Who is the Triple Goddess?
The Triple Goddess is a triune deity of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. These archetypal figures are often distinct from each other but unite into one multifaceted being embodying the divine feminine. The 3 figures loosely represent the phases of a woman’s life: a youthful and curious girl (the Maiden), a nurturing and creative mother figure (the Mother), and a wise and independent old woman (the Crone). They also correspond to the phases of the lunar cycle: a waxing crescent (the Maiden), a full moon (the Mother), and a waning crescent (the Crone). The archetypes are sometimes associated with named goddesses from various cultures. Most often, the Greek goddesses Artemis, Selene, and Hecate embody the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, respectively. Each figure may also have dominion over a separate realm of life, like the heavens, earth, and underworld, depending on your practice or historical tradition. Some also liken the figures to represent the 3-part cycle of birth, life, and death. The Triple Goddess is a fairly modern take on ancient triune deities and is important to many Wiccans and Neopagans. In these practices, her masculine counterpart is the Horned God.
What's the symbol of the Triple Goddess?
Full, waxing crescent, and waning crescent moons make up the triple moon goddess symbol. The circle represents the full moon (the Mother) and is flanked by a waxing crescent moon (the Maiden) and a waning crescent moon (the Crone). The original symbol may have included a crescent, full, and dark (new) moon. The moon’s 28-day cycle is associated with feminine energy as it’s roughly the same length as a menstrual cycle.
The Maiden, Mother, and Crone Archetypes
The Maiden The Maiden symbolizes the youthful first phase of life and the waxing crescent moon. She’s energetic, optimistic, curious, beautiful, and innocent, radiating innocence as she plays without judgment and expresses herself freely and creatively. The Maiden is the ultimate expression of girlhood, purity, potential, and a hunger to explore the world and find her place in it. She’s often associated with sunrise or the morning and the season of spring. In modern practices, anyone of any age (or gender!) contains some feminine energy of the Maiden. She can manifest any time you’re experiencing something new, feeling hopeful, or connecting with your inner child. Associated goddess: Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, and childbirth (Roman Diana). Mythic figures with Maiden energy: Athena, Persephone, Medusa, Hermaphroditus, Iris, Joan of Arc, Lilith, Aphrodite, Amphitrite, Rhiannon.
The Mother The Mother embodies the middle of life and the full, radiant moon. She’s abundant, nurturing, responsible, mature, and full of life (she’s associated with midday and the summer, the most lush time of year). She has strong creative energy and a close association with manifestation, and many Wiccan practitioners consider her the most powerful aspect of the Triple Goddess. The Mother is full of love for others but also herself—she knows who she is, what her goals are, and is secure in her phase of life. The Mother archetype doesn’t only manifest as a caregiver for a child. Anything you put effort into growing and protecting (your pets, career, artistic pursuits, friends—anything!) is energized by the Mother. Associated goddess: Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon (Roman Luna). Mythic figures with Mother energy: Brigid, Gaia, Freya, Durga, Isis, Frigg, Hera, Oshun, Pachamama, Yemaya.
The Crone The Crone encompasses the post-childbearing years of life and the waning crescent moon. Associated with fall or winter and the sunset, she finds her power as life begins to wind down. She’s wise, mature, independent, and dedicated to sharing her knowledge and experiences with the Maiden and Mother, whom she mentors and encourages. Earlier iterations of the Triple Goddess called her the Hag and feared her association with death, but modern believers view her as a kinder reminder that life is cyclical and that death leads to rebirth. Associated goddess: Hecate, the Greek goddess of the underworld, magic, witchcraft, and crossroads (sometimes known as Trivia in ancient Rome). Mythic figures with Crone energy: Circe, Hel, The Morrigan, Mother Mary, Quan Yin, Ala.
Ancient Roots of the Triple Goddess
Hecate is one of the earliest deities to be depicted in a triplicate way. As the Greek goddess of spells and the underworld, Hecate could easily traverse the boundaries between life and death, or the human world and the underworld. As a result, her image was often displayed in doorways or at crossroads for protection. Although she was originally depicted solo, later representations showed her triple-formed, standing back-to-back with her selves to look in all directions at a crossroads. At the time, Hecate was considered a “threefold” goddess whose powers may change according to the phase of the moon, but her three images were often depicted as being the same age (the Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspects weren’t directly related to her). She is more closely associated with the Crone archetype in modern Wiccan practices. The Fates, or the 3 sister goddesses who govern destiny in Greek mythology, are sometimes also included in Triple Goddess lore. They’re often depicted as young, matronly, and elderly in accordance with the phases of the moon (although their connection to the divine feminine is less clear). The goddess Diana, often considered the Roman counterpart to Hecate, was also depicted in triplicate representing the huntress, the moon, and the underworld. In some practices, she is more closely related to or depicted as the Maiden archetype.
