𖥧. bear goddess of the wild 𖡼.⚘
origins— Gaulish, Germanic, and possibly Irish (artifacts have been found in other countries as well)
associated with— bears, wildlife, protection, the harvest, forests, mountains, abundance, transformation, and healing
epithets— She-Bear, Bear Mother/Mother Bear, The Great Bear
plants— pine, apple trees, fir
fruit (berries, foraged fruit, apples)
donations to wildlife rehabilitation and conservation organizations
anything foraged or gathered
I have worshipped Artio for a while now, and I find it a unique experience to honor a deity with so little information available. Artifacts have been found in various regions and cultures, and yet there are no myths or written legends recorded of her, likely a result of the oral traditions typical of the time. I find her to be a huge provider of comfort and I feel greatly protected by her. In my practice I mostly work with Irish mythology, cosmology, etc. and yet, I have found Artio’s pull to be increasingly magnetic. I have also felt pulled by the practices and beliefs of other countries under the Celtic umbrella—I’m still working that out! Unique artifacts of bears have been found in Ireland and there are those who theorize she was also worshipped by select Irish pagans long ago.
(three bears made of sandstone. Armagh, Ireland. pre-Christian period.)
My unsubstantiated hunch—backed up by nothing else than my personal interpretation—is that these three bears may represent a wild bear, Artio, and Artaois. Though, as I’ve said this is backed up by no other evidence, just my own UPG (unsubstantiated personal gnosis). Another UPG of mine, is that Artaois and Artio can represent the duality of the masculine and feminine in one. Not as two completely distinct deities, but more as two sides of the same coin. As a non-binary witch, that means a lot to me!
*Just sharing my own unique gnosis and interpretation of this goddess, as little information is available and agreed upon. To each their own interpretation. You do not have to agree with me and in NO way am I saying what I believe is “the one true way.”*
