This set of Artemis prayer beads consists of three groups of twelve beads, to represent the Greek dodecatheon of twelve gods (there are many more than twelve Greek gods, but most cities had their own group of twelve) and the mythic division of the world into three realms--the sea, the heavens, and the underworld. Separating these sections are three hanging pendants, each a symbol representing the goddess:
Bow and Arrow - Like her brother Apollo, Artemis is well known as a skillful archer. She was as well a patron goddess of hunters.
Bear - At her temple at Brauron, Artemis was served by young girls known as "little bears." The bear is also representative of Artemis' role as Mistress of the Animals.
Deer - Artemis is fiercely protective of the wilderness and the beasts within it.
The green beads represent Artemis' role as a goddess of the woodlands while the silver-colored spacers and charms remind us of her late association with the silvery moon.
It is made with 10mm light green fire-polished Czech glass beads, separated by silver-toned metal spacer beads, and glass seed beads to provide a comfortable transition from one bead to the next and to make the piece lightweight, supple, and easy to handle. The string itself is approximately 28.5" (72.4cm) in circumference and can be worn if desired, although it is designed to be used in prayer and meditation, to decorate an altar or shrine, and/or to adorn a statue.
The beads come with a prayer to Artemis, written specifically to be used with this prayer bead design (you can, of course, use the beads with any prayers, or for any god or gods, that you choose or that resonate with you) and with a cotton muslin bag for storage.
