Artio
Celtic Bear Goddess of Wilelife, Transformation, Hunt, Nature, Abundunce, Forest, Shamanism, The Harvest, Fruit, Seasons, Balance, Fertility & Wild Things.
Artio is one of the more obscure goddesses in the Celtic pantheon. She is often shown with baskets of plenty and surrounded by animals. Artio is frequently depicted as a bear. Her name comes from the old Celtic word for bear, arth(e), which the Romans Latinized to artos. A goddess who is depicted as both bear and woman. Protective, but can be a harsh teacher. Known for a statue, and a handful of inscriptions. It’s commonly held that Artio is a goddess of the Forest and of Wild Things, particularly bears...Unlike the goddess Diana, who is depicted with her bow, Artio holds no weapon. Instead, the Bear Goddess holds an offering, and is therefore associated with abundance. She is also likely a Motherly provider and a strong protector, two traits attributed to bears. Artio is considered a zoomorphic goddess, meaning that she can take the form of an animal, in this case, a bear. Given such, it’s speculated that the bear in her tribute statue is actually the goddess, and the woman is her servant.
|Symbolism of Artio| Harvest Bears Wild Animals Fruits Grains Shamanism
|Personal Associations| Bears Birds Coyotes Any WildLife Animal
|Some of Her Ephithets| Artaius, Artaios (Bear-God) Artio (Bear-Goddess) Andarta (Great/Powerful Bear)
|Offerings| Fruit, Furs, Apples, Plants, Tree Bark, Honey, Fish, Sweet Things, Bear Imagry, Wine, Honeycomb, HoneySuckle, Gems That Remind You Of Her, Animal Bones
