Gods & Goddesses
Artemis - Goddess of the Wild Animals & Wild Places

Artemis of the Wild Beasts

Lecture notes from a presentation given by Sorita D'Este at
Witchfest International 2005,
Croydon, England.
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Come with bows bent and with emptying of quivers,
Maiden most perfect, lady of light,
With a noise of winds and many rivers,
With a clamour of waters, and with might;
Bind on thy sandals, O thou most fleet,
Over the splendour and speed of thy feet;
For the faint east quickens, the wan west shivers,
Round the feet of the day and the feet of the night.

Hail to Thee, Lady of Night
Hail to Thee Lady of Might
Hail to Thee lady of the Moon and the Sun
The forests and the winds
I say Hail to thee!

Artemis, the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt and virginity has captured the imagination of many people throughout the ages. Poets have written about Artemis as the ultimate unobtainable prize, artists have portrayed her surrounded by her hunting dogs, wild animals and of course with her bow and quiver of arrows always ready for the kill. For thousands of years, pilgrims have visited her temples and sanctuaries to ask for her help in matters of childbirth, healing and devotion, and today tourists still marvel at the unique beauty and mystery of her famous temple at Ephesus.

I personally first encountered the goddess Artemis, as a young girl, in a poem by the American poet, Edmund Clarence Stedman (1833 - 1908) entitled "Orion: An Epic Poem":

"Of Artemis,-her bow, with points drawn back,
A golden hue on her white rounded breast
Reflecting, while the arrow's ample barb
Gleams o'er her hand, and at his heart is aim'd."

But for many years my interest in her lay dormant, as I worked and explored the mysteries of other Goddesses. It was my interest and work with the Goddess Hekate which lead me to remember my first impressions and encouraged me to find out more about Artemis. Whilst researching Hekate references to Artemis appeared time and time again, and so my research took a different direction which in turn lead to me compiling the book ARTEMIS Virgin Goddess of the Sun & Moon which has just been published.

Artemis is a Goddess of many things, she is a Virgin Goddess who is also a Goddess of Women and of Fertility, in Ancient Greece she was viewed as the Goddess of Song and Dance, A Goddess of Water who held the title of Lady of the Lake, she was a Goddess of the Sun and of the Moon, of Day and of Night, seen and depicted as a Warrior Goddess by the Amazonians and interacted on many levels with both the other Gods and Mortals in the various myths and sagas. One of the staple herbs of modern witches, comes from a family of herbs which bear her name "Artemesia" and although often portrayed as a benevolent Goddess in modern literature, she was certainly a Goddess of divine justice who put honour and humility higher on the list than most and often fought for the balance that is necessary for life to continue and for good to exist on this Earth. Sometimes this involved what would be viewed as divine Vengeance, killing those who crossed her and sending disease to those who betrayed her trust and love.

Artemis is the daughter of the Titan Goddess Leto and the Zeus Father God Zeus. Her pregnant mother was placed into exile and mortal danger when Zeus' wife the Goddess of Marriage Hera found out about her pregnancy. Hera decided to send the Python of Delphi (a serpent or dragon) to chase the pregnant Leto and forbade the rulers of all the lands from allowing Hera to give birth of Terra Firma. So it was that eventually a tired Leto, ready to give birth but not being given a place to rest and do so, ended up on the island of Delos, which was believed to have been a floating island at the time. Here Leto was welcomed and Zeus finally decided to take some responsibility for his part in the drama, decided to help her. He fastened the island to the ocean bed with adamantine chains and helped in other ways to ensure that Leto could give birth.

Leto rested under a palm tree where she gave birth to Artemis, but remaining in labour Leto struggled to give birth to another, the God Apollo - the divine twin brother of Artemis. Artemis still a babe helped her mother with the birth of her brother and thus also became a goddess of Childbirth from the very beginning. Apollo and Artemis later revenged the treatment of their mother by killing an assortment of rulers who turned their pregnant mother away on the instruction of Hera, Apollo with the help of Artemis, also slew the Python of Delphi and so Apollo became the god of the Delphic Oracle, just like his grandmother before him.

