Although not a major figure in the Olympian pantheon, Hekate holds an important position in myth and ritual. Her cult was brought to Greece from Asia Minor , and she is accorded a special forty-one line hymn by Hesiod in his Theogony. Hekate is the descendent of a Titan and a cousin of Apollo and Artemis. Hesiod tells us that Zeus honored her above all others, and gave her a share of honor from the earth, the sky, and the sea. She has the power to grant wealth (and other successes) to mortals who invoke her name in prayer, and she especially guards the young.

Hekate lives in the underworld and is called on at crossroads (especially at night). In art she is often represented with three faces, reflecting her association with the moon as Selene (in the sky), Artemis (on earth) and Hekate (in Hades). She is also often connected with witchcraft and spells, as in the story of Jason and Medea (and, later, Shakespeare's Macbeth ).