Artemis: Wilderness and Wildness

I've been reading up on Artemis for the next meeting of the Joseph Campbell Foundation Seattle RoundTable. It's been interesting; Artemis is not a goddess that I've taken much time to think about before, so I've been grateful for the opportunity.

Artemis is Apollo's twin sister. They are the children of Zeus and Leto. When Hera found out that Zeus had been unfaithful (again), she put a curse on Leto. Leto was in labor for nine days and nights. Artemis was born first, without pain, and she then helped her mother with Apollo's delivery.

The goddess Artemis is a remnant of an earlier paleolithic goddess of the hunt. She is a virgin goddess, of wild spaces and animals. She is also, interestingly, the goddess of childbirth. When a woman gives birth to a child that process is part of her animal nature, therefore Artemis is there for her for that (breastfeeding as well).

An interesting aspect of the Artemis myth (explored in greater detail in Ginette Paris' book The Psychology of Abortion) is that, while she is the goddess of birth, she is also in charge of the quick death. In her book Dr. Paris explores the notion that whether or not one is capable of being a parent is the first decision one must make as a parent. So, if a woman cannot be a mother, she must (as a mother) provide the quick death.

Artemis' influence is also increasingly relevant to the ecology movement as well. She is the protectress of wild spaces, and of solitude. In her role as virgin goddess, she stands alone, not in relationship to a lover (as is Aphrodite), a spouse (as is Hera), or a child (as is Demeter). She is the guardian of those times in our lives when we need to be in solitude.

More to come later.

Books used as research for this post:

Pagan Meditations
The Psychology of Abortion
The Myth of the Goddess: Evolution of an Image