Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dreamy Myth of Artemis (Olympians #9)

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Starting point is 00:01:47 Hello, it's Elizabeth here, the host of The Sleepy Bookshelf, another sleep-inducing podcast from the Slumber Studios network. I hope you don't mind me dropping by just to let you know that I'm starting a brand new season on the sleepy bookshelf right now. This season I'll be reading My Man Jeeves by P.G. Woodhouse, a humorous collection of short stories about the famous comedy duo Bertie Worcester, a rich socialite and his ever-capable valet, Jeeves. If you're interested, just search the Sleepy Bookshelf in your favourite podcast player and go to the most recent episodes to find this new season. I hope to see you there to put down your worries from the day and pick up a good book. Welcome to Get Sleepy. Where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. As always, I'm your

Starting point is 00:02:50 host, Thomas. Thanks so much for tuning in. I'll be reading this evening's story, which was written by Frankie. It's the ninth installment in an ongoing series on the Olympian gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. If you haven't heard the others yet, that's okay. You can go back and enjoy them another time. Fierce and formidable, wild and untamed, Artemis is the Greek goddess of the moon. More than just the moon, however, she rules over the wilderness, the hunt, and those places of untouched nature. She watches over those in childbirth and over children. is both nurturing and powerful.

Starting point is 00:03:55 Tonight we'll run through the woods with this daughter of Zeus and her retinue. First though, if you love listening to Get Sleepy and would like to support the ongoing production of the show, the very best way to do so is by becoming a Get Sleepy Premium member. There are all sorts of great perks that our team works hard to bring your way, making it the very best way to listen to the show and get a good night's sleep. One of the favourite perks for our premium members is that every week we release a brand new bonus episode exclusive to the premium feed. Tomorrow night, Heather will be reading a lovely story

Starting point is 00:04:43 where we'll travel back in time more than a hundred years. to experience an autumn day in a sweet little schoolhouse. To find out more about all the perks of being a Get CP Premium member, just visit the link in the description. It would mean the world to have your support. Okay, my friends, let's prepare for our story with a wind down that is befitting of its. themes. As you lie in your comfortable bed, knowing that you are in the safe and reliable

Starting point is 00:05:27 world of order, cast your mind into the untamed landscapes. Picture a mountain so large and impressive that it seems to scrape the sky with its peak. The top third is thick with perfect white snow, while the rest is blanketed with a deep green forest. The full moon shines down on everything. Your still mind and body take the form of the mountain and everything on it. Like the very trees on its slopes, a mountain has deep roots into the earth. the places where your body connects with the bed. Imagine the roots growing into the ground, securing you and calming your muscles. You belong here, rooted to the ground and completely calm. Even the fiercest storm or the wildest winds cannot move you.

Starting point is 00:07:17 They don't even cause your mind to stir in the depths of your slumber. The blanket of forest keeps you warm and cozy. The star-studded sky above you envelopes you in a feeling of restful calm and perfect tranquility. Mountains are slow to change, feeling no rushing, stressing or tension. There is nowhere you need to be, apart from here, under the peaceful moon. Zoom into the slopes of your mountain. In the deep heart of the forest, there is movement, energy, and a figure darting between the trees. Behind her, trailing like the tail of a comet, are others. So, let's join her. This is where our story

Starting point is 00:08:46 begins. The old forest around her goddess becomes a blur of dark hues and textures as she runs. she runs not as the chaste but for the pure love of running at her heels her pack of dogs keep pace though she could outrun them if she wanted not far behind she can hear the others coming To mortal ears, her retinue would be completely silent and would probably pass by unnoticed.

Starting point is 00:10:05 But to Artemis' ears, they thunder like the very titans themselves. Artemis smiles to herself and runs faster still she knows every branch leaf rock and stone in this forest she can feel the heartbeat of every deer wolf bear and mouse that calls it home She is the goddess of the hunt and the wilds. Nothing on two legs or four is faster than her, and Artemis loves nothing more than the feeling of the wind in her hair as she runs through the countryside. Her relation is a combination of joyful freedom and the satisfaction of knowing that she is the fastest being, mortal or immortal, well, nearly the fastest.

