Wheel of Hecate
The Hecate’s Wheel is an ancient symbol connected with the cult of the goddess Hecate whose meaning is still debated and mysterious.
The symbol that we see in modern days consists of a maze with three distinct whirls that are connected in the center. The number three recalls to the triple form of the goddess that was seen as ruler of the sky, sea, and earth and guardian of the crossroads. The labyrinth recalls to the ancient labris of the Minoan culture representing transformation and rebirth.
Many are the possible origins and interpretation of this symbol represented in the past as a four spoked or eight spoked wheel symbolizing the four seasons, the four elements or a primeval representation of the lunar or season cycle.
The four spoked wheel represented an ancient tool called the Iynx, a small metal or wooden discs rotated by pulling attached strings that reproduced the pulse call of the Eurasian wryneck, a bird called Iynx. This bird was originally associated with Aphrodite and according to the myth this tool was used as a magical love-charm to draw lovers together or to draw out passion.
The Iynx is sometimes associated with the Strophalos another spinning tool used in the ancient cult of Hecate. According to the Chaldean Oracles the Strophalos was a spinning top dedicated to the goddess Hecate used to invoke the presence of the deity in the celebration of a ritual. By summoning the divine presence, and through the sound produced by the spinning, the theurgist was able to reach prophetic visions.
Spinning tools and their ability to connect the divine world with the mortal one is seen also in the cult of Dionysus. According to the myth the Titans used toys to lure Dionysus and eat him, these toys had a specific religious significance connected with the divine power of Dionysus. Among these toys there was an ancient object called Rhombos or Kohnos, a spinning top that made sounds that resembled the thunder or the bullroarer and that represented the divine power of Dionysus Tauropon and Bromio. The spinning movement of the object also resemble the movement of tornadoes and the idea of Mania, the alteration of consciousness that was used to attain vision and enlightenment.
The wheel of Hecate is now seen as an esoteric symbol connected with the triple form of the goddess and her feminine power over life and death, but the genesis of this symbol probably lies behind ancient magical tools capable of connecting humans to deities and used for divination purposes. The symbol represents Hecate’s control over liminal spaces and her ability to connect this world to the divine one and to its mysterious knowledge.
