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Artemis: Greek Goddess of Hunting

In ancient Greece, cities prayed to Artemis before battle when the situation was a matter of life and death: when the options were be victorious or be destroyed, they prayed to Artemis for survival.

History:

Artemis is one of the most widely revered Ancient Greek deity and is depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows.

She and her twin, Apollo, were the children of Zeus and Leto. She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women. In later Hellenistic times, she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia (or Ilithyia) adopted into ancient Greek religion and myth as the goddess of childbirth and midwifery; the divine helper of women in labor.

Zeus impregnates Leto while married to Hera. Delos, being neither part of the mainland or seen as an island was an appropriate area for the birth to take place following Hera’s warning Leto about the birthplace of her children. Most stories depict Artemis as being born first, becoming her mother’s mid-wife upon the birth of her brother Apollo.

Because her twin, Apollo, was associated with the Sun, Artemis gradually became connected to the Moon and the Roman Diana in the post-Classical world. During the ancient Greek period, although Artemis was represented as a lunar goddess, she was never portrayed as the moon itself. Typically, in post-Classical artwork, she is depicted beside a crescent moon and was sometimes identified with Selene (goddess of the moon). The Amazons (moon-women), who were loyal to Her, worshiped one aspect of Artemis: the New Moon phase. The sixth day of the New Moon was known as hers.

Only in post-Classical art do we find representations of Artemis/Diana with the crown of the crescent moon, as Luna. Ancient statues of Artemis have been found with crescent moons, but these moons are always Renaissance-era additions.

Childhood

The Iliad describes a three year old Artemis sitting on Zeus’ knee as she asks him to grant her six wishes:

To always be a virgin

To have many names to set her apart from her brother Apollo

To be a light bringer

To have a bow and arrow and knee-length tunic so that she could hunt

To have sixty “daughters of Okeanos”, all nine years old, to serve as her choir

For twenty of Amnisides’ Nymphs as handmaids to watch her dogs and bow while she rested

To rule the mountains and the ability to help women with pain associated with childbirth

Artemis’ wish to have many names came to fruition:

Agrotera, a goddess who watched over hunters and blessed them in their endeavors

In yet another contradiction she was the guardian of wild creatures in her guise as Potnia Theron.

When she was being honored as the goddess of childbirth, she was sometimes known as Locheia, and expectant mothers and midwives made offerings in her honor.

Occasionally she is referred to as as Phoebe, a variant of Apollo’s nickname, Phoebus, related to the sun.

She is also closely related to the Roman Moon Goddess, Diana

Artemis spent her girlhood seeking out the tools she would need to be a huntress. She obtained her bow and arrows from the isle of Lipara, where Hephaestus and the Cyclops worked. Okeanus’ daughters were filled with fear, but the young Artemis bravely approached them. Artemis visited Pan, the god of the forest, who gave her seven bitches and six dogs. She then captured six golden-horned deer to pull her chariot.

Artemis practiced with her bow by first by shooting at trees, then at wild beasts.

Artemis believed that she had been chosen by the Fates to be a midwife, particularly since assisting her mother with the delivery of Apollo.

All of her companions were to remain virgins. Artemis closely guarded their virginity as well as her own chastity.

Artemis’ Anger

If Artemis was your friend, then she was your friend for life; and if one of her friends ever happened to be in need, Artemis would act quickly, using her sharp wits to rescue and protect them. However, when anyone happened to do something wrong, Artemis handed out her punishment quite swiftly, even though she was supposedly opposed to violence.

Alpheus, a river god, was in love with Artemis, but realized he can do nothing to make her want him. He decides to capture her. Artemis, who is with her companions at Letrenoi, goes to Alpheus, but, suspicious of his motives, she covers her face with mud so that the river god does not recognize her. In another story, Alphaeus tries to rape Artemis’ attendant Arethusa. Artemis pities Arethusa and saves her by transforming her into a spring in Artemis’ temple, Artemis Alphaea, in Letrini. Here both the goddess and her attendant drink.

Actaeon, while out hunting, accidentally came upon Artemis and her nymphs, who bathing naked in a secluded pool. Seeing them in all their naked beauty, the stunned Actaeon stopped and gazed at them, but when Artemis saw him ogling them, she transformed him into a stag. Then, incensed with disgust, she set his own hounds upon him. They chased and killed what they thought was another stag, but it was their master. This story can be found in The Iliad.

Artemis was enraged when one of her nymphs, Callisto, allowed Zeus to seduce her, but the great god approached her in one of his guises; he came in the form of Artemis. The young nymph was unwittingly tricked, and she gave birth to Arcas, the ancestor of the Arcadians, but Artemis showed no mercy and changed her into a bear. She then shot and killed her. She was sent up to the heavens, and became the constellation of the Great Bear (which is also known as the Plough).

Even though Artemis may have been considered to be a protectress of the young, she was also known for using her powers to exact revenge. It was she who kept the Greek Fleet from sailing to Troy, until the royal maiden, Iphigenia, had been sacrificed to her. Artemis demanded that extremely harsh punishment, because several of the Greek soldiers had killed a hare and its young, which also happened to be some of her creatures.