Starting point is 00:11:36 As if reading her mind, a figure appears next to her. her, easily keeping stride. Her brother, Hermes. He wears the same cheeky, knowing grin that always appears on his boyish face when he wants to rile her up. Artemis barely glances at him before speeding up. Her hounds slowly fade into the background, unable to keep pace. Even her retinue is far behind now. Hammy's grin simply widens as he matches her speed. He even dares to start pulling ahead of her. Artemis scowls and pushes herself to her top speed.

Starting point is 00:12:48 Her legs are a blur as the world around her disappears in a haze. Hermes simply continues to smile and pulls ahead of her further still. The forest begins to thin around them. In the blink of an eye, both gods stand completely still on the edge of a high outcropping. Artemis controls her breathing, unwilling to show her brother that she is winded. Hermes, apparently completely at ease, lounges on a nearby boulder. After several moments of glaring at the horizon, Artemis turns to her brother and asks what he wants. He always wants something.

Starting point is 00:14:05 Hermes begins to monologue about her brusque manner, the importance of close family ties, and the complicated nature of the world at large. Artemis sighs, that is Hermes, he loves the sound of his own voice, Knowing that it's better to let him run out of words, Artemis turns her mind to her other brother, her twin Apollo. They are mirror images of one another in the way so many siblings inevitably turn out to be.

Starting point is 00:14:59 Somehow, Artemis and Apostle, are both incredibly similar and complete opposites. Even their realms of rule are connected. She is the goddess of the moon and he is the god of the sun. They are both archery gods. He stands for the logical order of things, like medicine, music and science, while she rules over the wild and uncontrolled parts of the world, like the wilderness, the night, and child bath.

Starting point is 00:15:55 As a devoutly chaste goddess, even she sometimes thinks it is odd. that she is the goddess of childbirth and the protector of children. But perhaps that is because children are born wild and only tamed as they become adults. As for childbirth itself, it is the first of her duties. Though she will never experience it first. She is the older twin of the two, and she remembers clearly the day she was born, even after all these millennia. Immortals have good memories that way. Her mother, Leto, was a titan, and of an older

Starting point is 00:17:01 generation of deities. Like so many other beautiful nymphs, mortals and gods, Lito caught the attention of Zeus. Their short affair was over before it began, but Lito became pregnant. Not wanting to give birth on Olympus amongst the gossiping pantheon, Lito took herself away to the island of Delos. Delos was afloat in the ocean and not attached to the ocean floor. The floating island traveled around the seas, drawn here and there by the tides and the winds. It took Lito some time to find it, as it drifted up and down the Mediterranean. When Lito arrived, the island seemed a secluded paradise. The vegetation was lush and rich.

Starting point is 00:18:30 There was a clear spring that gurgled through the woods. The trees gave way here and there to broad meadows of fragrant wildflowers. Birds and small animals went about their business here and there, unafraid and unbothered by the arrival of the pregnant goddess. The sun shone down on the island with cheerful brightness, but was not so hot as to be uncomfortable. It didn't take Leto long to find a dry, cozy cave in the hills to make her home for the next few weeks. Some of her nymph friends came to visit her in the weeks leading up to the bath. They would brush her hair, sing songs, and gossip about the things going.

Starting point is 00:19:47 on back on Olympus. As her time drew nearer, Lito accepted fewer visitors and turned her thoughts to the child she was about to bring into the world. This was her first time, and she was in equal measure, excited and nervous. The night of the next full moon drew closer, and Lito knew that would be the night when her child would arrive. The sunset blossomed from the horizon, painting the sky in all the vibrant colors the Hesperides could conjure. Leto thought to herself that the triple goddesses of the sunset and the evening had outdone themselves with this sky. Oranges, pinks, coppers and golds melted in and out of one another with divine simplicity.

