My submission to Lykeia’s Agon for Artemis in honor of Mounykhia. Still a week left if you want to submit something!
A Homesteader’s Prayer to Artemis
by Amanda Artemisia Forrester
O Artemis, bright daughter of Leto,
Who knows not the touch of man,
Wild Virgin of the Woods
Who runs with Her nymphs and Her hounds.
I pray You will bless my lands
And guard my home from all intrusion.
May the trees of my forest grow tall and strong.
May their branches be heavy with fruit and nuts,
And the woods abound with deer and boars.
Guide my aim on my hunts,
That I may bring home fresh meat for my family.
Bless my animals with fertility,
Hasten to the side of the females as they give birth,
And protect the vulnerable young until they are strong enough to stand on their own.
Bless the clear, still water of the springs
That feeds the wells, the creek the borders my land,
The river that winds its way past my neighbor’s home.
Earthy Goddess, twin sister of Apollo,
Purify and cleanse me of all miasma,
That I may be pure, that my land may be made a sacred sanctuary.
Great Artemis, this is my homesteader’s prayer to You.
