Models in a Headless Contest: Athena and/or Artemis Excerpts

"As Goddess of the Hunt in pursuit of her chosen quarry, Artemis the Archer could aim for any target, either near or far away, and could know that her arrows would unerringly reach their marks. The Artemis archetype gives women the innate ability to concentrate intensely on whatever is important to her and to be undistracted from her course, either by the needs of others or by competition from others" (49).

"Artemis qualities appear early. Usually an Artemis baby is the one who looks absorbingly at new objects, who is active rather than passive. People often comment on this capacity to concentrate on a self-selected task: 'She has an amazing power of concentration for a two-year-old,' or 'Be careful what you promise her, she's got a mind like an elephant; she won't forget--she'll hold you to it" (54).

"Another common mother-daughter difficulty that Artemis daughters have is with mothers whom they view as passive and weak. Their mothers may have been depressed, victimized by alcohol or a bad marriage, or immature. When they describe their relationships with their mothers, many Artemis daughters in this mother-daughter configuration say, 'I was the parent'" (56).

"The Artemis woman puts effort into work that is of subjective value to her. She is spurred on by competition and undeterred (up to a point) by opposition" (58).

"The lesbian Artemis woman may either have a mirror-image lover, an almost identical-twin relationship, or she may be attracted to a nymphlike, softer, more "feminine" person than herself...She, like her heterosexual equivalent, avoids relationships in which she is contained or dominated by a "parental" partner or in which she herself is expected to play the parent role" (60).

"The Artemis woman is hardly an Earth-Mother type--and being pregnant or nursing a baby will not fulfill her. In fact, pregnancy may be repugnant to the Artemis woman who likes having an athletic, graceful, or boyish figure. She doesn't feel a strong instinctual pull to be a mother (for this, Demeter must be present). Yet she likes children" (64).

"An Artemis woman between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five may find herself in a midlife crisis if she does not have any other goddess aspects in her life. Artemis is a pattern that is very compatible with a goal-oriented young woman who single-mindedly pursues her self-chosen goal. But in her middle years a shift may occur. Now there are fewer "uncharted wildernesses" for her to explore. She has either succeeded in achieving her targeted goals, reached a plateau, or failed" (65).

"Artemis the goddess roamed through her chosen terrain with company of her own chosing, doing what pleased her. Unlike goddesses who were victimized, Artemis never suffered. However, she did harm others who offended her, or threatened those under her protection. Similarly, the psychological difficulties that characteristically are associated with Artemis women usually cause others to suffer, rather than bringing pain on themselves" (66).

"In the myth of the Calydon Boar, the same Atalanta who raced Hippomenes faced the charging boar with a spear in her hand. The boar had already gored and killed many famous male heroes who had tried to bring it down...She waited until the boar was almost on her, took careful aim, and then threw the spear through an eye (its only vulnerable spot) to hit the mark.

The destructive rage of an Artemis woman can only be stopped by what Atalanta did. The Artemis woman must confront her own destructiveness directly. She must see it as an aspect of herself that she must stop before it consumes her and devastates her relationships.

It takes courage to confront the inner boar...[s]he can no longer feel righteous and powerful" (69).

"Apple 1: Awareness of Time Passing. Early in the race, Hippomenes threw the first golden apple in Atalanta's path. She was drawn to its shining beauty and slowed down to pick it up. ...Reflected back to her, she saw her own face, distorted by the curves of the apple: 'This is how I will look when I grow old.' she thought" (72).

Apple 2: Awareness of the Importance of Love.

Apple 3: Procreative Instinct and Creativity" (73).

"Athena differs from Artemis and Hestia in that she is the virgin goddess who seeks the company of men. Rather than separating or withdrawing, she enjoys being in the midst of male action and power. The virgin goddess element helps her to avoid emotional or sexual entanglements with men, with whom she works closely. She can be companion, colleague or confidante of men without developing erotic feelings or emotional intimacy.

Athena emerged into the company of the Olympians as a fully grown adult. ...The Athena archetype thus represents an older, more mature, version of a virgin goddess than Artemis. Athena's realistic orientation to the world as it is, her pragmatic attitude, her conformity to "adult" (that is, traditionally held) standards, and lack of romanticism or idealism complete this impression of Athena as the epitome of the 'sensible adult'" (79).

"To get ahead, women as well as men need mentors, sponsors, and allies. Intellectual ability alone is usually not enough; tactical and political considerations are involved. What subject Athena studies, teaches, or researches; which campus she settles on; and which department chair or mentor she chooses all play a part in deciding if she will get the grants and positions needed in order to do the work" (81).

"...In real life, a woman friend may be appallled when her Athena companion forgets the importance of their relationship and instead concentrates on winning--sometimes even by deception, revealing a side of her personality that kills the friendship.

A lack of kinship with other women usually began in childhood with their admiration of and affinity to their fathers, and/or with dissimilarity of personality and intellect between themselves and their mothers. This tendency is then compounded by a lack of close female relationships" (90).

"An Athena woman is often angry at the woman who complains, rather than at the man whom the complaint is made. She may blame the female victim for provoking what happened. Or, more typically, like the goddess herself, she is incensed that the woman would make public an action that subjects the man to criticism" (91).

"She likes men as friends or mentors rather than as lovers. Unlike Artemis, she rarely considers sex a recreational sport or adventure. Like an Artemis woman, she needs either Aphrodite or Hera as active archetypes in order for sexuality to become an expression of erotic attraction or emotional commitment.

The lesbian Athena woman has a tendency to have a partner cast in the same mold as herself. They may both be professional women, high achievers who began as colleagues prior to becoming lovers.

In their relationship, lesbian Athena women may admire the other's "heroic" qualities or success, or may be drawn to the other's intellect. Companionship and loyalty, rather than passion, hold them together...[t]hey are likely to keep the homosexual nature of their relationship secret from others. Their relationship is often long-lasting, surviving separations caused by career requirements" (93).

"The Athena woman finds it difficult to deal with either sons or daughters who are easily moved by feelings. The situation is harder, of course, on the children. If they accept her standards, they are likely to grow up devaluing themselves for being crybabies as children, and for being oversensitive as adults. Her practical-mindedness also makes her impatient with a dreamy child who fantasizes.

An Athena mother expects her children to do what is expected of them, to rise above the emotion-evoking events in their lives, and be "good soldiers"--as she is" (97).

"This is why her life lacks intimacy and is often lonely. When a woman is metaphorically wearing Athena's armor with the Medusa aegis on her breastplate, she is not showing any vulnerability. Her well-armored (usually intellectual) defenses are up, and her authority and critical gaze keep others at an emotional distance.

If she is dismayed by the Medusa effect she has on others, an Athena woman would do well to remember that the Gorgon breastplate was something Athena put on and could take off. ...When she becomes aware that she has something to learn from people and something to share with them, and thus is involved as a peer, she will have shed her Gorgon breastplate and the Medusa effect" (103).

"Most dear to Athena of all the crafts was weaving. An Athena businesswoman told me when she took up weaving, 'It's the most calming activity I can think of--I get into the rhythm of the loom, my mind is absorbed and empty at the same time, my hands are busy, and at the end I have a beautiful wall hanging" (104),