Artemis: Goddess of the Hunt and Moon, Competitor and Sister

As soon as she was born, Artemis aided Leto during the prolonged labor and difficult delivery of Apollo. For nine days and nine nights, Leto suffered atrocious pain, because of Heras vengeful efforts. Artemis, who had been a midwife to her mother, was thus also considered a goddess of childbirth. Women addressed her as helper in pain, whom no pain touches. !hey prayed to her to end their pain, either through the birth of a baby or through a "indly death from her arrows.# !he poet $allimachus, in his Hymn to Artemis, describes her sitting on the lap of her enchanted father, %eus, who leaned down and caressed her, saying, when goddesses bear me children li"e this, the wrath of &ealous Hera troubles me very little. Little daughter, you shall have all you desire.
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Artemis as"ed for a bow and arrows, a pac" of hounds to hunt with, nymphs to accompany her, a tunic short enough to run in, mountains and wilderness as her special places, and eternal chastity(all of which her father granted, plus the privilege ofma"ing the selections herself. )t is noteworthy that Artemis repeatedly came to her mothers aid. *o other goddess is "nown for this. +ther women also successfully appealed to her. !he woodland nymph, Arethusa, called to Artemis as she was about to be raped. Arethusa had returned from a hunt, undressed, and was refreshing herself with a swim, when the god of the river became desirous of her and pursued the na"ed nymph, who fled in terror. Artemis heard her cry, rescued her in a cloud of mist, and transformed her into a spring of water. Artemis was merciless to those who offended her(as blundering Actaeon discovered. While wandering in the forest, the hunter Actaeon accidently came on the goddess and her nymphs bathing in a hidden pool, and gaw"ed at the sight. +ffended by this intrusion, Artemis splashed water into Actaeons face, which turned him into a stag. He became ,uarry for his own hunting dogs, who pursued him. )n a panic, he tried to flee, but was overta"en and torn to bits. Artemis was merciless to those who offended her(as blundering Actaeon discovered. While wandering in the forest, the hunter Actaeon accidently came on the goddess and her nymphs bathing in a hidden pool, and gaw"ed at the sight. +ffended by this intrusion, Artemis splashed water into Actaeons face, which turned him into a stag. He became ,uarry for his own hunting dogs, who pursued him. )n a panic, he tried to flee, but was overta"en and torn to bits. Artemis also "illed another hunter, +rion, whom she loved. !his death was inadvertent, provo"ed by Apollo, who was offended by Artemiss love for +rion. +ne day, Apollo saw +rion as he waded in the sea, his head &ust above the water. Apollo then found Artemis some distance away, pointed to a dar" ob&ect in the ocean, and said

she could not hit it. -oaded by her brothers challenge and not "nowing that she was aiming at the head of +rion, she let fly an arrow that "illed him. Afterward, Artemis placed +rion among the stars and gave him one of her own hounds, .irius the /og .tar, to accompany him across the heavens. !hus, the one man she loved became a casualty of her competitive nature. Although she is most "nown as the -oddess of the Hunt, Artemis was also -oddess of the 0oon. .he was at home in the night, roaming her wilderness domain by moonlight or torchlight. )n her 0oon -oddess aspect, Artemis was related to .elene and Hecate. !he three have been seen as a moon trinity. .elene ruling in heaven, Artemis on earth, and Hecate in the uncanny and mysterious underworld.

ARTEMIS THE ARCHETYPE

Artemis as -oddess of the Hunt and -oddess of the 0oon was a personification of an independent feminine spirit. !he archetype she represents enables a woman to see" her own goals on terrain of her own choosing. VIRGIN GODDESS As a virgin goddess, Artemis was immune to falling in love. .he was not abducted or raped, as were 1ersephone and /emeter, and was never half of a husband2wife pair. Artemis as a virgin goddess archetype represents a sense of intactness, a one2in2herselfness, an attitude of )2can2ta"e2care2of2myself that allows a woman to function on her own with self2confidence and an independent spirit. !his archetype enables a woman to feel whole without a man. With it, she can pursue interests and wor" at what matters to her without needing masculine approval. Her identity and sense of worth is based on who she is and what she does, rather than whether she is married, or to whom. An insistence on being addressed as 0s. e3presses a typically Artemis virgin goddess ,uality, that emphasi4es independence and separateness from men. THE GOAL-FOCUSED ARCHER As -oddess of the Hunt in pursuit of her chosen ,uarry, Artemis the Archer could aim for any target, either near or far away, and could "now that her arrows would unerringly reach their mar"s. !he Artemis archetype gives women the innate ability to concentrate intensely on whatever is important to her and to be undistracted from her course, either by the needs of others or by competition from others. )f anything, competition heightens the e3citment of the chase. -oal focus and perseverence despite obstacles in the way or elusiveness of the ,uarry are Artemis ,ualities that lead to achievements and accomplishments. !his archetype ma"es it possible to hit a selfchosen mar". ARCHETYPE OF THE WOMENS MOVEMENT Artemis represents ,ualities ideali4ed by the womens movement( achievement and competence, independence from men and male opinions, and concern for victimi4ed, powerless women and the young. Artemis the goddess aided her mother Leto in childbirth, rescued Leto and Arethusa from rape, and punished the would2berapist !ityus and the intrusive hunter Actaeon. .he was the protectress of the young, especially of preadolescent girls. !hese concerns of Artemis parallel the concerns of the womens

