Artemis / Diana by Bre Geier

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin of Apollo, Artemis was one of the twelve
great gods and goddesses of Olympus. She was a Greek goddess mainly associated
with wildlife and with human birth. She was originally one of the great Mother
Goddesses, with emphasis on her role as virgin huntress and patrons of
chastity. As Apollo's twin sister, she is regarded as a divinity of the light,
specifically the light of the mon, and as such has been an influential archetype
for Witches. Her symbol is the female bear and she is associated with the
constellation Ursa Major.

Legend has it that she was born on the sixth day of the month of Thargelion,
a day before her brother. As she grew up in her favorite Arcadia, she would
hunt accompanied by sixty young Oceanids and twenty nymphs. Armed with bow and
arrows given to her by Zeus, she gained the epithet Apollousa, "the
destructress," and was a deity of sudden death. She was especially venerated in Arcadia
but was also worshiped throughout Greece, Crete and Asia Minor.

Her Roman equivalent is Diana, described as "the eternal feminist." She is
the source of magical power for Witches, who gather to adore her at the full of
the moon. The Canon Episcopi of the tenth century condemned those who "believe
and profess themselves, in the hours of the night to ride upon certain beasts
with Diana, the goddess of the pagans." She is a slim, beautiful virgin,
usually depict with her hair drawn back and wearing a short tunic--a Dorian
chiton. She is frequently accompanied by either a young hind or a dog. As goddess of
fertility, she is sometimes depicted with many breasts.

Artemis made chastity a strict law, although she did fall in love with Orion,
whom she later shot in the head when tricked into doing so by Apollo. She had
a dark and vindictive character and many were punished by death or torment
when they crossed her or forgot to pay her reverence. Yet she could also be
gentle and loving. She was also music goddess and lover of singing and dancing.

Most Wiccans honor Artemis/Diana as part of the triple goddess aspect of the
moon and as a nurturer and protector. She has inspired the Dianic, strongly
feminist, tradition of Wicca.