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Artemis is a major deity in the ancient Greek religion, she is the virgin Goddess of the moon, hunting, archery, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, chastity and midwifery as well as the patron and protector of girls who watched over them until they married. She is a member of the Twelve Olympians alongside her twin brother, Apollo.
Genealogy and Family[]
Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the elder twin sister of the Olympian sun god, Apollo. She has many half siblings from her father's side including Ares, Hermes, Hephaestus, Persephone, Athena and The Nine Muses. Artemis never married nor had children of her own, choosing to be an eternal maiden like her aunt, Hestia and half sister, Athena.
Role and Significance[]
Artemis is one of the three moon goddesses with Selene and Hecate and she took the job of driving the moon chariot from the Titan Goddess and true personification of the moon-Selene. She is also the goddess of archery and hunting and the most talented archer on Olympus, Artemis is also considered both a slayer and protector of the animals of her land. Despite not being a mother herself, Artemis is a deity of midwifery and childbirth alongside Hera and Eileithyia this being established after she served as a midwife to her mother Leto when she gave birth to Apollo.
Artemis was worshipped throughout ancient Greece, with her multiple temples, altars, shrines, and local veneration found everywhere in the ancient world. Her great temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, before it was burnt to the ground.
Stories[]
Artemis' mother is Leto, the Titan Goddess of motherhood and womanly demure who became pregnant with her and Apollo by Zeus, King of the Gods, being one of his lovers. When Zeus' wife Hera found out of Leto's pregnancy she was infuriated and banned Leto from giving birth anywhere under the sun, whether that be on land or at sea. When she was heavily pregnant, Leto ran away to the island of Delos, a land her sister, Asteria had previously metamorphosised into to avoid Zeus' advances. On Delos, after a gruelling labour, Leto birthed Artemis, who delivered her twin brother, Apollo. Apollo and Artemis would grow fast and defend their mother- Leto with their bows and arrows from everyone Hera had sent to harm or kill Leto including the Giant, Tityus.
Artemis and Apollo eventually made it to Mount Olympus where Zeus offered Artemis six wishes he would grant for her, Artemis wished to never get married, to have a bow and set of arrows made by the Cyclopes and a knee-length hunting tunic to wear, to bring light to the world, have sixty nymphs for friends who would tend to her hounds, to have all the mountains as her domain and to have more names than her brother Apollo, Zeus fulfilled all these wishes and Artemis and Apollo when they were older were instated as members of The Twelve Olympians.
Other stories of Artemis recorded in Greek mythology include her escaping from two Giants who wanted to be with her- by turning herself into a deer to sneak past them; Artemis banishing her friend- Callisto from her group of eighty Nymphs and Virgins after discovering Callisto pregnant during a bath together and Artemis and Apollo murdering the children of a proud mortal woman-Niobe, who bragged about having more children than the Goddess Leto, (with Niobe having 14 and Leto having 2)- with these deaths leaving Niobe so distraught that the gods transformed her into a mountain.
Stories of Artemis punishing people include her transforming a Cretan Hero, Siproites into a woman, after he saw her bathing naked during one of his hunts. Artemis turning another young hunter, Actaeon into a deer stag, after he stumbled upon the goddess bathing in a spring, with him ending up being pursued and killed by his own 50 hounds. And Artemis requesting the help of the goddess of retribution, Nemesis to punish her close companion, Aura, the Titan Goddess of the Breeze, after she voiced her doubt of Artemis' virginity due to her womanly figure, with Nemesis making Dionysus lust after and rape Aura. Another story where Artemis punished a mortal is where Artemis made it impossible for the hero, Agamemnon and his troops set sail at sea, after he offended Artemis, for hunting and killing one of the goddesses' sacred stags along his journey, where he is told that he must sacrifice his own daughter to please Artemis and get the necessary wind, Agamemnon realizes the horror of killing his own daughter but must not dismiss the idea because his troops are getting anxious and might rebel against him. Agamemnon decides to send a message to his wife to send their daughter to Aulis for marriage to Achilles before he leaves for battle. Artemis was also responsible for sending out the Calydonian Boar to ravage the the region of Calydon in Aetolia, because its king Oeneus had failed to honour her in his rites to the gods. The Calydonian Boar was eventually slayed by Meleager, a prince of Calydon and Atalanta, a devotee of Artemis.