movement that have led to the organi4ation of rape clinics, selfprotection classes, help for se3ually harassed women, and shelters for battered women. !he womens movement has emphasi4ed safe childbirth and midwifery, has been concerned about incest and pornography, and is motivated by a desire to prevent harm to women and children and to punish those who do such harm. THE SISTER Artemis the goddess was accompanied by a band of nymphs, minor deities who were associated with mountains, woods, and streams. !hey traveled with her, e3ploring and hunting over a wide wilderness terrain. !hey were unconstrained by domesticity, fashions, or ideas of what women should be doing, and were beyond the control of men or of masculine preferences. !hey were li"e sisters, with Artemis as the 5ig .ister who led them and to whom they could appeal for help. 5ecause Artemis is its archetypal inspiration, it is thus no wonder that the womens movement has emphasi4ed the sisterhood of women. -loria .teinem, a founder and editor of Ms. maga4ine, is a contemporary woman who personifies aspects of the Arte2 67 -oddesses in 8verywoman mis archetype. .teinem has become a larger2than2life, mythic personality to people who pro&ect the goddess image onto her. !here in the public eye is -loria .teinem, a leader of the womens movement, and there in the minds eye is a tall, graceful Artemis, standing in the midst of her companions. Women who align themselves with the aims and aspirations of the womens movement often admire and identify with -loria .teinem as a personification of Artemis. !his identification was especially true in the early #9:7s, when a great many women wore her trademar" aviator glasses and imitated her long, free2flowing hair style, parted in the center. !en years later, surface emulation has been replaced by efforts to be, li"e her, attractive women with personal power and independence. !he Artemis mysti,ue surrounding .teinems role and appearance is enhanced by her single status. Although she has been lin"ed romantically with several men, she has not married(fittingly for a woman who represents a one2in2herself virgin goddess, who belongs to no man. .teinem is in the tradition of Artemis in that women appeal to her for help, which, big2sister2li"e, she provides. ) felt her support firsthand, when ) as"ed her to come to the American 1sychiatric Association annual meetings to help those of us who were trying to get the A1A to bac" the womens movement boycott of states that had not ratified the 8,ual ;ights Amendment <8;A=. ) was fascinated to see how much power was attributed to -loria .teinem by many men who had offended her and who then reacted as if they might share Actaeons fate. .ome male psychiatrists who opposed her actually e3pressed <unfounded= fears that they could be financially ruined or could even lose research grant money if this goddess were to e3ercise her power to punish and destroy them. BACK-TO-NATURE ARTEMIS )n her affinity for the wilderness and undomesticated nature, Artemis is the archetype responsible for the at2oneness with themselves and with nature felt by some women when they bac"pac"

