The Sacred Hearth

Artemis

Interestingly, the name Artemis is very similar to various Indo-European names which mean "Bear", such as Arthur, Ardal, Arturo, Auberon, and the ancient Greek word "arktos", but various variations, such as Artemas, meaning "follower" and Artemesia meaning "Perfect" don't bear out this speculation. However, these names may have changed meaning over the years (one source tells me Artemas originally meant "blessed of Artemis" and later came to mean "follower" after someone bearing the name became a follower of the disciples). I have also seen speculation that the name derived from the Greek artemes meaning "Strong limbed"- but I have not been able to find this word in any of my lexicons. I have seen artemes traslated as "safe" or "uninjured" however and the word artamos which means "a butcher". That all being said, young women who stayed at the temple of Artemis, where they were said to "Play at being She-bears", were refered to as Arkteia.

Artemis is said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister to Apollo, God of Enlightemenment. However, Artemis and Apollo were both firmly established deities in the area long before the arrival of Zeus. This is another case of the conquering God being married off to or otherwise identified with the existing Gods and Goddesses to justify His rule (and that of His subjects) over those who were there before. Artemis was born on the sixth day of the month and immediately assisted her mother in bearing her brother Apollo, who was born a day later. The worship of Apollo and Artemis is believed to have come from the Hyperboreans.

Another story has Artemis and Apollo born to Demeter by Poseidon. It actually makes sense for Artemis to be the child of Poseidon than Zeus since her companions are Oceanids and her cursei on Agammemnon resulted in the delay of the Trojan war due to the inability of a fleet to sail. However, this story isn't oft repeated and whomever Her father may be (it being of no real consequence anyway) Leto is pretty firmly in place as Her mother.

Artemis and Apollo both ruled over healing, but also over plague and sudden death. Artemis was both a protector of small children and women in childbirth and credited with the death of women in childbirth. Likewise, she was both a huntress and the protectress of the woodland creatures.

According to legend, Artemis asked Zeus, and was granted, the priveledge of remaining unmarried and though she had many companions, did not seek out or accept the touch of any male, mortal or God. In addition to her chastity, Artemis was granted four stags with golden horns to draw her chariot, and lop-eared hounds, gifted to her by Pan and nymphs, the daughters of Oceanus, to be her companions and a silver bow and arrows made by Hephaestus.

Folklore implies that she expected all of her followers to also remain chaste. History implies also that her Priests and Priestesses took vows of chastity and were severely punished if these were broken.

The story of Orion says that he was a hunter. In some versions he was a companion to Artemis who was seduced by Selene, the Goddess of the Moon. Furious that Orion had betrayed his chastity, she sent a scorpion to kill him. Selene then put Orion and the scorpion into the sky- thus we have the two constellations and Orion's dog, Sirius, the Dog Star. Another version says that Orion tried to rape Artemis and thus received his fate. Yet another version says that Artemis fell in love with Orion and her brother Apollo tricked her into killing him, so as to protect her maidenhood. (I could really go on all day with versions of this story.)

In another story, one of Artemis's companions, a nymph by the name of Callisto, fell prey to the wiles of the mighty Zeus. Zeus had come to her with Artemis's form. When the girl could no longer hide her pregnancy, she confessed and Artemis turned her into a bear. Her son was Arcas and while hunting as a young man, he came upon the bear that was his mother and nearly killed her, but Artemis (or Zeus) stopped him and Callisto was then put into the sky as a constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, also known as the Plough. Some versions say that Arcas was also put into the sky at this time (Ursa Minor) but he has more story of his own.

In another story, Actaeon was caught spying on Artemis and her companions as she bathed. Enraged, she turned him into a stag and as he fled through the forest, his own hounds caught his scent, pursued him and killed him. Another man, Siproites, was caught in a similar situation, but he was turned into a woman.

Perhaps one of the most famous stories of Artemis is the story of Niobe. She boasted that she was a better mother than Leto because she had six sons and six daughters, rather than just one of each. Artemis and Apollo came to their mother's defense and killed all of her children. Artemis then turned Niobe to stone.

Another story, that I rather like, is the story of the Gigantes. It happened at the tail end of the war between the Titans and the Olympians. Gaia whispered to the Gigantes Otis and Ephialtes that since they were so strong that nothing could harm them, they should be the rulers of Olympus. So they rose up and built a mountain as tall as Olympus and laid seige demanding Hera and Artemis as wives. Ares came out to engage them, but they trapped him in a jar. The other Gods could not harm them. Finally, Artemis turned into a deer and ran between them. They each hurled a spear at the deer, but She was too quick and they each speared each other instead!

During the Roman period, Artemis became associated with Diana, a Roman Moon Goddess and thus became associated with the moon. By extension, her brother Apollo was associated with the sun. However, there is no such association found in any of the pre-Roman lore- besides her obvious tendancy of turning people into constellations. They are both known as "Shining", but this provides and tenuous link at best. In most classical Greek literature in which both Apollo and Artemis are referenced, Selene and Helios (the Classical Moon and Sun of Titan descent) are also referenced.

Her Etruscan equivalent is Artume. She is also associated with the Lady of Ephesus, though some rather associate Her with Cybele. (She is quite magnificent and now resides in the Vatican. If you ever go to Rome, do not pass up the chance to go to the Vatican museum!)This Goddess seems to be very different from the Greek Artemis, but the association may be due to both Goddesses association with animals.

Artemis was worshipped of old in Delos, Sparta, Brauron and Mounikhia and eventually throughout the rest of the Greek world. In some areas She (or the Goddesses whom She replaced) was once associated with bloody rituali sacrifice. In Tauris early Greek legends say there was a Goddess to whom all men who washed up on their shore were sacrificed. In Sparta, boys were flogged at Artemis's altar until it was sprinkled with their blood- perhaps a replacement for earlier blood sacrifices. The sacrifice of Iphogenea took place at Aulis, and she was the daughter of a Spartan and a Myceneaen.

Artemis represents the unpredictable nature of, well, Nature, and the wilderness. Those who embark upon a hunting trip are at Her mercy. Will She bless you with a good kill? Will She amuse Herself by leaving you wandering lost for days? Or will She visit tragedy upon you and your party? It's all up to Her whim, for She is the embodiment of all that is Wild. Children are beloved of Her while they are still wild and She protects young girls until they have given up their maidenhood. Artemis is also the Goddess of the nymphs, all the delicate spirits of Nature and at Her command will they rise up against those who abuse them- but mostly they dance and hunt and enjoy themselves.

Sacred Animals: Bear, Dogs, Deer, Lion, Boar
Sacred Plants: Alli Artemesias, cypress, bay laurel
Sacred Places: All wild places
Sacred Objects: Bow and arrow, herbs, antlers
Protectress of: Wilderness areas, hunters, children, young girls, women in childbirth, women's fertility, female athletes
Epithets: Agrotera- Patron of hunters (and also warriors), Potnia Theron, Mistress of the Animals, Kourotropos- nurse of youths, Locheia- goddess of childbirth and midwives, Cynthia- From Mounth Cynthus on Delos, Amarynthia after her festival Amarythus, Phoebe- Shining one, feminine of Apollo's epithet Pheobus, Parthenos Iokheaira- the virgin who delights in arrows, Hekatebolon- far shooter (also shared with Apollo),
Sacred Days- The 6th of the Month (Artemis was born on the 6th day of the month)
Astrological Sign- Cancer