Artemis

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Artemis

Nationality/Culture

Greek

Pronunciation

AHR-tuh-miss

Alternate Names

Diana (Roman), Artume (Etruscan)

Appears In

Homer's Iliad, Hesiod's Theogony

Lineage

Daughter of Zeus and Leto

Character Overview

The Greek goddess Artemis (pronounced AHR-tuh-miss)—one of the twelve deities, or gods who lived on Mount Olympus—was the twin sister of Apollo. Fond of hunting, archery, and wild animals, she was also associated with childbirth, the harvest, and the moon. Artemis was considered the guardian of maidens and small children. The Romans worshipped her as Diana.

Artemis and Apollo were the children of Zeus (pronounced ZOOS) and Leto (pronounced LEE-toh). When Leto was about to deliver the twins , Zeus's jealous wife Hera declared that she would not allow them to be born in any land where the sun shone. For this reason, Zeus led Leto to a floating island and caused a wave to shade the shore, creating a place for the birth that was above ground but hidden from the sun.

Major Myths

Many myths about Artemis focus on her vengeful nature. She was known for punishing humans who offended or angered her. In one story, a young hunter named Actaeon (pronounced AK-tee-uhn) came upon Artemis while she was bathing in a stream. Although he knew better than to spy on a goddess, he was captivated by her beauty. Artemis caught sight of Actaeon and, not wanting him to boast of having seen her naked body, changed him into a deer. His own hounds then attacked and killed him. The nymph Callisto met a similar fate when Artemis punished her for losing her virginity by transforming her into a bear; Callisto's own son Areas later unknowingly shot her while hunting.

Agamemnon (pronounced ag-uh-MEM-non), the leader of the Greek forces in the Trojan War, also felt the wrath of Artemis after he killed a deer that was sacred to her. In her anger, Artemis prevented the Greek fleet from sailing for Troy; it was only when Agamemnon promised to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia (pronounced if-uh-juh-NYE-uh) to the goddess that Artemis let them go.

In another myth, Artemis and Apollo defended the honor of their mother, Leto. A woman named Niobe (pronounced NYE-oh-bee), who had six sons and six daughters, boasted that her offspring outshone Leto's two children. Outraged, Leto sent Artemis and Apollo to punish Niobe. With their arrows, the twins shot and killed all of Niobe's children.

Artemis in Context

Like her brother Apollo, Artemis was a popular god among ancient Greeks. A fertility deity known as the “Lady of Ephesus” (pronounced EF-uh-suhs), worshipped by the people of Ephesus in Anatolia, or modern-day Turkey, was believed to be a foreign version of Artemis. The temple at Ephesus, built to honor Artemis, was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Artemis was regarded by the ancient Greeks as the goddess of the hunt. Hunting was an important part of ancient Greek life; although they developed sophisticated agriculture and animal domestication over the centuries, their cultural roots were closely tied to the hunting of wild animals as a means to survive. Hunters offered Artemis the heads, anders, or skins of their prey, and fishermen likewise offered parts of their catch to her. The close connection between hunting and warfare resulted in her worship as a goddess of warfare in some Greek states.

Artemis was a patroness of young girls, and herself was a virgin goddess. She differed from the other Greek virgin goddess, Athena , in that she was considered the goddess of girls before they married, whereas Athena's virginity was considered to be asexual (without a sexual orientation). The followers of Artemis are known as ”nymphs,” and girls old enough to be married danced and sang at festivals that honored Artemis; it was one of the few opportunities in Greek culture for unmarried men and women to mingle. When girls married, Artemis continued to watch over them—this time as they gave birth. Artemis decided whether a woman lived or died in childbirth, and the Greeks believed that her arrows caused women to die from disease.

Key Themes and Symbols

Artemis is considered the goddess of wild things and the hunt. Because of this, she is often described as being young, wearing clothes she can run in—possibly made of animal skins—and carrying a bow and quiver of arrows. Strangely, though she is a huntress, she is also associated with protecting the forest and the creatures in it. The sister or twin of Apollo, the god of the sun, Artemis sometimes wears a crescent moon on her forehead to symbolize her connection to the moon and lunar cycles like the tide, and women's mysteries and phases such as childbirth, puberty, and motherhood.

Artemis in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

In works of art, Artemis is often shown carrying her bow and arrows, surrounded by her hounds. She appears in many literary works including Homer's Iliad, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and Euripides' Hippolytus.

More recendy, Artemis has appeared as a character in comic books published by both Marvel Comics and DC Comics, and the superhero-ine Wonder Woman is named Diana (the Roman name for Artemis) in honor of the goddess.