Artemis : Virgin Goddess of the Sun, Moon & Hunt [Format Kindle]

I have had many dreams that someone would dedicate the time and energy that it takes to write a book on Artemis. Sorita D'Este has done just this and she has excelled at this challenging job.

This book provides all the information a modern pagan priestess or priest working with this diverse goddess could hope for. Historical information on festivals, practices and sacred temples, as well as sanctuaries, sacred animals and titles are provided.

The information is presented in an easy to understand and use format, but it is still rigorous by academic standards (providing sources throughout) and would be of interest to modern pagans and students of greek history and culture alike.

There is not an ounce of doubt in my mind that this book will be a book that you will use time and time again (as I am already doing) for drawing inspiration and information when working with this warrior goddess.

The arguments for Artemis being a Goddess associated with both the Sun and the Moon is clearly presented and adds an additional dimension towards understanding this ancient woodland goddess who was known to roam the mountains in search of prey with her thirteen hunting dogs. Her myths, associations with other gods, goddesses and mortals are all clearly and precisely explored, together with accounts (cross referenced showing the different accounts by ancient writers) of the various myths in which she took a prominent role.

Love Artemis? Hooked on the Greek Myths? This book is a must have!

Artemis is many things and yet she is often portrayed as simply the huntress of the New Moon. This book explores and brings together her many myths and stories, her many powers and guiles...

Artemis is a complex Goddess and one (now that I have read the book) I would certainly not class as a fluffy Goddess which I was lead to believe before. The information is carefully documented, footnoted (rather than those awful endnotes of a lot of academic books) and is written in a lucid manner. The author certainly knows her subject.

Friends of mine have been fortunate enough to attend a workshop with Sorita on the Greek Goddess Hekate and said that it was the or at the very least one of the, most enlightening workshops they have ever attended. She is a priestess of the Wicca who draws on ancient religions blending it with her own work in the tradition. She is also a scholar of ancient religion and does not allow her own religious and magical interests cloud her judgement, which is very clear from this volume. There is none of the usual pagan biased to be found here!

Highly recommended to people who work with Artemis in their own ceremonies and equally recommended to people who have an interest in ancient Greek mythology. Pagans who work with Greek deities will benefit in particular as the information is laid out in a way that makes it easy to use as a reference book when writing and preparing for ceremonies. There are lists of titles (with both the greek and english translations), there are chapters on the various ancient sanctuaries and temples to Artemis with descriptions of the rites which took place there.

What struck me in particular was the many references to young girls participating in the rituals, as well as the emphasis on twins as being sacred at Artemis' sanctuaries (Artemis and her brother Apollo were twins, so it makes sense really). So this book may provide some ideas for mothers wishing to prepare their daughters for adulthood through the use of ancient ceremonies.

Like I said, recommended and highly so. Thus *****

I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered this book from Amazon...this isn't really a book that is meant to be read straight through as an independent work...rather, it seems to me upon finishing it, that the greatest benefit is as a reference. If on were stumped for the source of a particular detail of Artemis, this would be the book to go to. As such, there is a great deal of repeated information that was annoying to me since I did read it straight through, but the repetition did serve a purpose in helping cement some details of Artemis in my memory...as with Athene, Artemis is a goddess largely unknown to me, so it was not totally pointless to have read the book from cover to cover. At nearly 25.00 for this book, I don't know how many would really want to shell out the bucks for a book that is just over 100 pages. I'm glad to have it and would recommend it to others it has solid information and would be a fine addition to any pagan library.