~April 15
Let me sing of the maiden of contradictions, goddess
of the wild chase and the busy spindle. An archer, a hunter,
she races through the mountain shadows and the windy
hills, drawing her bow and loosing her arrows of sadness.
The mountains tremble, and the forest resounds with the
agony of animals. Earth and sea both shudder as the
strong-hearted one delights in her hunt. And then, when
she has had enough, she leaves the forest. Hanging up
her bow and quiver, she robes herself in splendor and
goes forth to lead her maidens in dance, smiling as
they sing of her mother Leto, of how she bore such
a wondrous daughter.
– Homeric hymn to Artemis
On the full moon of this month, in ancient Greece, a festival was celebrated called the Mounichion, in honor of the goddess of the moon, Artemis. A complex figure, Artemis is both a fierce virgin who kills any man who spies on her and a protector of all laboring mothers; she is both a hunter and a guardian who protects animals. Under the full moon, probably in wilderness areas where her power was strongest, her worshippers danced and praised her, calling upon her for protection and happiness.
Each year earth’s wilderness areas are further constricted, as human activity destroys forests, drains wetlands, and paves tundra. But Artemis is not a gentle goddess, however much we may love her. She carries the arrows of retaliation, which she uses to destroy all those who broke the laws of ecological responsibility. We would do well to honor Artemis today, for we endanger ourselves and our children whenever we fail to acknowledge how much more powerful the earth is than we are.
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