Many Witches honor Lunar deities exclusively, and the well-known triad of Maiden, Mother and Crone tend to be associated with the phases of the moon. While Western tradition often sees the Moon as female, there are male lunar deities honored throughout the world as well.
Artemis - In Hellenic Lore, ''Artemis'' was the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. She was the Hellenic goddess of forests and hills, virginity/fertility, and the hunt and was often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenic times she occasionally assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth and in Roman times she came to be identified with Diana. It is said that Artemis helped her mother Leto birth Apollo immediately after her own birth.
Diana - The name Diana comes from Latin divios meaning "heavenly" or "divine".
Hecate - For many modern witchcraft traditions, Hecate is a Dark Goddess and associated with the spirits of the dead, ghosts, the dark of the moon, baneful herbs, curses and black magic. For others, Hecate is the Crone Goddess, ruling over the third stage of a woman's life, that beyond her childbearing years when she can focus on deepening the skills and information collected throughout her lifetime, when knowledge and experience is refined into wisdom. Historically, Hecate has served many roles. She is an incredibly ancient Goddess with origins lost in the mists of time.
See Also
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