into forested mountains, fall asleep under the 6# Artemis> -oddess of the Hunt and 0oon, $ompetitor and .ister moon and stars, wal" on a deserted beach, or ga4e across the desert and feel themselves in spiritual communion with nature. Lynn !homas, writing in The Backpacking Woman, describes the perceptions of a woman appreciating the wilderness through her Artemis nature> !here are for starters, grandeur and silence, pure water and clean air. !here is also the gift of distance?the chance to stand away from relationships and daily ritual?and the gift of energy. Wilderness infuses us with its own special brand of energy. ) remember lying by the .na"e ;iver in )daho once and becoming aware ) could not sleep?naturess forces had me in hand. ) was engulfed by a dance of ions and atoms. 0y body was responding to the pervasive pull of the moon. MOONLIGHT VISION !he eye2on2target clarity of focus of Artemis the Hunter, is one of two modes of seeing associated with Artemis. 0oonlight vision is also characteristic of Artemis as the 0oon -oddess. .een by moonlight, a landscape is muted, details are indistinct, beautiful, and often mysterious. +nes vision is drawn upward to the starry heavens or to a vast, panoramic view of nature. )n moonlight, a person in touch with Artemis becomes an unself2conscious part of nature, in it and one2with2it for a time. )n her boo" Women in the Wilderness, $hina -alland emphasi4es that when women wal" into the wilderness they also wal" inward> -oing into the wilderness involves the wilderness within us all. !his may be the deepest value of such an e3perience, the recognition of our "inship with the natural world. @ Women who follow Artemis into the wilderness characteristically discover themselves becoming more reflective. +ften, their dreams are more vivid than usual, which contributes to their loo"ing inward. !hey see inner terrain and dream symbols by moonlight, so to spea", in contrast to tangible reality, which is best appreciated in the bright light of day. CULTIVATING ARTEMIS Artemis2idenitified women immediately recogni4e their affinity with this goddess. +ther types of women may also become aware of their need to ma"e her ac,uaintance. And yet other women "now that Artemis e3ists in them and reali4e the need for her to become a more influential part of themselves. How can we cultivate ArtemisA +r strengthen this archetypeA And how can we encourage the growth of Artemis in our daughtersA .ometimes the goal of developing Artemis re,uires drastic measures. For e3ample, one talented woman writer, whose wor" was significant to her, repeatedly abandoned it whenever a man came into her life. 8very man was initially into3icating. .oon he became a need. Her life would revolve around him, and if he became distant or re&ecting she would get increasingly frantic. After a friend commented that she was addicted to men, she saw the pattern and decided that if she were going to ta"e her writing seriously, she would have to go cold tur"ey and swear off men for a period of time. .he moved out of the city, only occasionally seeing old friends, while she cultivated solitude, wor", and Artemis within herself. A woman who marries young often goes from being a daughter

to a wife <archetypally 1ersephone and then Hera=, and may discover and value Artemis ,ualities only after a divorce, when she lives alone for the first time in her life. .uch a woman may go on a vacation by herself and find that she can have a good timeB or discover the satisfactions of running several miles each morningB or en&oy being part of a womens support group. +r a woman may have a series of relationships, may feel worthless in the intervals between men, and may develop Artemis only after she gives up on men and seriously concludes that she may never marry. +nce she has the courage to face this possibility and to organi4e her life around her friends and what matters to her, she may feel a one2in2herself sense of wholeness, an une3pected well2being that comes from developing the Artemis archetype. Wilderness programs for women evo"e Artemis, especially those that combine a group e3perience with a solo heroic &ourney. When women go on +utward 5ound trips or on vision ,uests for women, they cultivate the Artemis archetype. .imilarly, when our daughters compete in sports, go to all2girl camps, travel to e3plore new places, live in foreign cultures as e3change students, or &oin the 1eace $orps, they gain e3periences that can develop the self2sufficient Artemis.

ARTEMIS THE WOMAN

Artemis ,ualities appear early. Csually an Artemis baby is the one who loo"s absorbingly at new ob&ects, who is active rather than passive. 1eople often comment on this capacity to concentrate on a self2selected tas"> .he has an ama4ing power of concentration for a two2year2old, or .hes one stubborn "id, or 5e careful what you promise her, shes got a mind li"e an elephantB she wont forget( shell hold you to it. !he Artemis penchant for e3ploring new territory usually begins when she manages to get up and over the crib railing, out of the playpen, and into the bigger world. Artemis has a tendency to feel strongly about her causes and principles. .he may have come to the defense of someone smaller or may fervently assert !hats not fairD before embar"ing on some campaign to right a wrong. Artemis girls brought up in households that favor sons(giving the boys more privileges or e3pecting them to do fewer household chores(do not mee"ly accept this ine,uity as a given. !he budding feminist is often first glimpsed as the little sister demanding e,uality. PARENTS An Artemis woman who securely pursues her own course, all the while feeling good about who she is as a person, and glad that she is a female, often has had the e,uivalent of a loving Leto and an approving %eus to help her actuali4e her Artemis potential. For an Artemis woman to compete and achieve with success and without conflict, paternal approval is highly important. 0any supportive fathers are li"e %eus, in providing the gifts that will help her do what she wants to do. 1erhaps the gifts are intangible> shared interests or similarities with him that he recogni4es and encourages. +r they can be more tangible gifts, such as special lessons and e,uipment. For e3ample, tennis champion $hris 8vert Lloyd was coached by her tennis pro father, Eimmy 8vert, who provided her with her own tennis rac"et when she was only si3 years old.

