Artemis was Greek goddess of the moon, of nature,
of the harvest, and of the hunt. She is also one of the virgin
goddesses, and She protects women in labor, small children and
wild animals. A child of Zeus and Leto, she was born on the Island
of Delos. She symbolizes health, love, charms, and shape shifting.
Animals, which were especially sacred to Artemis, are deer, stags,
geese, wild dogs, fish, goats, bees, and bears, laurel trees and
fir trees were also sacred to Her. However, keep in mind that
since Artemis is the protectress of animals, all animals can be
considered sacred to Her. Artemis is associated with Monday, the
month of April, the silver bow, and She is said to be one of only
three who are immune to the enchantments of Aphrodite and not
affected by her manipulations (the other two are Hestia and Athena).
She is a friend to mortals and protector of the youth; She dances
through the countryside in her silver sandals giving her divine
protection to the wild beasts, particularly the very young. She
rides her silver chariot across the sky and shoots her arrows
of silver Moonlight to the earth below. She, like the other Olympians,
had favorites among the mortals but she could not protect the
fine huntsman, Skamandros, from the spear of Menelaos at the battle
for Troy. Unlike her brother Apollo, Artemis was not skilled in
war craft but she could punish and kill as the will of Zeus dictated.
In fact, many dying women, as well as dying women in childbirth,
went to Artemis to ask for a quick and painless death from Her
silver arrows because She was also the goddess of childbirth,
and she was praised for having the compassion to give young women
who died in childbirth a swift and painless death. Artemis was
also sometimes confused with the Roman goddess, Diana and is also
associated with the Egyptian goddess Bast. As the moon goddess,
she was sometimes identified with the goddesses Selene, Hecate,
and Luna.
Flowers associated with Artemis are rose, jasmine,
honeysuckle, and fern. Her candle colors are silver, white, and
green. Her oils are cypress, pine, olive, rose, and jasmine. Crystals
associated with Her are moonstone, clear agate, and amethyst.
A recipe for Artemis Incense, which was so kindly given to me
by my lady Skyefire is:
2 tbsp Acacia Gum (gum Arabic)
2 ½ tsp Cypress Balls (cones of the cypress)
1 ½ tsp Mugwort
1 ¼ tsp Dried Daisy Flower
1 ½ tsp White Willow Bark
1 tsp Dried Cedar Leaves
2 tsp Myrtle
2 nuts Hazelnuts - the meat inside
1 leaf Bay Leaf (medium size)
5 drops Freesia Oil
3 drops Cedar Oil
This is a rather difficult grouping of ingredients, so if you
are missing any of the ingredients, Acacia flowers, or Globe Amaranth
could be substituted. This is then burned to invoke the goddess
Artemis in her maiden incarnation, with an emphasis on the healing
and creative aspects of this woodland huntress.
ARTEMIS MYTHS
Actaeon: A legendary Greek hunter, son of Aristaeus and Autonoe
(who was the daughter of Cadmus). Artemis turned Actaeon (Kernunnos)
into a stag and he was chased down, torn to pieces, and killed
by his own hunting dogs. According to one myth, She did this because
Actaeon saw her naked while She was bathing in a stream near Orchomenus.
Artemis, as a virgin goddess, was so pure that She allowed no
man to see her naked body. In another myth She did this because
Actaeon boasted that he was a better hunter than even Artemis
Herself.
Callisto: The daughter of Lycaon was a follower of Artemis.
One day, however, Zeus seduced Callisto, and Callisto became pregnant
with His child. As Artemis requires the same chastity of her followers
that She maintains Herself, She punished Callisto by changing
her into a bear. Zeus then prevented Callisto from being hunted
to death by setting her image into the stars. Callistos child,
Arcus, was saved.
Orion: Artemis was very beautiful and had many suitors, but
vowed that She would not marry until She found someone as wild
and free as herself. Her nymphs (or spirits of nature), as well,
vowed not to marry. But one day, seven of the nymphs were in the
woods when they saw the strong and handsome hunter Orion. Because
of their promise to shun men, they fled. But he saw them and pursued.
Though the nymphs were very swift and graceful, they soon grew
weary and called out to Artemis for help. Hearing their prayers,
she turned them into pigeons, which flew up into the sky and became
the constellation of stars called the Pleiades (also known as
the Seven Sisters). Frustrated, Orion turned away to hunt elsewhere,
but soon met Artemis herself. Both of them, sharing a passion
for hunting and the woodlands, became good friends. Soon after
that, Apollo became worried that his sister would marry Orion
and break her vow, and he knew that Orion had received the ability
to walk on water from his father Poseidon and was often out on
the sea. So Apollo went to his sister and led her to the sea.
After they reached the sea, he began provoking her with his great
accomplishments; then he dared her to try to hit a distant target
at sea. Artemis, unaware that it was Orion, shot a silver arrow
from her bow and precisely hit the target. The waves soon lifted
Orions body to the shore. Artemis grieved her loss, and then she
placed him, and his dog Sirius among the stars, as she had done
with her nymphs.
ARTEMIS
The symbol of Artemis is the Moon, She rules over the nights,
wild realms, mysteries, and the bodies of women. The headdress
of Artemis was often shown with animal horns. Also, Artemis, and
her priestesses wore a crown, shaped like a crescent Moon upon
their brow as depicted below:
