Artemis

[Myth]

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The goddess Leto mated with Zeus and bore the twin deities of Artemis and Apollo. Traditionally, Artemis was first born and able to help with the birth of her brother, demonstrating one of her functions -- that of a goddess of childbirth.

She is a Goddess of the hunt, of wild untamed nature, and of the moon. She haunts the woods, the groves, and the meadows, where she hunts and dances with her attendant nymphs and oceanids. Her symbol is the she-bear and the laurel is sacred to her.

Artemis was a maiden and it was said that she remained chaste, however this is not strictly correct. Rather, her lovers were all women, and included the poetess Sappho.

Even so, Artemis is an upholder of purity and standards, and quick to anger. When Actaeon the hunter spied her naked while bathing, she changed him into a stag and he was ripped apart by his own dogs. When Callisto, one of her nymphs, was seduced by Zeus, Artemis killed her with one of her arrows.

 

Prayer to Artemis:

Artemis, huntress of the moon, make my aim true. Give me goals to seek and the constant determination to achieve them.

Grant me communion with nature, allow me to live surrounded by plants and animals that I can grow, protect and nurture.

Allow me the strength and wisdom to be my own mistress, not defined by the expectations of others.

And sustain my sexuality to be as yours -- wild and free as nature itself.

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