minor Greek god, father of the Hecaterides
Hecaterus
Hecaterus (Ἑκάτερος), whose name means «a hundred», is a minor god of Greek mythology, known mainly as the father of several collective deities. He barely appears in the sources, and his figure is usually read as a patron of a rustic dance.
The myth
According to Hesiod, Hecaterus fathered five daughters, later called the Hecaterides by modern scholars, with a daughter of Phoroneus. From them came the mountain nymphs, the Oreads, the satyrs, unfit for work, and the Curetes, playful, dancing gods. Strabo, discussing the Curetes, treats them as servants of the gods who were also regarded as gods in their own right. Other versions give his wife the name Anchiale, mother of the Dactyls.
The most widely held modern view links his name to the hekateris, a rustic dance with very quick hand movements, and makes him its patron. A less accepted proposal sees the name as a corruption of ἑκ Δώρου, «of Dorus».
Ancient sources: Hesiod and Strabo mention him, and other ancient texts describe the Curetes, his supposed descendants.