Starting point is 00:21:17 As the sun set over the horizon, Leto saw a bright flash of green as the last rays dipped down. It wasn't until the huge full moon was at its zenith that Leto's trials ended and she held her daughter in her arms. The moon was a bright gold harvest moon. It shone down on the perfect baby, capturing just for an instant, the greatest moment of Leto's existence. But only a couple of hours later, with the moon descending, and the night growing old, Lito realized that there was another baby to come. She knew inherently that this one would be more difficult and wished for someone, anyone, to be there to support her. Movement in her arms drew her attention down to her baby daughter.

Starting point is 00:22:47 daughter, barely a few hours old. The child looked at her with such knowing that Leto's anxieties melted away. Artemis would help her mother through this experience. And so it was that Artemis' first divine act was to help her mother deliver her twin brother into the world. Just as the bright golden sun rose fully over the horizon and shone in the sky, Artemis and Toledo welcomed Apollo into the world. Forever, pregnant women would be under Artemis' protection, for birth is an experience between worlds. In its own way, it is wild, untamed, and fierce.

Starting point is 00:24:09 It is a rare place where one life becomes two, and Artemis is honoured to be the one who oversees this divine right. Plus, she loves to tell the other gods, deities and immortals about how she delivered her baby brother, much to his chagrin. Artemis's thoughts drift back to the here and now, as her half-brother Hermes drones on. He is silver-tongued, but she is the silver goddess of the moon, and his abilities are less effective on her, which is probably why he loves teasing her so much. He still seems in the thick of his monologue, and she can hear her retinue is quite far away. Artemis settles back once again to let her mind wander.

Starting point is 00:25:35 Not long after the birth of her children, Leto and the twins were welcomed back to Olympus. Seuss, for all his faults, took an active role in the raising of the pair. One day, about five years after their birth, Seuss was sitting in his grave. great throne room and listening to the pleas, requests and demands of the other immortals. It was a duty that he didn't look forward to. As he sent another nymph away, telling her that he was not going to punish a mortal man simply for loving or not loving her, Zeus controlled the urge to roll his eyes. He looked up to find a new surprising supplicant before him.

Starting point is 00:26:50 Little Artemis stood proudly in front of the throne and stared hard at her father. Seuss, thinking she simply wanted to play, started to explain to her that he would be done soon, and they could continue their game of chase later. The precocious child interrupted her father, king of the gods, and told him that she was here with a record. quest. Caught off guard, Zeus simply nodded his head and asked her to proceed. Artemis cleared her throat and told him before the entire court that she had some requests for what should fall under her domain when she had some requests for what should fall under her domain.

Starting point is 00:28:00 she matured to full godhead. The little goddess told him that her foremost duty should be that of the goddess of the moon and the night. It was her favourite time of day, and she wanted to ride across the sky in the great moon chariot. Zeus nodded, unable to see any issues with this request. He opened his mouth to make the proclamation final, and thus bring this meeting to a close. But Artemis stopped him and told him that she wasn't finished. Zeus's younger daughter had always been a wild child, so he was unsurprised

Starting point is 00:29:06 when she also listed the hunt, the chase, and the wilderness as her requested domains. For sacred animals, she wanted the deer, the hound, and the bear. And for sacred symbols, she requested bows and arrows, crescent moons, torches, and the spear. The little goddess paused for a moment, and took mental stock of everything she had just listed. It all sounded like it was there.

Starting point is 00:29:57 She looked back at her father and told him that was all. Zeus, impressed and very amused, granted her wishes. Artemis once again comes. out of her reverie. Hermes is still talking. Artemis has never been, and probably will never be known, as a goddess of patience. She clears her throat loudly and smiles as Hermes comes petering into silence. She puts on her seat. sweetest voice, and asks him, in no uncertain terms, what it is that he wants from her. Hermes, knowing the game is up, finally gets down to business. He tells his sister of a passionate but short-lived

