jules

A page from my grimoire.

Goddess of: the Wild Mountains, the Crescent Moon, Girls, Childbirth & Midwifery, Weaving, & the Hunt.

Zodiac sign: Taurus; her birthday is May 6th

Planet: The moon, specifically the crescent moon

Lineage: Daughter of Zeus & Leto & sister of Apollo.

Primary cult centres: Brauron, Delos, Ephesos, & Sparta

Artemis is one of the most ancient deities in the Greek Olympian pantheon. Her name is of an unknown etymology & her origin rests in earlier, pre-Greek mythology.

Artemis was the Goddess who looked after young girls. The Arkteia, young girls who imitate she-bears, are protected by Artemis and eventually offer their childhood to her when they move into motherhood.

Artemis is the lion among women. She can spare their lives in childbirth, or she could take it away. The clothes of women who died in childbirth were left as offerings, much like the hunter would leave a pelt for the Goddess when he had a successful hunt. Likewise, when women had successful childbirth without much pain, they would consider this the work of Artemis & leave blankets for the Goddess. She assisted her mother, Leto, painlessly birth Apollo, Artemis’s twin brother.

Artemis is a virgin & is the only Greek Goddess to wear a short tunic, symbolic of her perpetual maidenhood & almost boyishness. However, she is a virgin by choice - representative of her fierce independence & autonomy. In fact, some say Artemis was the only Goddess to never be kidnapped or raped.

She has 20 Amnisides Nymphs as her handmaidens & 60 daughters of Okeanos, all aged 9 in her choir. She chose these as part of 12 wishes granted to her by her father. All of her companions remained virgins.

Artemis had various men interested in her & this never worked out well for the men. The river god Alpheus, Bouphagos, Siproites, Actaeon, Orion, &The Aloadaes are among the men that have loved or wanted her. These men often threatened her with rape or kidnapping. However, she was afraid of none of them & usually killed them, had them killed by animals, or turned them into animals. Sometimes it was some combination of the three.

Artemis can teach us wildness, independence, and a love of nature. She protects women, children, and anyone who exhibits exceptional self-sufficiency or who defies cultural gender roles. As a goddess of transitions, she helps us pass from one state to another. As a bringer of light, she can illuminate our lives and help us find our way.

In ancient Greece, cities prayed to Artemis before battle when the situation was a matter of life and death. When the options were to be victorious or be destroyed, they prayed to Artemis for survival. When they won, they would sacrifice in excess to her. Artemis can help us face whatever life throws at us. She teaches us how to adapt, survive, and never just be the sum of others’ expectations.

Festivals & Worship

The 6th day of each month is sacred to Artemis.

Artemisia: Modern festival of Artemis where anything goes, celebrating freedom & modern inspiration. Celebrated on June 6th.

Elaphebolia: festival held in Athens & Phocis during Elaphenolion [March-April]. Modern Hellenistic practitioners observe Elaphebolia as a holiday which falls on the sixth day of that month. [March 1st in 2020]. Cakes made from flour, honey, & sesame in the shape of stages were offered to the goddess.

Mounikhia: 16th of the month of Mounichion of the Athenian calendar. Was created to commemorate the victory of the Greek fleet over the Persians at Salamis. Cakes w/ candles were offered to the goddess & young girls dressed up as bears.

Kharisteria: Festival of Artemis at Athens to thank her for their survival of the Persian assault at Marathon. Celebrated on 6 Boedromion [September/October].

Mounykhia: 16 Mounkyhion [April/May]. Festival to Artemis as a light bringer.

Brauronia: Festival to Artemis at Brauron & an initiation festival for young girls.  At this festival, girls & maidens dance in their bear masks w/ phallus’ strapped to them. The dance was slow & solemn as it was meant to imitate bears. Baskets of figs were also carried. The earliest participants actually wore bear skins; however, they were switched to Krokoton dresses. The dresses were short, saffron-yellow chiton, at the end of the festival they shed their dresses to symbolize maturation. Offerings found here are many, but include spindles, spindle whorls, loom weights, epinetra, textiles, & garments. Celebrated every 4 years.

Thargelia 6-7: May 6, which is the birthday of Artemis & Apollo.

Symbols

All animals, as she is the mother of all animals. Particularly, deer/stag, bear, goat, boar, buteo hawk, dog, horse, fresh water fish & ground dwelling birds.

Bow, arrows, & torch.

The crescent moon.

Colors: silver, white, red, green, turquiose

Offerings

Cypress, asphodel, amaranth, palm tree, mug wort, birch, wildflowers, female goat [drawing/toy/etc; I don’t really condone giving an actual goat, lol], toys from girls before their wedding, clothing [from women], garlands, statuettes of soldiers, clay masks [bear, rites of passage], moonstone, frankincense, fruit, music & dance, work & tasks, honey, port, incense [woodsy]  game meat, & pelts.

Crystals

Moonstone, pearl, clear quartz, silver, turquoise, emerald & diamond.

How to Worship

Offerings, caring for the natural world & animals.

Support women’s and all gender equality, supporting LGBTQ+, and trans rights and equality.

Spending time in nature.

Show gratitude to the natural world & its gifts, including using natural resources in witchcraft if you practice or any other creative hobby you may have.

Work, any kind of work. Dedicate it to Artemis. Create her things to offer her.

Knitting, sewing, crocheting, etc. Artemis as one of the goddesses of weaving so you can dedicate anything you make to her. Likewise, you can use knot magic with her.

Epithets

Agreia/ Agrotera – Of the Wild, Huntress

Brauronia – Of Brauron, Caretaker of Girls

Delia – Of Delos

Hegemone – Leader, Ruler

Karytis – Of the Walnut Tree

Keladeine – Noisy or Sounding

Kynthia – Of Kynthos

Leukophryne – White Brow

Limenia – Protector of Harbors

Limnatis – Of the Marsh

Lokheia – Protector of Women in Childbirth

Mounykhia – From Mounykhia

Parthenos – Virgin

Phoebe – Light Bringing

Phosphoros – Bringing Light, Shinning

Potnia Theron – Mistress of Animals

Soteira – Savior

Sources

🎶 I just wanna live fast, party hard make money, be a star 💋

living in the old cottage, spending mornings in your bedroom reading books, having only vintage furniture, collecting the porcelain tableware, settling the dinners, cooking while listening to the classical music, inviting all of the women who live nextdoor, discussing the interesting rumors