Charge of the Goddess opening paragraph names a collection of goddesses, some derived from Greek or Roman mythology, others from Celtic or Arthurian legends, affirming a belief that these various figures represent a single Great Mother: This theme echoes the ancient Roman belief that the Goddess Isis was known by ten thousand names and also that the Goddess still worshipped today by Wiccans and other neopagans is known under many guises but is in fact one universal divinity. The second paragraph is largely derived and paraphrased from the words that Aradia, the messianic daughter of Diana, speaks to her followers in Charles Godfrey Leland's
Cult of Artemis at Brauron the priestess represented all the young women of the community, violation of the social requirement that young women be kept from sexual experience until the time of marriage.” The young participants in the Brauronia were expected to act in a certain way to stay in good favor with Artemis. “The anger of Artemis was always a risk. One commentator describes the girls celebrating the "arkteia" at Brauron as ‘soothing’ or ‘appeasing’ the goddess… Another says that girls had to ‘placate the goddess for their virginity ("parthenia"), so that they would not be the object of revenge from her.’ "As soon