The Celtic goddess Brigid may also be an inspiration for the Triple Goddess. Brigid was one of the most important deities in pre-Christian Ireland and is sometimes considered a triple goddess due to her domain over poetry, healing, and smithing (all very important to the ancient Celts). There are 3 goddesses named Brigid in Irish mythology, meaning believers may reach out to a different form or version of Brigid depending on what they need from her (this is common in Pagan cultures). The number 3 was very important in Celtic spirituality. For example, the Druid symbols like the Triquetra and Triskelion represent sacred groups of 3, like the cycle of birth, life, and death. These were coopted by Christians to represent ideas like the Holy Trinity. Brigid is one of the very few Pagan deities to make it into the Christian religion as Saint Brigid of Kildare (that’s how important she was).
The idea of triune goddesses appears in ancient cultures all over the world. Europeans were not the only ones to depict feminine deities in triplicate (although these cultures may have had a more direct impact on modern Neopaganism and Wicca in the West). In fact, many modern believers in the Triple Goddess pull inspiration from a number of ancient pantheons: In ancient Egypt, Isis was considered a triple goddess of fertility, magic, and motherhood. In some modern sects of Wicca, she is associated with the Crone. In Hinduism, the 3 major feminine deities Sarasvati, Lakshmi, and Parvati (the Tridevi) form a triad and take on the roles of Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer.
Evolution of the Triple Goddess in Modern Times
Jane Ellen Harrison proposed a pre-Olympian matriarchal Greek religion. Considered Britain’s first female career academic, Harrison’s research in the 19th century focused on pre-Olympian deities in ancient Greece (“Olympian” refers to the patriarchal pantheon of gods and goddesses led by Zeus that is well known today). She suggested that feminine deities from this time were husbandless (though may have had lovers) and masculine deities were subordinate. These ideas had a big impact on later researchers and spiritualists, including the Neopagan relationship with the Goddess. Harrison noted several triplicate deities in her work, but never explicitly identified a Triple Goddess. She was very interested in exploring the Maiden and Mother archetypes (perhaps influenced by the Virgin Mary) but did not mention the Crone at all. Psychologist Carl Jung and his followers like Erich Neumann also investigated the archetype of triple goddesses in Pagan history. They believed that conceiving deities in triads is a natural human pattern and associated the Mother archetype with the creative power of the subconscious.
Robert Graves named the Triple Goddess in The White Goddess (1948). Graves was heavily influenced by Harrison’s work and is credited as the first person to officially designate the Maiden, Mother, and Crone as the Triple Goddess. Like Harrison, he also proposed a matriarchal religious structure that was overthrown by patriarchal gods and viewed the Triple Goddess as a muse for poetry and creativity. Graves’ work was controversial, though. His theories mixed some academic research with mythology and poetry, leading many to question his methods. The White Goddess was hugely influential on modern Neopagan beliefs. However, his view of the Triple Goddess and divine feminine through the male gaze has led some believers to question his ideas and the nature of their relationship to the Goddess.
Marija Gimbutas also suggests an ancient, matriarchal European religion. An archaeologist called the “Grandmother of the Goddess movement” in the 90s, Gimbutas’ research led her to believe that ancient people in “Old Europe” (the Aegean and near East) worshiped a single Triple Goddess before nomadic Indo-European peoples came to the region and spread their patriarchal religious beliefs. She argues Europe was more egalitarian and peaceful before the violence and patriarchal beliefs of the Indo-Europeans took over. Like Graves, Gimbutas’ theories are controversial (her research of Indo-Europeans earned her great renown in the archaeological field, but her more recent takes on “Old Europe” have diminished her reputation). Some argue her academic evidence is too speculative to confirm her theories, while others believe her theories are an attempt to create an origin myth of female empowerment among male-centered views of history.
Final Thoughts: The Triple Goddess Today
Modern Wiccan and Neopagan beliefs in the Triple Goddess vary widely. Most practitioners believe the Triple Goddess encompasses the Maiden, Mother, and Crone archetypes, but view them through different lenses. Some view them as pure archetypes and not literal beings, while others view them as manifestations or aspects of a single divine being. Others assign separate deities to each archetype. Ultimately, each person’s connection to the Goddess is personal and unique. Today, the Triple Goddess is also a way for femininity to identify with divinity. By relating to the phases of a woman’s life, the Triple Goddess facilitates a sacred physical embodiment of the divine that’s not possible for women in patriarchal religions (like the Abrahamic religions which emphasize God the Father). The Maiden, Mother, and Crone are also not widely viewed as literal representations of time in a woman’s life, but rather manifestations of different energies that exist inside of all people.
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