When an Artemis daughter has a nontraditional mother and father, however, life no longer resembles 0t. +lympus(there was no e,uivalent in -ree" mythology. When both parents are e,uals who share childrearing and household chores, and each has a career, the Artemis daughter has a model for growth that allows her to value and develop her Artemis ,ualities. 0oreover, she can do so without considering such ,ualities incompatible with maternity or relationships. 1roblems arise when parents critici4e or re&ect an Artemis daughter for not being the girl they e3pect her to be. A mother who wants a placid, cuddly baby girl, and who has instead an active, /ont fence me in infant, may feel either disappointed in the baby or re&ected by her. A mother who e3pects a daughter to tag along after her, run to her for help, and compliantly concede that 0other "nows best will not find her e3pectations fulfilled if she has an Artemis daughter. 8ven at three years old, Little 0iss )ndependent doesnt want to stay home with 0ommyB shed rather play with the bigger "ids down the bloc". And she doesnt li"e to wear frilly clothes or be cute for her mothers friends. Later, when Artemis wants to do something re,uiring parental permission, she may run into opposition. )f the boys get to do something and she cant because shes a girl, she may howl in protest. And she may withdraw resentfully if her protests are to no avail. +pposition and disapproval may harm her self2esteem and self2confidence, especially if her admired father critici4es her for not being ladyli"e and never treats her li"e his special girl, while at the same time being contemptuous or critical of her ideas, abilities, or aspirations. )n my practice, ) hear what happened when such fathers opposed their Artemis daughters. !ypically, the daughter maintained a defiant pose outwardly but inwardly was wounded. .he appeared to be strong, uninfluenced by what he thought, biding her time until she could be on her own. !he conse,uences vary in intensity and severity, but follow a pattern> what results is a woman who feels conflict about her competence and often sabotages herself(her own doubts are her worst enemies. Although on the surface she successfully resisted her fathers power to limit her aspirations, she incorporated his critical attitude into her psyche. /eep down, she struggles with feelings that she is not good enough, hesitates when new opportunities are offered, achieves less than she is capable of, and, even when she succeeds, still feels inade,uate. !his pattern is culturally produced by families and cultures that place a higher value on sons than on daughters and that e3pect daughters to be stereotypically feminine. +ne Artemis woman, who attended a seminar ) taught, commented, 0y mother wanted a 1ersephone <a compliant mothers little daughter=, and my father wanted a son. What they got was me. .ome mothers of Artemis daughters are also re&ecting and critical of their daughters for pursuing goals that they do not value. !heir daughters usually are not dissuaded by this disapproval, but it nonetheless is undermining. However, the weight of their mothers negativity usually is less than that of their fathers because of the greater authority fathers carry. Another common mother2daughter difficulty that Artemis daughters have is with mothers whom they view as passive and

wea". !heir mothers may have been depressed, victimi4ed by alcohol or a bad marriage, or immature. When they describe their relationships with their mothers, many Artemis daughters in this motherdaughter configuration say, ) was the parent. !al"ing further brings out their sadness at not having stronger mothers and not being strong enough themselves to change their mothers lives. While the goddess Artemis was always able to help her mother Leto, the efforts of Artemis daughters to rescue their mothers was often unsuccessful. /evaluation and lac" of respect for their wea" mothers strengthens the virgin goddess ,ualities of Artemis daughters. /etermined not to resemble their mothers, they suppress dependency feelings, avoid e3pressing vulnerability and vow to be independent. When an Artemis daughter lac"s respect for a mother whose ma&or roles have been the traditional ones, she is in a bind. )n re&ecting identification with her mother, she usually finds herself re&ecting what is considered as feminine(softness, receptivity, and stirrings toward marriage and motherhood. .he is plagued by inade,uacy feelings(this time in the realm of her feminine identification. ADOLESCENCE AND YOUNG ADULTHOOD As a girl, the Artemis woman typically is a natural competitor, with perseverance, courage, and will to win. )n pursuit of whatever the goal, she will push herself to the limit. .he may be a -irl .cout(hi"ing, climbing, sleeping out of doors, riding a horse, swinging an a3e as she chops wood for the campfire, or, li"e Artemis herself, becoming an e3pert archer. !he unmista"able Artemis teenager is the horse2cra4y girl, whose world revolves around horses. !he heroine of the movie classic National Velvet personifies this archetypal adolescent Artemis. !he Artemis teenager is a girl with a strea" of independence and a bent for e3ploration. .he ventures into the woods, climbs hills, or wants to see what is in the ne3t bloc" and the bloc" after that. /ont fence me in and /ont tread on me are her slogans. As a girl, she is less conforming or compromising than many of her peers, because she is less motivated by eagerness to please others and because she usually "nows what she wants. !his sureness may rebound on her, however> others may consider her pig2headed, stubborn, and unfeminine. When she leaves home for college, the Artemis woman en&oys the e3hilaration of independence and the competitive challenge of whatever interests her. .he usually finds a group of li"e spirits to run with. )f shes political, she may be out running for office. And, if shes a physical conditioning buff, she may actually be running many miles a day, reveling in her strength and grace, en&oying the reflective state her mind goes into as she runs. <)ve yet to meet a woman who has run a marathon who has not had a strong strea" of Artemis in her that is responsible for the combi2nation of goal focus, intensity, competitiveness, and will that is re,uired.= Artemis is also found in women s"iers, who chart their course down the mountain instinctively, always tilted forward in a physical and psychological attitude that unhesitantly moves forward, challenged by the difficulties. WORK !he Artemis woman puts effort into wor" that is of sub&ective value to her. .he is spurred on by competition and undeterred <up to a point= by opposition. !he Artemis woman who has entered a

