Day the Sixth: Other related deities and entities associated
with this deity.
Today I'm going to focus on one deity that is associated with Artemis, because he is also important in my personal pantheon. Pan. Do you know him? Lusty god, always drinking and chasing nymphs? Yup, that's him. But he's also Lord of the Forest and God of the Hunt. He is the flute player, the patron of shepherds. He is the watcher at the border of the wilderness and cultivated lands, visiting both, but never fully belonging to either.
He is a deeply soulful and poetic god. I think in our days of intensely controlled, urban lives…that he is quite lonely. Gone are the wild days when Pan was celebrated and loved. These days, people seem to think there is something coarse and base about Pan. But no. This is not truth. There is far more to Pan than the stink of goat and an erect phallus. At another time, I will give him his due - an entire 30DODD just for him.
The story goes that Artemis went to the forests of Arcadia and met Pan. Pan gave her thirteen hunting dogs - seven female and six male*. She was impatient to try them out and built a fire to light the woods. She captured six golden horned stags to pull her chariot**.
Pan also chased the handmaidens of Artemis. She generally was very protective of her nymphs, but in Pan's case…she seemed to let it slide. Perhaps she was grateful to him for her hunting hounds…or perhaps she had a soft spot for His Goatiness. They were friends, even though he was constantly trying to get in her toga. Hey, everybody was. Artemis is gorgeous, tall and has a banging figure. Euripides called her "fairest of all that are". Somewhat ironic for a "virgin" goddess who will never marry. Can you blame Pan for lusting after her? I say nay.
*Or some number, various sources cite different numbers of dogs.
**Callimachus, Hymn III to Artemis 46
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