#hellenistic pagan

Domain: Poetry, love, beauty, writing, Poetesses, charm, eloquence, people of Lesbos.

Epithets: Richly-endowed, the Poetess, the tenth muse, Mortal muse, violet-haired, lyricist, inventor of the pektis, unrivaled in the grace of poetry, beloved of Aphrodite.

Imagery/symbolism: Lyre, scrolls, laurel, violets, stylus.

Colors: Pink, white, blue, purple, gold.

Animal: Nightingale, dove, Sparrow.

Offerings: Flowers, Candles, incense, art, poetry, lamps, fruits, romantic books, dove feathers, writing utensils, combs, mirrors, perfume, oils, lyre, wine, tea, milk, honey, sweets, bread, jewelry, gold.

Kinda messy collage but this is how I see and feel Artemis; as I continue to learn about her, the more I resonate with her and I see how I embody her. She reminds me of the way I was in my early teens; angry, inspired, encountering feminism, being that outspoken young girl that made the older insecure women want to hush, telling my mom "I don't see myself having a family with a man... instead with a woman" at 14 and my mother till this day not seeing me as a queer woman.

As I encounter Artemis; I encounter myself.

She makes me stand up for myself and other women. She is the force that is clear on who she is outside of the lenses of patriarchy and invites me, and you, to claim that. She has a stern stare yet soft when you meet her gaze. She wants us to stand tall and aim at our goals with pride.