The Routledge Dictionary of Gods and Goddesses , Devil and Demons
A goddess in Greek mythology who originally hailed from Asia Minor (Caria). She does not appear in Homer. She is a chthonic deity, the mistress of all sorts of nocturnal nastiness, including necromancy.
Her ghostly aspect is indicated in her epithet Antaia (‘she who encounters you’): on her nocturnal hunt she could spell disaster for those who met her. She has snakes in her hair, she carries a torch, and is attended by howling dogs. In spite of all this, she was a popular goddess, and in Athens there was a small altar to her in front of every house. Hekáte was also seen as the goddess of cross-roads. In this capacity she was called Enodia or Trioditis, and was then depicted as three-headed or with three bodies.
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