The animals of Hecate

III. Animals associated with magic

Certain animals were particularly associated with the goddess. In Greece, she was depicted with snakes, reptiles linked to the underworld, as they were believed to be the spirits of the deceased. She was also portrayed in the company of dogs, and various legends surrounded the connection between this animal and the goddess. In Rome, dogs had an ambiguous status, remembered as loyal guardians and pets (especially from the imperial era), but also considered impure animals not allowed to enter temples. Moreover, they were associated with the underworld, with Cerberus, the three‐headed dog guarding its gates, being knowledgeable about the goddess. Roman authors mention that the howling of these animals was a sign of bad omens. Animals like goats or horses were also associated with this multifaceted goddess, who could even assume their forms. 

Another animal associated with the goddess was the weasel or ferret. The writer Claudius Aelian, a scholar from the 3rd century AD who wrote the work On the Nature of Animals, recounts the following: 

«I have heard that the weasel was once a woman of the same name, and that it is now called by the Greeks the gale, a quadruped skillful in spells and poisons, extremely audacious and addicted to incestuous lust. It is said that Hecate, angered with the woman, transformed her into this beast. Whether this goddess is benevolent towards me, I leave to others. It is well known that this beast is very treacherous, attacking the dead and, unless driven away, tearing out and devouring their eyes. It is said that if a woman carries the testicles of this animal, whether by deception or willingly, all her conceptions are nullified, and the power of her fertility is abolished». (Claudius Aelian, On the Nature of Animals, Book XV. Translation by Alejandra Guzmán Almagro.)

Alejandra Guzmán Almagro