Hounds, a Cauldron.

USUAL IMAGE: An old woman washing linen out in a river.

PLACE OF WORSHIP: None, people tended to want her to leave them alone

SYNODEITIES: All the gods/goddesses of death. Hel (Norse), Yama (Hindu) Pluto (Roman), Hecate (Greek), Surma (Finnish), Osiris (Egyptian), Yeh-Wang-Yeh (Chinese), Mictlantecuhtli (Aztec), Arawn (another Celtic) the Grandfathers/Mothers (Native Americans), Kali (another Hindu), Ankou (Breton), Bean-Sidhe `banshee' (Scot). etc...

DETAILS: The Washer at the Ford is one of the oldest figures of death in Celtic tradition. Those who see her washing out bloody linen are normally warriors whose vision of her presages their pending death in battle.

The Morrighan, who, under her personas of Badh, Macha, and Nemainn, pick the battlefield clean in the form of ravens.

In Scotland she is known as the Bean-Sidhe or banshee as we call her, who is said to sing or cry whenever someone in a family is soon to die.

The Washer at the Ford while manly a challenging figure, is also known as the Dark Woman of Knowledge in tradition because she is a teacher who initiates the hero into knowledge of himself.

SYMBOLS: Gardens, the color green, mirror and comb (signifying the magick allure of the female), rose, apple dove, swan, scallop and cowrie shells.
IMAGE: A young, beautiful, desirous, voluptuous woman, nude or in various stages of undress.

HOLY DAYS:

PLACE OF WORSHIP: Temples. In bed. In amorous relationships.

FORM OF WORSHIP: All acts of love are sacred to Aphrodite.

RELATIVES: Mother: Ocean (Pontos). Father: According to the Theogony Aphrodite is the daughter of Ouranos, born of the foam when his genitals (severed by Kronos) were thrown into the sea. In other tellings the story changes so that she is the daughter of Kronos, created in the manner descibed above, by Zeus. In both cases this form of creation mythology was borrowed from myths of western Asian and Mesopotamia that originated prior to 1000 B.C.E. Aphrodite's husband is Hephaistos (Vulcan - Roman).

SYNODEITIES Venus (Roman)

DETAILS Aphrodite is referred to as "the foam born goddess" due to the manner of her creation. She is associated with Eros (passion) and also referred to by the Greeks as "laughter loving." She exhibits extremes in sensuality and cruelty in various Grecian myths (the Illiad and Homeric Hymns). Aphrodite is one of the 12 gods associated with the Greek pantheon by 500 B.C.E. Romans changed her aspect, combining her with their goddess Venus, orginally associated with gardens. Venus became a lovely yet tender and gracious divine mother - the archetype of feminine love and beauty. Aphrodite is a more tempestuous, volatile form of the goddess, unfaithful to her husband and wildly attractive the gods and men. Venus engaged in long term relationships, kept a neat house and was invoked when purifying a home.

NAME: Brigit, Bride (Scotland), Bridget (Irish), Saint Brigit.
SYMBOLS: A golden branch of an oak tree. a well. the Shamrock. a Scallop shell.

USUAL IMAGE: a triple Goddess so she is shown as a young maiden, mother, and crone, depending on the time of the year. and their were some who thought of her as the goddess of both poetry and blacksmithing, and show her as being pale on one side of her face (the side that did the poetry) and dark on the other (the side that faced the fire).

HOLY DAYS: February 2. once called Imbolg, this was later turned into Candlemas, or Saint Brigits Day, it is now known as Groundhogs Day! Imbolg meant "the surrounding belly", or "around the belly" in old Irish, it was thought of as the time of the beginning of spring, and was marked by the lighting of fires, and rituals for the benefit of the crops.

PLACE OF WORSHIP: All over the place, she was very popular. (that's why the Christians came up with the a phony Christian saint called St. Brigit. The early church in Ireland could not get blot her out so they tried to convert her.) One of more popular places of Brigit worship was around water wells as it was believed that one could most easily speak to Brigit via wells, this was put down, but not out. "Wishing wells" are what many of the holy wells became, and the idea spread.

SYNODEITIES: Aphrodite (Greek). Shamrakh (pre-Islamic Arabic). Morgan (another Celtic). Juno (Greek/Roman).

DETAILS: There is not a lot known about the stories and worship of Brigit. She was said to watch over women at the major points in their lives, and was the goddess of spring, poetry, love, kindness, the seas, and metal. She was worshiped by the Celtic people. Another thing that happened on Imbolg was the making of all the candles that would be needed for the coming year.

SYMBOLS: An eight sided mirror, the silk worm and the moth that the silk worm becomes.
IMAGE: The Sun, who in the Celestial land appears as a beautiful Japanese woman.

HOLY DAYS: July the 17th is the day of the procession of Amaterasu.

PLACE OF WORSHIP: Temples. Her shrine in Ise is the oldest holy place in Japan.

FORM OF WORSHIP: Praying, burning incense, etc., In medieval times the Japanese believed they would be more successful in battle if Amaterasu (the Sun) was at their backs. Also, it was common to place a mirror, jewels, or a sword on altars to Amaterasu, as all these things were thought of as gifts she had given to mankind.

RELATIVES: Brothers: Tsukiyomi (Moon God) and Susanowo (Storm God). Sons: Ama-Tsu-Mara (God of metal workers), Daikoko (God of wealth), Ebisu (God of luck through hard work). Daughter: Kisijoten (Goddess of luck). The Imperial family used to claim Amaterasu as an ancestress.

SYNODEITIES: Brigit (Celtic), Ra (Egyptian), Apollo (Greek/Roman), Surya (East Indian) and Odin, (Norse).

DETAILS:Amaterasu is one of the earliest Japanese deities and was the most powerful in that system. She was thought of as the Sun and the Mother of most of the other deities, save for her brothers, Tsukiyomi the Moon God, whom she did not get along with. They both set their backs to each other, thus bringing about night and day. Likewise, Susanowo, the God of Storms, who once got her so ticked off she went and hid in a cave, plunging the world into chaos. The world was saved by her being drawn out of the cave upon hearing the other Gods laughing at a silly, lascivious dance.