Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, and of child birth, quite an odd combination. bBeing the goddess of something so wild and brutal as the hunt and yet at the same time being the goddess of something thats so tender and innocent. That's quite a combination indeed. She was enraged when the Achaians attacked Troy.
"The kings of birds to kings of the beaking prows, one black,
one with a blaze of silver skimmed the palace spearhand right
and swooping lower, all could see,
plunged their claws in a hare, a mother
bursting with unborn young - the babies spilling,
quick spurts of blood - cut off the race just dashing into life!
Cry, cry for death, but good win out in glory in the end." 118-125
So, what does this passage convey to the reader. Lets see what Dr. Mashburn said, "Eagles devouring baby fetus rabbitts!" Hmmm...well thats the gist of it. Basically it's a simile to Agamemnon attacking Troy and slaughtering them completely. Now this didn't settle well with Artemis at all.
" 'Years pass and the long hunt nets the city of Priam,
the flocks beyond the walls,
a kingdom's life and soul - Fate stamps them out.
Just let no curse of the gids lour on our first,
shatter our giant armour
forged to strangle Troy. I see
pure Artemis bristle in pity -
yes the flying hounds of the Father
slaughter of armies . . . their own victim . . . a woman
trembling young, all born to die - She loathes the eagles' feast!'
Cry, cry for death, but good win out glory in the end."
So this attack on Troy really ticks Artemis off, and she wants to take her vengence on the Achaians, but Zeus prevents her since Troy must fall. The point of this whole blog is that things aren't always as they appear to be, a vicious huntress goddess is also a defender of the helpless. So we must look deeply into things in our lives to make sure that we glean all we can out of each situation.
I commented on Lucy's Assassins post.
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