In another story, the sacrifice of Iphigenia was because Agamemnon had offended the goddess with a boast that he was as good a marksman as Artemis. The winds were returned so the ships could sail to Troy after the sacrifice was made to her.

Some hunters had killed more animals then they actually needed. That was an issue which Artemis felt very strongly about, because she believed that you should only kill that which was necessary to allow a person to survive. To Artemis, the action of overkill was a travesty, and she made quite sure that it required a very severe punishment. Artemis also believed that the punishment should fit the crime. The hunters who killed more animals then they needed to survive, Artemis had them thrown from their horses, and then had them eaten by wolves.

Symbols/Attributes

Bow and Arrows; According to the Homeric Hymn to Artemis, she had golden bow and arrows, as her epithet was Khryselakatos, “of the Golden Shaft”, and Iokheira, “Showered by Arrows”.

Chariot; Artemis’ chariot was made of gold and was pulled by four golden horned deer (Elaphoi Khrysokeroi). The bridles of her chariot were also made of gold.

Spears, nets, and lyre; Although quite seldom, Artemis is sometimes portrayed with a hunting spear. Her cult in Aetolia showed her with a hunting spear. The description about Artemis’ spear can be found in Ovid’s Metamorphosis. Seen with a fishing pole, Artemis was connected with her cult as a patron goddess of fishing. As a goddess of maiden dances and songs, Artemis is often portrayed with a lyre.

Fauna Deer; Deer were the only animals held sacred to Artemis herself. On seeing a deer larger than a bull with horns shining, she fell in love with these creatures and held them sacred. Deer were also the first animals she captured, five Elaphoi Khrysokeroi (golden horned deer), and harnessed them to her chariot.

Hunting dog; Artemis got her hunting dogs from Pan in the forest of Arcadia. Pan gave Artemis two black-and-white dogs, three reddish ones, and one spotted one - these dogs were able to hunt even lions. Pan also gave Artemis seven bitches of the finest Arcadian race. However, Artemis only ever brought seven dogs hunting with her at any one time.

Bear; The sacrifice of a bear for Artemis started with the Brauron cult. Every year a girl between five and ten years of age was sent to Artemis’ temple at Brauron. The Byzantine writer Suidos relayed the legend. A bear was tamed by Artemis and introduced to the people of Athens. They touched it and played with it until one day a group of girls poked the bear until it attacked them. A brother of one of the girls killed the bear, so Artemis sent a plague in revenge. The Athenians consulted an oracle to understand how to end the plague. The oracle suggested that, in payment for the bear’s blood, no Athenian virgin should be allowed to marry until she had served Artemis in her temple (‘played the bear for the goddess’).

What to learn from Artemis:

Wildness

Independence

Love of nature

How to adapt, survive, and thrive

Call on Artemis when:

There is a need for protection for women, children, and anyone who exhibits exceptional self-sufficiency or who defies cultural gender roles

Help with transitions; she helps us pass from one state to another

A need for illumination on our lives so that we may find our way; as She is a bringer of light

We need help; Artemis will help us face whatever life throws at us through her lessons

Offerings:

Cypress

Asphodel

Amaranth

Palm tree

Mugwort

Birch

Wildflowers

Toys (from girls before their wedding)

Clothing (from women)

Garlands

Statuettes of children (by their parents)

Statuettes of soldiers

Moonstone

Mugwort

Frankincense

Port

Game meat

Ways to honor Artemis:

Care for the natural world

Clean up pollution

Protect wildlife

Donate time to ecological concerns

Get out into the wild, and experience the natural world

Go on nature walks, go for picnics, camp, hunt - get outside

If you eat meat, respect the animal that it came from; be mindful of what the animal went through, and the intimate connection that exists between its death and your life

Hunt, if you can

Be respectful of personal space and privacy

Be supportive of people who don’t live according to culturally established norms

Take some time to plan ahead by keeping your goals in focus

Know what you want out of life and then pursue it

Participate in some kind of bodywork (anywhere from aerobics to yoga) to increase awareness of your body and its agility

Make it a point to do something adventuresome occasionally

Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and let everyone else know what does/n’t please you; everyone should know where they stand with you

Provide encouragement and guidance to a young person; be a mentor

Festivals Observed Today

Artemisia (6th June) Modern festival of Artemis where anything goes, celebrating freedom and modern inspiration.

Philokhoria (Summer Solstice) A joint festival of Artemis and Apollo based on an obscure passage in Callimachus’ hymn to Artemis

Sixth (6th each month) Sacred to Artemis

Thargelia (May-June) Birthday of Apollon and Artemis, first fruit offerings and purification festival

[Source 1. Source 2. Source 3. Source 4. Source 5. Source 6. Source 7. Source 8. Source 9. Source 10. Source 11.]

I have done as much cross-referencing as I’ve been able to (my access to books at this point is extremely limited so please keep this in mind). If there are glaring problems, please tell me. For those of you learning for the first time, please question instead of taking everything at face value - that’s how we best learn. I also want it to be known that not all myths are the same so it’s difficult to put together a completely accurate account of what happened. But as I said, please let me know if there’s any glaring problems.

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