helping profession or the legal field usually has an ideal that influenced her choice. )f she is in business, she probably started out with a product that she believed in, or perhaps one that helped her to do something she wanted to do. )f she is in a creative field, she most li"ely is e3pressing a personal vision. )f she has entered politics, she is an advocate of a cause, most usually to do with environmental or feminist issues. Worldly success(fame, power, or money(may come to her, if what she e3cels at is rewarded. However, the interests pursued by many Artemis women have no commercial value, and do not lead to a career or enhance reputation or poc"etboo". .ometimes, on the contrary, that interest is so personal or off the beaten trac", so absorbing of time, that lack of success in the world and lack of relationships are guaranteed. Fet the pursuit is personally fulfilling to the Artemis element in the woman. For e3ample, the advocate of the lost cause, the unappreciated reformer, the voice crying in the wilderness that no one seems to heed is most li"ely an Artemis woman, as may be the artist who continues wor"ing with no encouragement or commercial success. <)n the artists case, Aphrodite, with her influence on creativity and emphasis on sub&ective e3perience, &oins Artemis.= 5ecause an Artemis woman is nontraditional, conflicts within herself or with others may arise that can hamstring her efforts. What she wants to do may be off limits to her, for e3ample, if her family views her aspirations as inappropriate for a daughter. !he career choice she wants to follow may have been closed to women until &ust recently. )f she were born too soon for the womens movement, she may have been defeated by obstacles and lac" of support, and her Artemis spirit may have been bro"en. RELATIONSHIP TO WOMEN: SISTERLY Artemis women have a sense of affiliation with other women. Li"e the goddess herself, who surrounded herself with nymphcompanions, Artemis women usually consider their friendships with other women very important. !his pattern goes bac" to elementary school. !hey have best friends with whom they have shared whatever has been significant in their lives, and their friendships eventually may span decades. )n the wor" world, Artemis women easily ally themselves with old girl networ"s. .upport groups, networ"s with other women, and mentor relationships with younger women in their fields are natural e3pressions of the sister archetype. 8ven Artemis women who are individualists and who avoid groups almost always support womens rights. !his stance may reflect an affinity with their mothers through which they developed an awareness and sympathy for womens lot in the world. +r the stance may be related to the unlived2out, frustrated aspirations of their mothers. 0any Artemis women in the #9:7s were doing and being what their own mothers may have wanted to do or be, but could not. When their mothers were young adults, the post(World War )) baby boom years did not allow Artemis much e3pression. +ften a supportive mother can be found somewhere in the bac"ground of an Artemis woman, applauding her feminist daughter. 5y nature, most Artemis women have feminist leanings(the causes espoused by feminists stri"e a responsive chord. !he Artemis woman usually feels that she is an e,ual of menB she has competed with them and has often felt that the stereotyped role she was supposed

