M3 Diana & Witchcraft

            For this Halloween, I wanted to do something special. I’ve already talked a bit about the history of Halloween, but now I’m going to delve into the history of witchcraft. To be clear, this is not about Wicca or any kind of Neopaganism. Rather, this is about the beginnings of how Medieval Christianity perceived witchcraft, and the connection to mythology.

M3 Artemis's Modesty

            Modesty is an interesting concept, usually associated with very conservative societies, which the Greeks certainly were not. They admired the human body and embraced sexuality, as we ‘ve seen with their creation myths. Yet here we have Artemis who has turned her back on sexuality to embrace modesty. Does this make her prim and proper? Hardly. She spends her time in the wilds, hunting. She would most certainly be called a tom-boy by older generations.

M3 Actaeon's Punishment

            Artemis, as we have already discussed, has a bit of childishness to her nature. Okay, more than a bit. She literally sat on Zeus’s lap like a little girl asking for gifts from Santa, and Zeus was all too happy to indulge his (spoiled) little girl. The next story really isn’t that surprising, given that childishness, her insistence on remaining a virgin, and her decree that all who serve her must likewise remain chaste.

M3 Artemis's Chastity

            So, here we are again, tackling the question, why does Artemis need Zeus to ensure her continued virginity?

            Before we address the question directly, we need to examine the nature of gods and their ages. They do not follow human standards. After all, Athena emerged fully-grown and armored (we mustn’t forget the armor!) out of Zeus’s skull. Artemis, immediately after being born, helped her mother move to Delos and acted as a midwife. Clearly, physically, she is not an infant. Even when asking Zeus for these favors as a three year-old child, there’s the sense that child is not referencing her physicality. I have been around a lot of kids, and I can say with some authority that a toddler is not much help as a midwife, and would be no help in helping a pregnant mother move around.

M3 Artemis's Nature

            Artemis and Apollo are twins, the children of Zeus and Leto, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. Zeus, as always, had an affair, which caused Hera to resent Leto, and had her chased by the Python. Hera further decreed that Leto could not give birth on any place where the sun shone. Obviously, Leto found a spot, and promptly gave birth to Artemis. Immediately after being born, she helped her mother move to a new location, and aided in the birth of Apollo, some nine days into labor.

            Yes, nine days. My mother has frequently complained over the hours of labor for my own birth, so we can respect Leto for toughing out for nine days. This is actually relevant, too, and reveals the nature of the gods. Artemis’s birth was easy; moreover, she immediately helped with the birth of Apollo. Apollo is obviously very troublesome (and this will be borne out with his own analysis later).