Starting point is 00:31:15 love affair with a mountain nymph, which has produced a son, another mountain nymph. Hermes has already named the child, Daphnis, for the laurel tree under which he was born. Long story short, Hermes needs someone to raise the child for a few years. and keep an eye on him. Artemis bites her tongue, even though her brother is a god and an Olympian, she is certain he will never learn. Despite her reluctance, something inside her, a goddess's intuition perhaps, tells her that that this child will be important. Artemis agrees to take the boy, but only after quite a long lecture to her brother about how actions

Starting point is 00:32:33 have consequences. Hermes nods his head, putting on a face of complete innocence and repentance, for about 30 seconds before he flits away on his winged feet in the blink of an eye. Artemis barely has time to sigh to herself before his back bearing a bundle in his arms. Artemis takes the child and looks down. into a perfectly lovely and cheerful face. The baby giggles at her happily. Hermes thanks his sister again and promises not to leave her the responsibility all on her own.

Starting point is 00:33:39 He will send another of his sons to help. Artemis starts to thank him until she really thinks about what he has said. She starts to tell him not to send anyone, but Hermes is gone again. Just at this moment, the rest of Artemis's retinue arrives, bursting through the trees and underbrush. They see Artemis, the sunlight turning orange behind her, holding a baby. Artemis's two hounds come up to their master, and she kneels down to let them smell the bundle. They wag their tails and try to lick their.

Starting point is 00:34:45 the divine child, clearly in agreement about the new member of the group. Artemis introduces the nymphs, satyrs and human hunters to the child. They pass around tiny daffness, each person cooing at him as he goes by. Another sound comes from the forest, like someone's stumbling slightly. A moment later, Pan appears. He is half-goat, half-man, like all satyrs. He is the musical and wily son of Hermes. He is also a god of the wild, shepherds, flocks, and the mountains.

Starting point is 00:35:58 Despite Artemis' disinclination to accept Pan in the retinue as well, she grudgingly admits to herself that a god of the mountain wilds will be helpful in raising our mountain nymph. Artemis hands the child to Pan, who grins hugely and laughs like a billy-goat. The child laughs in return. Artemis thinks to herself that there is no going back now. As the light of her. of the day slowly fades to night, Artemis instructs her retinue to set up camp where they are.

Starting point is 00:36:56 She entrusts the baby to pan and departs without any of them for the palace of the Hesperides where she keeps the moon chariot. Usually, the duty of driving the moon across the night sky is one that Artemis leaves to the much older goddess, Selene, who is the personification of the moon itself. But tonight, Artemis needs to think. She needs the time to consider the implications of this child and her role as a goddess protector of children. Selini, happy to have an evening off,

Starting point is 00:37:56 hands the silver reins to Artemis and returns to the palace. Artemis greets the pure white horses that pull the chariot before climbing aboard. The gates open and they launch into the unclouded sky. The stars seem to glitter and gleam in greeting to Artemis. The cool, fresh air blows her hair behind her. The horses move gracefully through the air, pulling the chariot higher into the sky. The giant spinning wheels gleam a pure silvery white, creating a glorious, form of a full moon. Just like the one that shone, the night Artemis herself was born many centuries ago.

Starting point is 00:39:17 Below Artemis, the world passes slowly. The glowing fires of human settlements paint the landscape in a golden design. too complex and beautiful to map. As if in a mirror, the stars also shine in their constellations. Artemis passes the heroes, deities and creatures that have been placed in the sky as everlasting beings. There is Ganymede, the cup-bearer. As a mortal, he was a prince of Troy, renowned for his beauty and kindness.

Starting point is 00:40:18 He was so universally loved that Zeus himself invited the prince to live on Olympus with the other gods, and act as his cup-bearer. Ganymede fulfilled his duties honorably, and became so well-loved, even amongst the gods, that Zeus placed him with the stars in the constellation Aquarius. Artemis passes Cancer the Crap This giant beast was loyal to the Queen of Heaven, Hera and was rewarded by being immortalised in the skies There is even a whole family written in the stars

Starting point is 00:41:17 Queen Cassiopeia, King Cepheus, and their daughter, Princess Andromeda, can be seen shining together throughout the night. Zeus placed his hero sons, Pollux and Castor, into the sky, as the constellation Gemini. Artemis waves to them, her half-brothers. These men were mortal heroes, who were on the Argo with Jason in the quest for the golden fleece. They were so devoted to one another that they were allowed to be together in the heavens. They were twins, like Artemis and her brother Apollo. The night draws on, and Artemis can see the palace of the sun in the distance, where her brother's horses and their charioteer Helios stay.