Artemis is venerated and celebrated today primarily as a Goddess of the Hunt who rules over a number of wild animals and beasts. This was also one of the ancient views of Artemis, she was venerated for her skills with her bow and arrows and for her cunning in the hunt.

It was said that her favourite pursuit was exercising her skill as a huntress. In various myths there are tales telling of her pursuing and killing animals - but also sometimes humans …. Usually men…. But more about that in a moment.

Many of her Titles refer to her skills with her bow - she is called Artemis Lokheaira = delighter in arrows. She is also Theroskopos Kokheaira - The Huntress who delights in Arrows. The writer and poet Callimachus wrote saying "whose study is the bow and the shooting of hares and the spacious dance and sport upon the mountains" and "how often goddess, did you make trail of thy silver bow" in his hymn to Artemis (hymn 3)

Many of the depictions of Artemis shows her holding animals in each hand, usually by their necks or hind paws - the position you would associated with carrying game - which may indicate a position she held as goddess of the hunt rather than animals - but then the animals she is shown holding like this are often large cats - lions, leopards etc - which may indicate her dominion over these creatures, rather than killing them.

In addition to wild animals, Artemis also hunted fish - implied by her title of Diktynna (of the fishing nets) and also in the Homeric hymns when there is a reference of Artemis drawing her golden bow in relation to the shoals of fish.

Artemis was very proud of her hunting abilities and confident that she ruled supreme - as a Goddess might be. There are many stories showing the foolishness of men and gods who thought it appropriate to challenge Artemis on this. When King Agamemnon boasted that he was a better hunter than Artemis for instance…. Artemis' response? She prevented the Greek fleet from sailing for Troy, and forced Agamemnon to repent by offering his daughter Iphigenia as sacrifice to the Goddess. As Iphigenia had the favour of the goddess, Artemis snatched her from the altar at the last moment, replaced her with a deer and made Iphigenia one of her mortal attendants and priestesses.

In another example it is the hunter Broteas, son of King Tantalos (and brother of Queen Niobe) who did not honour Artemis' skill in the hunt. He boasted of his own abilities - Artemis responded by causing him to burn himself to death.

In some versions of the myths the Giant Orion is another of Artemis' targets after he too boasted that he was a better hunter than she.

This tendency to remove those who boast from the equation is one shared with her mother Leto. When Queen Niobe boasted that she was more blessed than the Goddess Leto as she had 7 daughters and 7 sons - rather than just one of each as did Leto, Leto asked Artemis and Apollo to extract divine vengeance on Niobe - killing 6 of the daughters and 6 of the sons in the process. Niobe in her grief became a weeping rock which to this day can still be found weeping on a hillside.

In his manual for hunters, Xenophon described the prayer hunters spoke as they released their hunting hounds - "To Thee thy share of this chase Lord Apollo and thine to thee - O Huntress Queen".

Amongst other things Artemis loved roaming and hunting with her dogs - she had 13 in all, given to her by the woodland and shepherd God Pan. He gave her six dogs - 2 black and white dogs, three red ones and one spotted. He also gave her seven Kynosourian bitches, famed in Greece for their tracking and hunting skills. As she is often depicted and written about with her dogs, the dog has become one of her most potent and relevant symbols.

But Artemis is a huntress who is also keen on the conservation of the animals she protects and interacts with. She is the protectress of young animals, ensuring the propagation of their species. There are many references to Artemis in regards to this role - she is called the Sovereign of All Creates (Dionysica) and Artemis Agrotera (of the Wilderness) and Potnia Theron (Lady of the beasts).

As well as protecting young animals (like she did young human children) Artemis also bestowed protection on their mothers. One way of bringing down the wrath of Artemis was to hunt female animals and it could have fatal consequences. In one such example, a hunter called Saron of Troizenos was chasing a doe when it swam into the sea. He drowned and his body washed up at the grove of Artemis at the Phoibaian lagoon. Even Saron's earlier good deeds in setting up a temple to Artemis counted for nothing when he broke this hunting taboo.

