Artemis (Diana)
Artemis was the goddess of the moon. She was also goddess of the hunt, of wilderness and wildlife, especially young animals, and of midwifery. She was young, energetic, athletic, competitive and independent, frequently going off into the wilderness with her hunting dogs and band of nymphs. She was never in an official relationship (although she and Orion the Hunter were lovers at one point, before she killed him by mistake), was not generally into men, never married, and even had one hapless man torn to shreds by his own hunting dogs when he saw her naked. She was quick to protect the vulnerable, and quick to punish those who stood against her.
While Artemises today are never as extreme as Artemis the goddess, they too are tough and independent, going off and doing their own thing while the rest of society conforms. They are decisive, energetic, competitive, goal-oriented, fearless, adventurous, and young at heart. They are often athletic and love being out in nature, or alternately, they may be drawn to the urban wilderness of bars and night clubs. Often protective, they are frequently drawn to causes such as feminism, animal rights, and environmental issues. As artists, they tend to be pure, bohemian or avant garde, rather than commercial or romantic. They are often found in New Age and other unconventional environments. For Artemises marriage is not a necessity but equality in relationships is. Artemises usually like kids, in a big sister kind of way, and have a tendency to take in all sorts of strays: kids, friends, animals. Artemises are the most androgenous female type. They tend to be early bloomers.
Artemis is currently a trendy type for women in the West - many examples abound in Western films since the 1970s.
Themes
the adventurer - the athlete - the activist - the tomboy - the androgyne - the bohemian - the Artist - the "bad girl" - the all-American girl - the ice maiden - the Amazon - the warrior woman - the wilderness woman - the tough chick - the free spirit - the animal lover - the pioneer
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Ancient symbols
the moon
the stag, doe, hare and quail
the boar
the wild horse
the bear
bow and arrows
Modern symbols
the moon
the pentacle
the double-headed axe
the stag
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Examples
- Activists: Josephine Butler* (Victorian feminist/abolitionist); Betty Frieden* (feminist writer/researcher); Helen Keller* (deaf/blind writer/activist); Gloria Steinem* (feminist writer/journalist); Terri Crisp* (disaster animal rescue); Eva Perón* (politician - Argentina)
- Scientists: Marie Curie* (chemist); Dian Fossey* (primatologist); Biruté Galdikas* (primatologist); Jane Goodall* (primatologist); Temple Grandin (cattle expert); Karen Horney* (psychoanalyst); Melanie Klein* (psychoanalyst); Mary Leakey* (archaeologist)
- Athletes: Princess Anne (horsewoman); Amelia Earhart* (pilot); probably most professional female athletes
- Actors/comedians: Lucille Ball*; Brigitte Bardot*; Roseanne Barr*; Drew Barrymore; Monica Bellucci; Sarah Bernhardt*; Carol Burnett*; Jennifer Connelly; Courtney Cox-Arquette; Jamie Lee Curtis; Bo Derek*; Marlene Dietrich*; Minnie Driver; Elvira; Mia Farrow; Farrah Fawcett; Carrie Fisher; Jane Fonda; Ava Gardner*; Elizabeth Hurley; Nicole Kidman*; Keira Knightley; Veronica Lake*; Lucy Lawless*; Lindsay Lohan; Shirley MacLaine; Penny Marshall (actress/director); Bette Midler; Demi Moore*; Kim Novak*; Reneé O'Connor*; Miranda Otto; Sarah Jessica Parker*; Michelle Pfeiffer*; Julia Roberts; Isabella Rossellini*; Winona Ryder; Susan Sarandon; Sharon Stone; Meryl Streep; Amber Tamblyn; Charlize Theron; Uma Thurman*; Grace Lee Whitney*; Kate Winslet; Anna May Wong*
- Music/performers: Josephine Baker*; Liona Boyd*; Mariah Carey; Cher; Rosemary Clooney*; Natalie Cole*; Cheryl Crow; Aretha Franklin*; Faith Hill*; Billie Holiday*; k.d. lang*; Queen Latifah*; Avril Lavigne; Frida Lyngstad* (ABBA); Madonna*; Reba McEntire*; Liza Minnelli*; Joni Mitchell; Alanis Morissette; Anne Murray*; Diana Ross*; Britney Spears*; Barbra Streisand; Tanya Tucker*; Tina Turner; Shania Twain*; most female pop/rock performers
- Artists: Emily Carr*; Mary Cassatt*; Berthe Morisot*; Georgia O'Keeffe
- Writers: Maya Angelou*; Nevada Barr; Emily Brontë*; Daphne du Maurier*; Marcia Muller; Mary Shelley*; Alice Walker*
- Also: Cindy Crawford (model); Eleanor of Aquitaine*; Linda McCartney* (photographer/activist)
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Fictional Artemises
Xena, Warrior Princess
Storm of the X-Men
Wonder Woman; The Huntress (DC Comics)
Faith and Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Lara Croft (Tomb Raider)
most Bond girls
Pippi Longstocking
Sharon McCone (mystery novels by Marcia Muller)
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