Mike Mignola did not build your conventional superhero when he created Hellboy. On the contrary, this was a villain with all the trappings of a supervillain. A group of Nazi occultists summoned this half-human, a half-demon monster from Hell to Earth, and he acquired a great hatred for the Third Reich. He joined the Allies and became a member of the United States’ Paranormal Research and Defense team. Hellboy has grown into a gigantic, powerful red-skinned man with a tail and horns, but his demonic appearance is deceiving. Many of his foes are based on numerous legends and folklores, and he protects mortals from some amazing threats.
One of the names that come to mind while thinking of such villains is Hecate. As we have seen in comic novels and animated films, this lovely goddess of witches was a dangerous foe. In this video, we will delve into the details of this mysterious persona, bringing you everything you need to know about this dreaded adversary!
The Mythological Background
According to Greek Mythology, Hecate is the daughter of Titan Perses, and she is believed to have power over heaven, earth, and sea. She ushers in wealth and is seen as a goddess of well-being who blesses the daily life of individuals. She is shown as a beautiful lady holding a pair of torches, snakes, and a key, and she is accompanied by a pack of dogs. However, most interpretations of Hecate portray her as someone who is capable of both good and evil. She is also associated with witchcraft and magic, and she predominantly became known as the chief goddess of magic and spells. Needless to say, Hellboy tweaked the origins quite a bit to suit the demands of the narrative and the Hellboy fans know a much more evil version of Hecate than what her mythological origins suggest.
Introduction of Hecate in Hellboy
When Hecate was first introduced in Hellboy, her character was shrouded in mystery, and it was only revealed in the comic series titled Darkness Calls. It is here that we learn about her true origins, which suggest that she was born from the shadows and was delivered by a wolf during birth. She lived on the summit of Mount Eos, and the birds of prey and serpents were the only company that she had.
Hecate used to drink blood, and her extreme beauty was almost from another world. This comic series also shed some light on her life with the Golden People, when she had managed to seduce the Hyperborean king Thoth and gained access to his secret garden.
This garden had three supernatural captives, who were outcast angels, and Thoth had recorded their knowledge in forty-two books. The real motive of Hecate was to gain access to this incredible source of knowledge, and she even killed the angels and drank their blood.
Once she had access to the secret knowledge, she was like a prophet to the people of Hyperborea, and Thoth cursed her for her treachery. This curse caused her lower body to transform into a snake’s because this was her real left. The curse also meant that sunlight would be deadly for the goddess of witches, and she would have to hide in the shadows for the remaining part of her life. Nevertheless, the knowledge that Hecate spread among the masses caused the people to usher in the downfall of the kingdom, and they changed into cult-worshipping savages.
After her work was done in Hyperborea, Hecate focused on the creation of some twisted and demented creatures that were meant to disrupt mankind. She established herself further as the goddess of darkness and the queen of all witches. Her temples were constructed under the surface of the earth so that it remained away from sunlight.
How Hecate fits into the Hellboy comic book timeline
Mike Mignola’s Wake the Devil sheds some light on Hecate’s life after being banished from Hyperborea. She was resurrected from the bottom of a lake by a Greek fisherman, and the father of Vladimir Giurescu made her flexible again. She repaid the favor later, by saving Vladimir when he drowned, but this turned him into a vampire. After his transformation, Vladimir was a part of several wars, but he recovered from all kinds of near-fatal injuries because of his vampire nature.
The first interaction with Hellboy took place when he was investigating a European castle while looking for Vladimir Giurescu. He destroyed his undead father and finally found Vladimir himself. The latter was terribly wounded by Hellboy, and he barely managed to escape. In utter desperation, Vladimir prayed to Hecate for help, and she came to his aid promptly by healing him in the darkness.
She then encountered Hellboy and tried to reason with him against murdering his own kind. However, her attempts to convince him to stop protecting the mortals failed, and their final fight saw Hellboy bring her into the sunlight in order to defeat her.
This narrative was partly adapted in the animated movie, but the comic book version is far more detailed. Hecate made a terrifying comeback in a far more powerful form, and she almost managed to force Hellboy to embrace his dark side. He had to resist with all his might to re-enter the normal world, and with his determination, he managed to break the spell of Hecate.