It was said that even the wildest animal would behave as if tamed when it was within the boundaries of a temple or sanctuary of Artemis - as the animals could recognise the sanctity and protection of the area. Strabo recorded this describing how deer herded with wolves and allowed people to stroke them at some of her sanctuaries.

It was also believed that many wild animals would find their way to places sacred to Artemis when they were ready to give birth to their young, recognising this quality of sacred protection from the mistress of the animals.

Those who killed animals and became uncertain of whether or not the favour of the Goddess would be with them, were wise to propitiate her quickly rather than risk her wrath. There are recorded examples of Hippolytus and Alkathoos building temples to her after slaying wild beasts.

There are other less pleasant outcomes to human interaction with animals and of course with the other goddesses. It was unthinkable for a companion maiden of Artemis to break her vows to the Goddess and be loyal to another. In one such example, the maiden Polyphonte came to a dreadful end doing exactly that. She was a princess from the Triballoi tribe of Trace in northern Greece and a hunting companion to Artemis - which was considered a great honour - as part of her vows to Artemis she had to scorn love and be celibate. With this of course comes also ignoring and scorning the Goddess of Sensual love Aphrodite - who was not known to be understanding when she had designs for someone. In revenge Aphrodite made Polyphonte go mad and make love to a bear. Artemis disgusted at this behaviour turned the other animals against Polyphonte and they tore her to bits, killing her.

Animals which are sacred to Artemis include:

As we have seen already : Dogs, due to her hunting pack given to her by Pan.

Also:

Bears -
Both as the creature and the stellar constellation of Ursa Major. Killing a sacred bear would be certain to bring down the wrath of the Goddess upon you. In one example the Athenians killed a female bear which appeared in the shrine of Artemis at Mounykhia in Attica and the Goddess responded by sending a famine their way. In another example the tame she-bear at the sanctuary in Brauron was killed. A young girl teased the bear and it scratched her eye out, the boys brother responded by killing it. Artemis sent a pestilential sickness upon the entire sanctuary and upon the Athenians. They in turn consulted an oracle which told them that they could only appease the Goddess by instating a yearly festival in which the young girls had to take the role of the she-bear in the ceremonies - dancing the she-bear - as the blood-price for taking the life of the bear. This became one of her best known and loved celebrations.

There are also a charm from the Greek Magickal Papyri which called on Artemis as a the Great Bear to assist with any goal:

"BEAR BEAR YOU WHO RULE THE HEAVEN, THE STARS AND THE WHOLE WORLD, YOU WHO MAKE THE AXIS TURN AND CONTROL THE WHOLE COSMIC SYSTEM BY FORCE AND COMPULSION, I APPEAL TO YOU, IMPLORING AND SUPPLICATING THAT YOU MAY DO THE NN THING, BECAUSE I CALL UPON YOU WITH YOUR HOLY NAMES AT WHICH YOUR DEITY REJOICES, NAMES WHICH YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO IGNORE - "

BIRDS -
Birds, especially ground birds which could be hunted were also considered sacred to Artemis. So for instance we find the partridge to be a darling of Artemis, the quail, and guinea-fowl too. The buzzard was also considered sacred to her.

BOARS -
as well as deer, boars were sacred to Artemis. This is illustrated in one myth were she turns the hunted into the hunter as in the tale of King Oineus of Calydon and Ankaios. Artemis also used a boar to kill Adonis who offended her. On a more positive note however, there is an interesting tale which recounts the founding of Artemis' most sacred and famous temple - that of Ephesus. It tells of how Herodotus attributes the location of Ephesus to the place were the boar was killed thereby fulfilling the words of the oracle "a fish and a boar will show you the place"

BULLS -
Shown connection through her title of Tauropolos, from the founding of the tribe of Taurean by Iphigenia. Theseus also founded a temple to Artemis Soteira after slaying the Minotaur.

Pausanias mentions a relief at the front of the temple of Apollo at Argolis which depicts the fight between a bull and a wolf - showing Artemis as throwing a stone at the Bull.

There are also many ancient coins depicting Artemis riding on a bull or with a bull on one side and Artemis with a crescent crown on the reverse. Some bronze coins with Artemis on the back of a leaping bull with the lunar crescent below them.