to play was unnatural. Hiding her abilities(/ont let the man "now how smart you are or Let the man win <the argument or the tennis game= (goes against her grain. SEXUALITY An Artemis woman may resemble the goddess in maintaining eternal chastity, her se3uality remaining undeveloped and une3pressed. )n contemporary times, however, this pattern is rare. 0ore li"ely, by the time she is an adult an Artemis woman has ac,uired se3ual e3perience as part of her tendency to e3plore and try new adventures. An Artemis womans se3uality may resemble that of a traditional wor"2oriented man. For both, relationships are secondary. )nvolvement in career, creative pro&ect, or cause is primary. .e3 is, then, a recreational sport or a physical e3perience(rather than a physical e3pression of emotional intimacy and commitment <a motivation that Hera provides= or an instinct deeply e3pressive of her own sensual nature <for which Aphrodite is needed=. )f she is a lesbian, an Artemis woman is usually part of a lesbian community or networ". Although both heterose3ual and homose3ual Artemis women have intense and important relationships with women friends, the lesbian Artemis woman may consider se3ual intimacy as another dimension of friendship(rather than as the reason for the relationship. !he lesbian Artemis woman may either have a mirror2image lover, an almost identical2twin relationship, or she may be attracted to a nymphli"e, softer, more feminine person than herself, with a less distinct personality. .he, li"e her heterose3ual e,uivalent, avoids relationships in which she is contained or dominated by a parental partner or in which she herself is e3pected to play the parent role. MARRIAGE 0arriage is often far from an Artemis womans mind in the early adult years, when she is engrossed in wor" or causes. 5esides, settling down holds no great attraction for an on2the2move Artemis. )f she is attractive and popular, chances are that she has played the field, comfortably going out with a variety of men(not &ust one alone. .he may have even lived with a man in preference to marrying him. .he may stay unmarried. When she does marry, her mate is often a fellow classmate, colleague, or competitor. Csually her marriage has an egalitarian ,uality. !hese days, she is li"ely to "eep her own name, and not change to his once she does marry. RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEN: BROTHERLY !he goddess Artemis had a twin brother, Apollo, the many2faceted -od of the .un. He was her male counterpart> his domain was the city, hers the wildernessB his was the sun, hers the moonB his the domesticated floc"s, hers the wild, untamed animalsB he was the god of music, she was the inspiration for round dances on mountains. As a second2generation +lympian, Apollo was in the generation of the sons, rather than the fathers. +n the one hand, he was associated with rationality and laws. +n the other, as the -od of 1rophecy <his priestesses prophesied at /elphi=, he was also associated with the irrational. Li"e his sister, Apollo is androgynous> each had some ,ualities or interests that are usually lin"ed with the opposite se3. !he Artemis2Apollo twinship is the model most commonly seen in the relationships Artemis women have with men(be they friends,

colleagues, or husbands. 0oreover, the Artemis woman is often attracted to a man whose personality has an aesthetic, creative, healing, or musical side. His wor" may be either in the helping professions or in a creative field. He is usually her intellectual e,ual, with shared or complementary interests. +ne e3ample of an Artemis2Apollo relationship is that of Eane Fonda <actress, activist, and advocate of physical fitness= and her husband !om Hayden <liberal politician=. An Artemis woman is not at all charmed by dominating men and 0e !ar4an, you Eane relationships. *or is she interested in motherson relationships. .he avoids men who insist on being the center of her life. .tanding tall psychologically, as the goddess herself did physically, she feels ridiculous attempting to play the role of the little woman. +ften an Artemis2Apollo relationship and outdoor interests go hand in hand. 5oth partners may be s"iers or runners and physical fitness buffs. )f an Artemis outdoor woman cannot share bac"pac"ing, s"iing, or whatever she loves to do with a partner, she may feel that an essential element of relationship is missing. !he Artemis2Apollo relationship may result in an ase3ual, companionable marriage, in which the partners are each others best friends. .ome Artemis women even marry gay men, for instance, and value the companionship and the independence each partner in such a relationship allows the other. An Artemis woman may stay best friends with an e32husband who left their brother2sister marriage when he fell in love with another woman of a different type. For an Artemis woman to have a deep and important se3ual element in her marriage, another goddess(Aphrodite(must have an influence. And for that marriage to be a monogamous, committed relationship, Hera must also be present in the woman. Without these other two goddesses, an Artemis2Apollo relationship easily becomes a brother2sister one. 5esides the pattern of relationships between e,uals, the second common relationship pattern for Artemis women is involvement with men who nurture them. .uch a man is the person she comes home to. He teaches her to be considerate and sensitive to feelings. And he is often the one who wants them to have a child. Less compatible or complementary relationships entered into by Artemis women often recapitulate early father2daughter conflicts. .uch a husband does not support her aspirations, and undermines and critici4es her. As with her father, she is defiant and continues with her career. Fet her self2esteem is affected, or else her spirit is beaten down and she finally conforms to his idea of how she should be. +r, paralleling the myth of Artemis and +rion, an Artemis woman may fall in love with a strong man and may then be unable to "eep a competitive element out of the relationship, which "ills it. )f he achieves some recognition and <rather than be glad for him= she resents his success and finds a way to tarnish it, this competitiveness will erode the love he has for her. +r it may be the mans competitiveness that "ills off her love. For e3ample, he may react to her achievements as winning or surpassing him. )f both are unable to stop competing, challenges of any "ind that arise between them, from s"i racing to a game of gin rummy, are li"ely to be ta"en in deadly earnest.

