were classified together in ancient Greece. The other two categories
are my designations. Modes of consciousness, favored roles, and
motivating factors are distinguishing characteristics of each group.
Attitudes toward others, the need for attachment, and the importance
of relationships also are distinctly different in each category. God-
desses representing all three categories need expression somewhere
in a woman’s life—in order for her to love deeply, work meaning-
fully, and be sensual and creative.
The first group you will meet in these pages are the virgin god-
desses: Artemis, Athena, and Hestia. Artemis (whom the Romans
called Diana) was the Goddess of the Hunt and Moon. Her domain
was the wilderness. She was the archer with unerring aim and the
protector of the young of all living things. Athena (known as Minerva
to the Romans) was the Goddess of Wisdom and Handicrafts; patron
of her namesake city, Athens; and protector of numerous heroes.
She was usually portrayed wearing armor and was known as the
best strategist in battle. Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth (the Roman
goddess Vesta), was the least known of all of the Olympians. She
was present in homes and temples as the fire at the center of the
hearth.
The virgin goddesses represent the independent, self-sufficient
quality in women. Unlike the other Olympians, these three were not
susceptible to falling in love. Emotional attachments did not divert
them from what they considered important. They were not victim-
ized and did not suffer. As archetypes, they express the need in
women for autonomy, and the capacity women have to focus their
consciousness on what is personally meaningful. Artemis and Athena
represent goal-directedness and logical thinking, which make them
the achievement-oriented archetypes. Hestia is the archetype that
focuses attention inward, to the spiritual center of a woman’s per-
sonality. These three goddesses are feminine archetypes that actively
seek their own goals. They expand our notion of feminine attributes
to include competency and self-sufficiency.
The second group—Hera, Demeter, and Persephone—I call the
vulnerable goddesses. Hera (known as Juno to the Romans) was the
Goddess of Marriage. She was the wife of Zeus, chief god of the
Olympians. Demeter (the Roman god-
Goddesses in Everywoman