Starting point is 00:42:36 Helios is the brother of Salini, just as Apollo is the brother of Artemis. Eos, goddess of the dawn, also lives there. Even now, Artemis can see her waiting to greet the moon chariot, before she throws open the gates of dawn for the chariot of the sun to begin its journey. Artemis leads the horses into the stables with barely a bump on the ground. After seeing to the horses, she makes her way back down to the earth, now ready to take on the future of little Daphneus. Artemis arrives back at the camp of her followers just as the dawn is breaking.

Starting point is 00:43:49 Her hounds greet her as she makes her way to where Pan is sleeping, wrapped around the little bundle of Daphnis. She gently wakes Pan and they discuss the child's future. The goat man is serious and measured during their conversation, an attitude that surprises Artemis as he is usually very cheerful and bubbling over with energy. They chat for several hours and come to an agreement about the boy. Daphnis wakes up at the end of their conversation and gurgles happily at his caretakers. They beam down at him.

Starting point is 00:44:55 Years pass in a flash for an immortal like Artemis Daphnis grows to his moment of peak beauty like all immortals and stops aging Now Artemis runs through the woods once again This time there is an accompaniment to her strides, a lovely sound that plays around the ears like a couple of squirrels chasing one another up an ancient oak tree. It flits and flies through the air like sparrows on the wind. the melodies chase one another like the noble stag through the thickest wood

Starting point is 00:46:00 Artemis breaks through the forest and into a clearing a few seconds later the retinue comes through as well They gather around Artemis as the song wraps around all of them. A young man is amongst them, playing the music on a set of panpipes. He is a permanent and dearly loved member of this group. He was taught his craft by Pan and plays even more beautifully than his master This young man is Daphnis

Starting point is 00:47:01 Blossomed into his full maturity He is a nymph of the mountains An Auread already the humans in this area are starting to build little shrines for him when they go for walks in the mountains he watches over them and makes sure their trail is clear he leads them back to the trail when they get lost and he makes sure that they arrive home safely. All the while they hear the enchanting sound of his palm pipes dancing through the air. Artemis often thinks back to the day that Hermes dropped his child in her care

Starting point is 00:48:07 and is grateful for her wayward brother. Daphnis, her nephew, is someone she loves dearly. He plays special songs just for her. He honours her as something between mother and sister. His devotion to her, as both goddess and leader, is unparalleled. Artemis has always been the protector of children, but this is the first one she has raised. Her family is large and sprawling. but this child stands out amongst the rest.

Starting point is 00:49:09 She has loved watching him mature more than anything and looks forward to an eternity of his companionship. I'm going to be the I'm going to be the I'm going to I'm going to ...hehr. ...you know.

Starting point is 00:49:45 ...you know. ...and... ...their... And... ...withal... ...which... ...that... ...with...

Starting point is 00:50:22 ...the... ...the... ...and... ...you... I'm going to be able to be. You know, I'm going to be able to And so,

Starting point is 00:51:16 you know, ...and... ...that... ...with... ...you know... ...that... ...the... ...the...

Starting point is 00:51:27 ...the... ...and... ...and... ...you... We're going to be. You know, I'm going to be able to be. So,

Starting point is 00:51:52 you know, You know, I'm going to be able to be. We're doing, "...they, and... ...that... ...hean... ...it...

Starting point is 00:52:03 ...that... ...the... ...and... ...it... ...you... ...the... We're going to be able to be. ...you know...

Starting point is 00:52:29 ...when... ...which... ...you're... ...their... ...you... ...the... ...and... ...and...

Starting point is 00:52:38 ...you... Thank you.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dreamy Myth of Artemis (Olympians #9)

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