0en for whom an Artemis is my "ind of woman are often attracted to her as a twin or "indred spirit(a female counterpart of themselves. +r they may be attracted to her independent, assertive, spirit and strength of will, which may be undeveloped in themselves. +r they may be drawn to her as an image of purity that corresponds to an ideal in themselves. !he twin motif underlies the most common attraction. Here the man is drawn to his female counterpart, an e,ual with whom he feels natural, someone he can have at his side as he pursues what challenges him. !he man who sees in Artemis admired ,ualities that are undeveloped in himself is usually drawn to her strength of will and independent spirit. He places her on a pedestal for ,ualities that are usually thought of as unfeminine. .he is beautiful to him for her strengths. His ideali4ed woman resembles Wonder Woman <who disguised herself as /iana, the ;oman name for Artemis=. When my son was eight, ) overheard his friend spea"ing admiringly of a girls daring e3ploits. He saw his girlfriend as outspo"en and brave, a girl who he could count on to come to his rescue> )f anyone messed with me, )d call her up and shed be over in a minute. As a psychiatrist, )ve heard that same tone of admiration, that same pride in affiliation, when men who have Artemis as an ideal image spea" of the e3ploits or accomplishments of women they love. A third "ind of man is drawn to the purity of Artemis, her virginity and identification with pristine nature. )n -ree" mythology, this attraction was personified by Hippolytus, a handsome youth who dedicated himself to the goddess Artemis and to a life of celibacy. His chastity offended Aphrodite, -oddess of Love, who then set in motion a tragic se,uence of events(a myth )ll describe in the Aphrodite chapter. .uch men(attracted to women who seem to be as pure as Artemis(are offended by earthy se3uality. Li"e youthful Hippolytus, they may be in late adolescence or early adulthood, and may be virgin themselves. GHCHILDREN !he Artemis woman is hardly an 8arth20other type(and being pregnant or nursing a baby will not fulfill her. )n fact, pregnancy may be repugnant to the Artemis woman who li"es having an athletic, graceful, or boyish figure. .he doesnt feel a strong instinctual pull to be a mother <for this, /emeter must be present=. Fet she li"es children. When an Artemis woman has children of her own, she is often a good mother(li"e the female bear, which is her symbol. .he is the "ind of mother who fosters independence, who teaches her young how to fend for themselves and yet who can be ferocious in their defense. .ome children of Artemis women are convinced that their mothers would fight to the death for them. Artemis women are comfortable not having children of their own, putting their particular "ind of mothering energy(which can be li"e that of a youthful aunt(to use with other peoples children. 5eing -irl .cout counselors, stepmothers, or members of the 5ig .isters of America provide such opportunities. )n these roles, they resemble the goddess Artemis, who protected girls on the threshhold of being women. Artemis mothers do not loo" bac" with longing to when their