Conqueror Worm by Mike Mignola offered another interesting take on the Hecate lore, and she was seen revealing her visions of the future. All these visions involved her standing together with Hellboy after the end of the world, and this led her to believe that the duo would be instrumental in ushering in the new world order. Rasputin was not very happy with these visions, and he believed that he was the one chosen by Ogdru Jahad to bring about the new world.
Hecate almost ridiculed this possibility, and this enraged Rasputin to no end. In the storyline, The Island, Hellboy once again came face to face with Hecate. The goddess of witches offered him peace and this was an opportunity for her to convince Hellboy to fight by her side. However, Hellboy refused the offer once again, and Hecate had to leave even though she was confident that fate would bring them together.
Finally, in Darkness Calls an old enemy of Hellboy named Igor Bromhead brought about the downfall of Hecate. He summoned Hecate to serve her, but when she mocked him, Igor used a spell that paralyzed Hecate and turned her powerless. It turned out that he had acquired Gieurescu’s remains, and the skeleton revealed a bit too much about the goddess. Igor kept her confined in an underground room, and after several twists and turns when she finally faced Hellboy, it wasn’t a violent confrontation. She was instrumental in bringing life back into the world after some devastating consequences jeopardized creation.
Hecate in Hellboy: Blood and Iron
This animated movie saw one of the most terrifying portrayals of Hecate, and this got fans more interested in this mythical character. The film starts off with an investigation of a series of murders back in 1939. It is revealed that a vampire named Erzebet Ondrushko was responsible, and she had promised her soul to Hecate, the queen goddess of Witches. Efforts to get the vampire killed do not entirely succeed, and even after burning alive in sunlight, the ashes head back into her castle because of her devotion to Hecate.
Back to the present, the professor who was responsible for ending the threat of the vampire earlier is now investigating another incident of haunting, and the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense, the BPRD, has also stepped in. The most seasoned team members, including Hellboy, are sent in to explore, and when they arrive they discover the presence of an outworlds terror.
The spirits of Erzebet’s former victims gather around as ghostly apparitions, and rituals are performed to ensure Erzebet’s revival after all these years. Hellboy’s companions find it hard to fight the powerful evil forces led by Hecate, and after Erzebet bathes in the blood of one of the BPRD members, she is revived. However, the professor had mixed holy water in the blood, and this causes the vampire to wither away once again.
Hellboy finally comes face to face with Hecate, who tries her best to lure him to embrace his dark side instead of helping the mortals. But, Hellboy is strong in his resolve, and he keeps fighting the deadly snakes brought in by the goddess of witches. Hecate is further enraged after learning about Erzebet’s destruction, and she attacks Hellboy furiously. She turns out to be a bit too powerful for Hellboy, but he smartly lures her outside after realizing that the Sun could be her weakness. Indeed, the sunlight forces her back to her dark realm, but she has merely lost this time, only to come back stronger!
What makes her so powerful?
It is beyond a doubt that Hecate is one of the most powerful witches in the Hellboy universe and her powers even surpass the mighty Baba Yaga in some instances. Various cults worshipped her as a deity, and most of these cults were concerned with witchcraft. However, despite having such incredible magical powers, she rarely used them in conventional ways.
Her fights with Hellboy are often more about her physical force than her mystic strengths, but we have seen a few instances of her reality-altering magic. She also has the ability to teleport and her goddess-like powers almost make her invincible. We have already spoken about the only major weakness in Hecate, which is her vulnerability to sunlight after she was cursed. Hellboy used this at times to defeat her during fights.
The Upcoming new comic book has us excited!
Word is out that the new comic book titled B.P.R.D.: Night of the Cyclops is going to release on 25th May, and from what we have heard, things look very interesting. Hellboy comic books always have an intimate relationship with mythology, and this new addition looks to add more fuel to the fire.
It is believed that this new story will focus on Hellboy fighting some of the meanest creatures from Greek mythology, and the mythology nerds already know that Cyclops was a threat faced by Odysseus. We certainly hope for more of Hecate in the narrative, and one of the best things about the upcoming comic series is the return of original creator Mike Mignola as the writer.
Our Final Words
The Hellboy series keeps getting more interesting and the rich lore surrounding this popular hero is already large enough to make keeping track difficult. Hecate is certainly one of the most enchanting and terrifying antagonists he has been up against, and nothing rules out more of her presence. As Hellboy fans, we certainly hope for more such fitting villains in the future, or sufficient reappearances by the deadliest ones to keep the spark alive!