Artemis

Culture: Ancient Greek   Domain: The hunt, wild animals, the moon, childbirth, young women

Artemis, twin of Apollo, is goddess of the hunt and of wild places, fiercely protective of animals and of the vulnerable, especially young women and those in childbirth, despite her own vow of perpetual virginity. She roams the wilderness with a band of nymphs and famously punishes those who violate her boundaries or the natural world, as in the myth of Actaeon.

Associations

The hunt, wild animals, the moon, protection of the young and vulnerable, independence, the bow.

Ways people honor her (modern)

• Spend time in genuinely wild, undeveloped places
• Support wildlife conservation or animal rescue
• Honor personal boundaries and help others hold theirs
• Read her role in Iphigenia's myth and in the Hymn to Artemis

Approach any deity with respect and do your own research. Practices vary widely between traditions, and modern devotional practice often goes beyond what survives in ancient sources.