children were babies or dependent toddlers. )nstead, they loo" forward to when their children will be more independent. Active boys or girls who li"e to e3plore find that their Artemis mothers ma"e enthusiastic companions. An Artemis mother is pleased when a child comes home with a garter sna"e, and gladly goes camping or s"iing with her children. 5ut trouble brews when an Artemis woman has a dependent, passive child. !rying to foster independence too early may, for such children, worsen matters by increasing the clinging. !he child may feel re&ected, not good enough to live up to the standards of his or her Artemis mother. MIDDLE YEARS An Artemis woman between the ages of thirty2five and fifty2five may find herself in a midlife crisis if she does not G@have any other goddess aspects in her life. Artemis is a pattern that is very compatible with a goal2oriented young woman who singlemindedly pursues her self2chosen goal. 5ut in her middle years a shift may occur. *ow there are fewer uncharted wildernesses for her to e3plore. .he has either succeeded in achieving her targeted goals, reached a plateau, or failed. !he midlife of an Artemis woman may also usher in a more reflective time as she turns inward, more influenced by Artemis as -oddess of the 0oon than by Artemis as the -oddess of the Hunt. 0enopausal fantasies and dreams may stimulate an e3troverted Artemis woman to &ourney inward. +n the &ourney, she confronts ghosts from her past, often discovering long2ignored feelings or yearnings. !his menopausal impetus toward introversion is related to Hecate, the old crone who was the goddess of the dar" moon, ghosts, and the uncanny. Hecate and Artemis were both moon goddesses who roamed on 8arth. !he connection of the two goddesses is seen in older Artemis women who venture into psychic, psychological, or spiritual realms, with the same sense of e3ploration they had as younger women in other pursuits. LATER YEARS )t is not unusual for a woman to have her Artemis ,ualities persist into old age. Her youthful activeness never ceases. .he doesnt settle downB her mind or body(often both(is on the move. .he is a traveler e3ploring new pro&ects or foreign countries. .he retains an affinity for the young and an ability to thin" young, which "eeps her from feeling middle aged when she is in her middle years, or old when she is in her later years. !wo locally "nown *orthern $alifornia women personify this aspect of Artemis. +ne, the naturalist2teacher 8li4abeth !erwilliger, now in her seventies, leads bands of schoolchildren into meadows, woods, streams, and mountains. .he e3citedly spies a rare mushroom half hidden near the roots of a tree, holds up a pretty sna"e, points to the edible plants on the hillside, and passes the miners lettuce around to taste. All the while, she is sharing her enthusiasm, turning on successive generations of children, as well as receptive adults, to the wonders of nature. A second spritely, aged Artemis is Frances Horn, whose e3plorations led her into human nature. At seventy, she received her doctorate in psychologyB at seventy2five, she published I Want One Thing,6 an autobiographical boo" that charts her e3plorations and notes what she found that was of lasting value.

-eorgia +Ieeffe, the best2"nown American woman artist, continued to e3emplify Artemis when she was in her nineties, as she had done all her life. .he had a passion and a spiritual affinity for the untamed .outhwest, combined with an intensity of purpose through which she reached her life goals. +Ieeffe is ,uoted as saying, )ve always "nown what )ve wanted(and most people dont. G .he mused that her success may have been due to a strea" of aggression, which led to her having ta"en hold of anything that came along that ) wanted. Artemis2li"e +Ieeffe clearly too" unerring aim and achieved what she sought. )n #9:9, +Ieeffe at ninety2two was the only living woman to be included in artist Eudy $hicagos !he /inner 1arty, a tribute in place settings of porcelain and embroidery to thirty2nine important women in history. +Ieeffes plate rose off the table higher than any other plate(symboli4ing, in $hicagos view, +Ieeffes almost successful aspiration to be entirely her own woman. :

PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES
Artemis the goddess roamed through her chosen terrain with company of her own chosing, doing what pleased her. Cnli"e goddesses who were victimi4ed, Artemis never suffered. However, she did harm others who offended her, or threatened those under her protection. .imilarly, the psychological difficulties that characteristically are associated with Artemis women usually cause others to suffer, rather than bringing pain on themselves. IDENTIFYING WITH ARTEMIS !o live as Artemis in pursuit of a goal or focused on wor" may be ,uite satisfactory for an Artemis woman, who J@2JJ !hese two endings can represent the two possible effects of Artemis. +n the one hand, she rescues women and feminine values from the patriarchy, which devalues or oppresses both. +n the other, with her intense focus on goals she can also re,uire that a woman sacrifice and devalue what has been traditionally considered feminine ( those receptive, nurturing, related2to2others, willing2toma"e2 sacrifices2for2the2sa"e2of2others ,ualities. 8very Artemis woman is li"ely to have some part of her that is li"e )phigenia(a young, trusting, beautiful part that represents her vulnerability, her potentiality for intimacy, and her dependency on others. Will she rescue and protect this aspect of herself so that it can grow, even as she moves through her life, aiming for what matters to herA +r will she re,uire that she "ill this )phigenia part of herself, in order to be as focused, hard, and clear as possibleA

WAYS TO GROW
!o grow beyond Artemis, a woman must develop her less conscious, receptive, relationship2oriented potential. .he needs to become vulnerable, to learn to love and care deeply about another person. )f this happens, it may do so within a relationship( usually with a man who loves her, sometimes with another woman, or by having a child. +ften this advance can occur only after an Artemis woman has run down, after she has aimed for a series of targets and achieved them or failed, after the thrill of the hunt, the race, or the pursuit has grown stale. A man who loves her may need to wait until then, and until he can get some aid from Aphrodite.J9