Wicca

Hecate ( ; ) is a goddess in ancient Greek religion and mythology, most often shown holding a pair of torches, a key, or snakes, or accompanied by dogs, and in later periods depicted as three-formed or triple-bodied. She is variously associated with crossroads, night, light, magic, witchcraft, and the Moon. Her earliest appearance in literature was in Hesiod's Theogony in the 8th century BCE as a goddess of great honour with domains in sky, earth, and sea. She had popular followings among the witches of Thessaly, and an important sanctuary among the Carians of Asia Minor in Lagina. The earlies

alt=|thumb|Wiccan jewellery, showing a pentacle necklace, a pentacle ring, and a [[torc. A pentacle is used by many adherents of Wicca. The pentacle is generally placed on a Wiccan altar to honour the elements and directions.]]

thumb|upright=1.2|Pentagram A pentagram (sometimes known as a pentalpha, pentangle, or star pentagon) is a regular five-pointed star polygon, formed from the diagonal line segments of a convex (or simple, or non-self-intersecting) regular pentagon. Drawing a circle around the five points creates a similar symbol referred to as the pentacle, which is used widely by Wiccans and in paganism, or as a sign of life and connections, but there is also a inverted version.

thumb|right|300px|A Cernunnos-type figure on the Gundestrup cauldron (plate A). He sits cross-legged, wielding a torc in one hand and a [[ram-horned serpent in the other.]]

annual cycle of seasonal festivals observed by many modern Pagans

concept in Neopaganism

circle of space marked out by practitioners of many branches of ritual magic

Wiccan and Neopagan deity

debates based on claims that the Harry Potter novels contain occult or satanic subtexts

writing system, first published in Johannes Trithemius's Polygraphia (1518); today sometimes used in modern Wicca

discredited theory that witch trials of Early Modern Europe were attempts to suppress a pre-Christian religion

statement that provides the key moral system in the neopagan religion of Wicca

thumb|Archetypical appearance of a crone.Old Woman Seen from Behind,by Vincent van Gogh. In folklore, a crone is an old woman who may be characterized as disagreeable, malicious, or sinister in manner, often with magical or supernatural associations that can make her either helpful or obsolete. As a concept, 'The Crone' is also often associated with the Jungian archetype of the Wise Woman or, if accompanied by 'The Maiden' and 'The Mother', as a member of the Triple Goddess deity archetype. As a character type, the crone shares characteristics with the hag.

LGBTQ topics and issues within modern pagan spiritual and religious movements

Wiccan ritual

element of Wiccan ritual