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| The Wild Wood |
We
are familiar with Artemis as the huntress of wild things, the
independent Goddess of the Moon who guards young children and refused to marry. But she is also a Goddess closely
linked to singing and dancing.
In myths and poems, Artemis is
described as loving to sing and leading her nymphs in song as often as
they hunted. Artemis led the Muses in circle dances and directed their choir singing (before Apollo became their manager). Young girls dressed in saffron tunics and danced a bear
dance in honor of Artemis before they were allowed to marry. In myths,
girl after girl is abducted while dancing or singing for Artemis (Helen,
Ariadne). Aphrodite once disguised herself as a mortal and claimed the
same thing had happened to her to make her story convincing. Many
dances were considered sacred to Artemis: circle dances, winding chain
dances, lively jigs with wild leaps into the air and dances where the
dancers dressed as plants, deer (or other animals) and the opposite sex. Karyatis, Kordax and Korythalia are all titles or names linked to Artemis and the dances that were done in her honor.
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| The Dancing Hunter |
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| The Moon and Deer are Symbols of Artemis |
A few of Artemis's musical (or at least noisy) titles include;
-Hegemone “leader of dance" or "choir leader.”
-Hymnia “of the hymns” or "lover of songs."
-Celadeinus/Celadeine “strong voiced" or "lady of clamors.”
And
a final observation of my own; Erato the Muse of erotic and love
poetry, wedding music and sometimes dance, is sometimes shown holding a
bow and arrows, like Eros the God of love. And Artemis the leader of the
songs and dances of nymphs, Muses and Graces, is most often pictured
with bow and arrows today.
-Hegemone “leader of dance" or "choir leader.”
-Hymnia “of the hymns” or "lover of songs."
-Celadeinus/Celadeine “strong voiced" or "lady of clamors.”
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| When the Moon shines, Artemis dances with the plants and animals |
Artemis is the untamed singer beside the forest stream who leads us into the harmonic wilderness. She is the conductor hiding within the ensemble, the dancer in costume, the disguised side of ourselves who sings duets with those she loves.
