Artemis is a very interesting deity to explore. She is portrayed as ruthless yet nurturing, virtuous yet somehow sexualised in her maiden status. The main reason I chose to focus on Artemis is due to her antithetical character; she is a virgin who aids in childbirth, a hunter who nurtures and protects wild animals. She is the personified representation of the ideal virtuous maiden who is ripe for marriage, yet she embodies everything that has to be suppressed in order to be a suitable maiden.
The Homeric hymn 27 is addressed to Artemis and approximately dates to 585BC.1 The hymn depicts the goddess’s power and ruthlessness by addressing the hunter aspect of her character from lines 1-10, in other words, the Artemis Agrotera (of the Wilds) or Potnia Theron (Mistress of Animals). She is described as the ‘Rainer of arrows’, who from within the shadows of the mountains, aims, and ‘sends forth her painful shafts’, a remorseless killer who brings death to whoever or whatever she pleases. However, she changes epithets as she “hangs her curved bow and arrows”, and “wearing her jewellery” she becomes a delicate maiden who leads a dance with the Muses and Graces.
I chosen to include this hymn for it shows the key aspects of Artemis’ character: savageness and maidenhood. These were the basis of her other epithets, such as the goddess of marriage, childbirth, warriors, hunters, the nurturer of animals and protector.
She is one of the deities whose cult is the most widespread throughout Greece. One of her cults that struck me as particularly interesting was that of Artemis Agrotera (of the wilds). Some rituals to Artemis Agrotera was quite self explanatory, like Athens’ annual procession to Agrai, which took place outside of the city, in celebration of their victory at Marathon 490. It was supposedly where Artemis hunted for the 1st time. However, according to Xenophon,2 the Spartans would slaughter a goat to Artemis Agrotera at the first sight of the enemy in battle, only then they would charge. I found it quite intriguing for I had never associated Artemis as a warrior goddess. Her relevance with war is also depicted in the fact that in Athens, sacrifices made to Artemis Agrotera were made by a Polemarchos (a military official), and honoured with the war god Enyalios. Although she has no direct association with war, like Ares or Athena,3 perhaps it is her unsuppressed savageness or even her thirst for that links her to war.
The notion of Artemis being a bloodthirsty goddess is because human sacrifice is usually associated with her rituals, but there is no actual evidence to support this. This was strongly inferred with the worship of Artemis Tauropolos in Attica where allegedly, a bloodletting ritual would take place. Although, there is no additional evidence that human sacrifice actually occurred, the fact that they believed she demanded it is significant. Nevertheless, there are other blood related rituals that were carried out in the name of Artemis. An example of this was in Sparta where boys would undergo a series of trials to toughen them up in order to become ideal warriors. One of these trials was a test of endurance where the boys would be whipped and the last one standing would be greatly honoured as bomonikai (victor of the altar). The priestess for Artemis would be present throughout the test, holding an ancient statue. In Roman times this test gained popularity and an amphitheatre was built around the altar of Artemis Ortheia in order to accommodate the crowd.
The main reason why I chose this example is not just because it shows Artemis’ association with blood, but because of the presence of the priestess of Artemis. In my previous lecture, I was intrigued by the notion of mortals who embodied characteristics of the deities during a ritual or a ceremony. It is almost like the gap between the gods and the mortals are temporarily blurred. In this scenario, the priestess is a representation of Artemis, but on some levels she becomes Artemis, thus making her presence during the test even more significant.
Her wildness and savageness in character can also be depicted by the placement of her sanctuaries, which are usually at the borders of the city. Personally I have come to see this as representation of her position amongst the gods. Her primal instincts are never suppressed, and uncivilised behaviour marginalises her amongst the gods. Her unpredictability is what makes her so feared amongst the mortals, and the immortals for that matter. She was worshipped not simply because she was a deity to be adored, but because she was considered ‘an angry goddess who must be appeased’.4
Paradoxical to her ‘masculine’ activities and attributes, Artemis governed the female cycle. She was their protector, their nurturer from the childhood years until they were maidens ready for marriage, which then they would leave her world. Therefore it was very common for teenage girls to dance for Artemis. Such rituals displayed their readiness for marriage and the opportunity to find potentials suitors. In earning the status of a wife, the maiden would be introduced into womanhood and thus, civilisation. These rituals would normally take place at the borders of the polis, showing them as untamed, free, uncivilised maidens. An interesting example of this is the cult of Artemis Karyatis (of the nut tree), a cult eminent because of their dancing maidens, where the girls danced a traditional dance to the statue of Artemis. However, such rituals were underlined with notions of rape and abductions. According to Pausanias (3.10.7 Karyai) the Messanian General Aristomenes and his subordinates kidnapped the daughters of their Lakonian enemies from the sanctuary during this ritual. Personally I think the fact such ideas were associated with Artemis’ rituals further emphasises the nature of the goddess. The duality in her character is shown through the possibility of abductions in such peaceful scenarios. Artemis’ nature is in the wild, as a hunter, in her world is either ‘be the hunter or be hunted’, which is exactly what is shown here. The girls stepped into her world and with that came the unpredictability of it. It also shows the duality and unpredictability of female life in ancient Greek society. A woman’s most valued asset was her fertility and sexual status, but there was a constant fear of potential rival males.
Due to the antithetical nature of Artemis, I decided to take a more traditional approach and study her individually. This has helped me to concentrate solely on her epithets and how it conveys the duality in her character and how it influenced rituals addressed to her. However, in taking this approach I have not been able to see how she conveys her duality in association to other deities. Nevertheless, Artemis is a very intriguing goddess to explore. Her various epithets show her unpredictable, nurturer and ruthless character. A maiden that delights in activities considered predominantly masculine, her wild character and rejection of marriage kept her at the border of civilisation amongst the gods, yet her involvement in maiden activities which were integral for teenage girls’ passage into womanhood, and essentially civilised life made Artemis a widely worshipped goddess. She is without a doubt the delicate savage.
2 Xen. (Hell.4.5.20)
3 On war deities: http://www.greek-islands.us/greek-gods/ares/
4 Larson, J 2003:104
5 For more on caryatids at the Erechtheion http://www.ancient-greece.org/architecture/erechtheion.html
Bibliography
-Atsma, J. A. (2008) 'Cult of Artemis 1' at http://www.theoi.com/Cult/ArtemisCult.html last accessed 7/12/11
-Larson, J. (2007) 'Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide', New York and London: Routledge.
-Shelmerdine, S. (2000) 'The Homeric Hymns' Focus: Newburyport
-Shelmerdine, S. (2000) 'The Homeric Hymns' Focus: Newburyport
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