apparitions which appeared during the performance of certain ceremonies in honor of the goddess Hecate (q.v.). An image of the goddess was formed of incense of Arabia, myrrh, styrax, and certain animals called ascalabotse. These were all ground to powder, made into a paste, and moulded in an image of Hecate. Then, in the presence of this image, at midnight, under a lotus-tree, the ceremonies are duly performed, when the Hecataea appear and assume various shapes.