The Hecate Sisters
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Basic Information

The three Hecate Sisters are a trio of goddesses or other mythological characters that represent three stages of feminine power or sexuality: usually depicted as maiden, mother and crone. In some variations, they are three incarnations of the same figure.

Maiden Mother Crone
Waxing Moon Full Moon Waning Moon
Id Ego Superego
Virgin (or Hot Witch) Hot Witch (or Pregnant) Wicked Witch
naive seductive or eccentric Deadpan Snarker

In Greek Mythology are three different canonical versions of this ensemble trio that specifically include Hecate herself:

  • Moon Goddesses: Artemis, Selene, and Hecate
  • Underworld Goddesses: Persephone, Demeter, and Hecate
  • Heaping Helping of Hecate Herself: Hecate was a three-headed goddess, capable of appearing as Maiden, Mother, or Crone, or all three at once at a crossroads.

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Game and Story Use

  • The possibility exists that this whole Hecate Sisters concept really didn’t exist prior to Robert Graves work in the 20th Century. He may have invented the concept from whole cloth, and then later mythologists and Wicca practitioners just ran with it. Or, he may have done the research and just didn’t document his sources all that well. Regardless of the actual factuality or pedigree, the concept is iconic and easy to grok, and that's good enough for gaming.
  • A triplet of goddesses or other feminine power figures may be good mentors or clue-givers for your quest.
  • A triple-faceted goddess may use different names for each of her forms/avatars, and if the PCs don't suspect she's a shapeshifter they may think those are 3 different characters instead of 3 sides of the same woman. A convoluted mystery plot could involve the PCs working for one incarnation, but be at odds with (and possibly sabotaged by) one of the other aspects of the same person.
  • Works as easy on-the-fly characterization to differentiate between three female NPCs in the same scene.
  • Could easily extend the partnership to up to eight ladies, one for each phase of the lunar cycle.
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