Stories of Artemis blessing people include: her rewarding her half sister, the Cretan virgin huntress, Britomartis with immortality for her chastity. Britomartis who was sought after by King Minos of Crete (who wanted to seduce her) ran away to the sea where fishermen found her and carried her away to the island of Crete; where Artemis rewarded her. Britomartis would also join Artemis as one of her companions and attendants. Granting immortality to mortals is no standalone event for Artemis, she also brought Aspalis, a girl of Phthiotis back to life with immortality, after she died, who became the protecting temple spirit of goddess' shrine in Phthian Melite. Artemis turned three Hyperborean maidens: Hecaerge, Loxo & Upis into immortals after their deaths on the island of Delos, where they tended the goddess' shrine there, Artemis also blessed a woman of Thebes or Attica, Makaria-Eucleia with immortality after she sacrificed herself for her family. Two princesses of Lakedaimonia, Phylonoe and Polyboia were also made immortal by Artemis. In the accounts, all these figures also became companions and attendants of the goddess too.
Even though she swore an oath of lifelong virginity, Artemis would become close to the Giant, Orion and they fell in love. However their romance would have a tragic end, with Apollo being against this love affair and devising a plan. One day, while Orion was swimming in a lake with his head barely visible, Apollo went to his sister and challenged her skills as an archer. To prove him wrong, he told her to shoot at Orion's head, whom Artemis barely recognised, as there was a considerable distance between them and Artemis hit the target, unknowingly killing her lover.
Titles and Epithets[]
Artemis had many epithets some are:
- Agrotera meaning 'the huntress'.
- Alphaea which was derived from Alphaeus, the name of a river god who loved her.
- Angelos meaning 'messenger' which was used by worshippers in Syracuse.
- Apanomache meaning 'the strangled goddess'.
- Aricina, derived from Aricia in Latium a town devoted to her worship.
- Aristo meaning 'the best' which was exclusively used in Athens.
- Calliste, meaning 'most beautiful' which was used in Athens and Tegea.
- Craenaea, derived from the name of a temple on a hill near Elateia in Phocis.
- Cynthia, derived from the Mountain Cynthus, a landmark of Delos- Artemis' birthplace.
- Delia, derived from Delos.
- Heurippe meaning 'the finder of horses'.
- Hemeresia meaning 'the soothing goddess', which was used in worship at the well of Lusi.
- Imbraia or Imbrasia deriving from the River Imbrasus in Samos, on which the goddess was believed to have been born.
- Locheia, meaning the 'protectress of women in childbed.'
- Munychia derived from the name of an Attic port town, Munychia, where she had a temple.
- Parthenia meaning 'the maiden' which is said to have derived from the river, Parthenius.
- Soteria meaning 'the saving goddess'
- Taurica meaning 'the Taurian goddess'
- Thoantea, a surname derived from King Thoas of Tauris.
A few Poetic titles for Artemis were Potnia Theron meaning 'Queen of Beasts', Letois meaning 'daughter of Leto', Iokheaira meaning 'of showering arrows', Hagne meaning 'chaste, pure', Parthenos meaning 'virgin, maiden', Elaphebolos meaning 'dear shooting' and Khrysothronos meaning 'of the golden throne'. Some of her cult titles were Diktynnaia meaning 'of the hunting nets', Elaphiaia meaning 'of the deer', Kedreatis meaning 'of the cedar tree', Karyatis meaning 'of the walnut tree', Limnatis meaning 'of the lake', Eurynome meaning 'of the broad pastures', Paidotrophos meaning 'nurse of children', Philomeirax meaning 'friend of young girls', Orsilokhia meaning 'Helper of Childbirth and Selasphoros meaning 'light bringer'.
Symbols[]
Artemis' symbols are a bow and arrows, the crescent moon, animal pelts, a spear, knives, a torch, lyre and the amaranth shrub, her sacred animals are the deer, serpent, dog, boar, goat, bear, quail, buzzard and any guineafowl.
Appearance[]
Artemis takes the form of an eternally young, beautiful woman, wearing a knee length robe that leaves her legs free, she carries a bow and arrows everywhere. Her bow is in the shape of a crescent moon
Personality[]
Artemis is strong, loyal, brave, blunt, impulsive, encouraging, daring, witty and independent. She takes pride in being the most tough of the goddesses.
Artemis is a formidable warrior. She is friendly and kind to her allies, benevolent to her followers but harsh when crossed. She has been known to punish people who offend her, like Aura. She is also fiercely protective of her modesty, an example of this being when a hunter named Actaeon found her bathing, she turned him into a stag and let his hunting dogs rip him apart.
Weaknesses[]
Artemis is often too brave, so she doesn't think before she acts. She can be headstrong, foolish and has animal-like impulses.