DEER -
Often shown with deer or stags, both on statues and image reliefs. Elaphobolos "hunter of deer" who could at the same time find divine safety at her shrines and temples. She would punish hunters who tried to kill pregnant deer.

Four golden hinds are said to and depicted as pulling the chariot of Artemis - there was a fifth at one stage but it was captured by Herakles as part of his labours. He did however manage to avoid Artemis' wrath.

Priestesses at Patrai (temple) would ride into ceremonies on a chariot pulled by deer in honour of the Goddess. The Elaphebolos festival which honoured Artemis included the making of elaphos cakes made in the shape of deer.

FISH -
Many shrines and temples had lakes and springs nearby, and Artemis had the title of Limnaia (of the Lake) - as a result fresh water fish were considered sacred to her, as a different form of prey and animal.

HARES -
Associated with the founding myth of the Artemis colony at Baiai - they consulted an oracle and settlers were told that the Goddess would show them where to dwell and then a hare appeared which the settlers followed until it disappeared into a myrtle tree - which is where they build Boiaia.

LIONS & LEOPARDS -
Both very much associated with her. At Ephesus, we find depictions of Lions, Pausanias writes of Artemis holding a lion in her left hand and a leopard in her right, vases from 8th cent. BCE Italy shows similar depictions of a goddess. The two large felines may also represent the two gods most important to Artemis - Apollo (Lion) and Dionysus (Leopard)

In the Illiad Artemis is described as a lion amongst women. She is shown hunting large felines on a vase dating to the 7th Cent. BCE and there are depictions of Artemis at Corfu showing a winged image of the Goddess flanked by two leopards.

SERPENTS -
The twin serpents are associated with Artemis at temples in friezes and statues as well as depictions on coins. An example of the latter shows Artemis with a crescent moon on her head in a chariot drawn by two snakes. (2nd Cent. BCE) and another from Corfu shows her with two serpents around her waist - rearing and facing each other.

Pausanias further described a statue of the Goddess in the temple at Despoine in Arcadia which was made from bronze and showed her bearing a torch in one hand and two snakes in the other.

WOLVES -
Finally, WOLVES were also sacred to Artemis. So perhaps it is quite appropriate that the Wolf Trust is here today with wolves to raise awareness of their plight and to try and raise money for a permanent sanctuary in this country and to help preserve the future of these beautiful and brave creatures. The Wolf is traditionally sacred to Apollo, Artemis's twin brother, but as an effective hunter they were also sacred to Artemis. Artemis Lykeii - Artemis of The Wolves - Oppian a later Roman writer categorised wolves into five types :

The Archer (large and tawny), The Falcon (large and silvery), The Golden Wolf (v. large) and Kite (small and silvery) and a last unnamed class of small and dark wolves. Both Archer and Golden could refer to a connection to Artemis here - she is the Archer but she is also often given titles which share gold attributes and is called the Golden Shining one in many texts.

How we can honour Artemis as Lady of the Animals today.

Artemis is a goddess of honour and humility. As a Wiccan Priestess it brings to mind the words in the Charge of the Goddess:

"And therefore let there be beauty and strength,
power and compassion, honour and humility,
mirth and reverence within you."

Although not the words of Artemis, these words do describe a way in which to approach work with Artemis. Do not break your word, do not make promises you cannot fulfil, and be honourable. At times it is necessary to be harsh in your actions and deeds in order to break through the boundaries of society and the boundaries placed upon you by social conditioning in particular. To honour her you can take a greater interest in the affairs of the world around you, take action rather than just give empty words of support to a cause, support those who deserve and need your support, rather than those who seek to impress for your own selfish wants.

Consider also the animal kingdom - how often do you pay honour and respect to the spirit of an animal? Only when you see them roaming wild through the countryside, rare as this may be, or also when you devour their flesh, drink their milk and wear their skin? How often do you consider the impact your actions and consumption levels have on the natural world, on the animal kingdom and on mother Earth?

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If you enjoyed this article you may find the book "Artemis - Virgin Goddess of the Sun & Moon" by Sorita D'Este interesting too!