so I finished Hecate some days ago, right after the New Year. although I still think that there are things to be corrected, I got proud for this being a kind of milestone for me. first because it's the first "large" piece I make (20 x 15 inches), practically double the size of my former drawings; second, because it's the first work on illustration board I really managed to finish; and third, because is the first finished work of my new phase (I have 2 more pieces on paper I started several weeks ago but have not showed here yet.)
now, let's go to the story:
the piece was initially planned to portray Lilith. then, I added the two heads beside the main figure, which immediately reminded me of the triple aspect of a goddess I was very fond of: Hecate, the Greek goddess of witchcraft, childbirth and the crossroads. Hecate has power over skies, earth and sea, which I wanted to show in each one of the three figures. the central one carries several symbols attributed to the goddess: the pomegranates in her hair remind us of the legend of Persephone, in which she plays an important role; while she hides her right eye behind her hand, the eye still shows through the fingers, showing that she's got the "vision", or the capacity of seeing the past, present and future. the moon under her right breast denotes that Hecate is a moon goddess, and that she protects the women in labor and their offspring - the moon is associated to the motherhood. the black dog is one of her companions.
Hecate symbolism is so rich that your imagination simply flies away. I tried to be the simplest I could when showing her main attributes. who knows I can make another picture of her in the future.
William Blake, Hecate or The Three Fates
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