Wounded Artemis

Artemis is part of the triad of the Greek Virgin Goddesses; which includes Athena and Hestia. Jean Shinoda Bolen in Goddesses in Everywoman: A New Psychology of Women, explains that “these three goddesses personify the independent, active, nonrelationship aspects of women’s psychology. All three represent inner drives to develop talents, pursue interests, solve problems, compete with others, [and] express themselves.”

This is the ideal. However, in popular culture, she is not represented as the ideal. She is wounded. This woman, she who goes out into the world, she who is independent, competitive, in other words, she who wants it all--- is often punished. I think of her as Wounded Artemis. I think of her as a woman with arrows piercing her side because there is always a price a woman pays for wanting too much.  God help her until she find her man.  This is one of our narratives, and we're stuck with it--- until we write something different.