Relationships[]
Zeus- Zeus is the father of Artemis, whilst not being present or helping her, her brother and mother in Artemis' very early life, such as during their harsh journey from Delos, once Artemis made it to Mount Olympus he warmly welcomed the young goddess and granted her her six heart's desires. Artemis and Zeus grew close to each other, living beside each other on Mount Olympus. With Artemis becoming a member of the Twelve Olympians, she and Zeus see each other and interact regularly. It is assured that Zeus and Artemis have grown a loving relationship.
Leto- Leto is Artemis' beloved mother, who birthed Artemis alone and without any help from the other deities, the two quickly grew a strong and passionate bond as mother and daughter. Artemis assisted Leto in the birth of her brother, Apollo, serving as her midwife. During the family's journey home from Delos (where Leto had birthed her twin son and daughter away from a dangerous Hera), many people sent by Hera tried to attack Leto, but were unsuccessful with Apollo and Artemis growing rapidly from birth and shooting down with their bows and arrows anyone who approached Leto with harmful intentions. After making it to Mount Olympus, Leto and her children became safe thanks to Zeus who in some accounts married Leto. Leto would go on to join Artemis in her countryside abodes and accompany her on her adventures. Artemis and Apollo's protective instincts towards Leto never wavered, as just by a mortal Niobe bragging about having more children than Leto's 2, Artemis and Apollo went out to slay all of Niobe's seven daughters and seven sons.
Apollo- Apollo is Artemis' twin brother. The two have been close from the very start, with Artemis assisting her mother in giving birth to Apollo. The two would travel from Delos (their birthplace) to Mount Olympus with Leto where the twins helped each other shoot down all of the dangerous monsters sent by Hera with their arrows. The two would join The Twelve Olympians together too, thus they always work together. Despite their striking differences in personalities and duties, they have a strong bond of love as siblings. Apollo is also very protective of Artemis, even as adults, as he once tried to stop Artemis from pursuing her romance with Orion, in the respect of the vow she made to be a virgin goddess.
Athena- Athena is Artemis' paternal half sister, friend and fellow member of the Twelve Olympians, as such the two work together regularly. Athena and Artemis have several big similarities: both of them are daughters of Zeus, virgin goddesses dedicated to their duties and active, skilled warriors. However whilst Athena is a goddess associated with the countryside and the wild, Athena is a city enthusiast.
Hestia- Hestia is Artemis' aunt. Both are maidens. Overall, they get along very well and respect each other, despite being very different in personality.
Orion- Orion was a giant, he became a hunting companion to the goddess and later the two fell in love, despite Artemis being an eternal maiden. Apollo however was against their romance and tricked Artemis into shooting his head, upon realising she had unintentionally killed her love, Artemis had Orion turned into a constellation, either by Zeus or by using her own powers.
Nymphs- Artemis is a friend to most Nymphs, who are usually shy creatures who avoid people not of their kind, showing that Artemis gained their trust and kindness, due to her efforts.
The Nymphs closest to Artemis are her constant companions: The Amnisiades, twenty maiden Naiad-nymph daughters of the river-god Amninos (in Krete), sixty maiden Oceanid Nymphs, who make up the core of her retinue, The Hyperborean maidens: Oupis, Hekaerge and Loxo and Artemis' half sister, Britomartis, a virgin Goddess of hunting, fishing and fowling nets, who serve as her attendants.
Former companions of Artemis who are/were Nymphs include Arethusa, a Naiad Nymph, who became the goddess' sacred spring in Sicily, Syrinx, a wood Nymph known for her chastity, who turned into a reed during her escape from the satyr god, Pan, who wanted to seduce her. Beroe, the Nymph goddess of Beirut also joined Artemis in her hunts, until she married to Poseidon. For more information you can see the Companions of Artemis page.
Artemis' entourage of Virgins- More of Artemis' companions are a group of virgin mortal women who made an oath of chastity to join this group. These ladies join Artemis and also help and assist the goddess in her duties alongside Nymphs. Callisto was a member of this group.
Animals[]
Artemis is a goddess of nature, who rules supreme over wild animals. She is considered both a protector and a slayer of animals with some being more important to her than others.
Sacred Animals- Artemis keeps a number of Deer who are her sacred steeds and has her own pack of hunting dogs. She most likely has other animal companions too.
Other[]
Aura- Aura, a maiden goddess was a first cousin and companion to Artemis, who was proud of her virginity, so much so that she compared herself to Artemis, proclaiming Artemis' body to be too womanly for her to be a virgin compared to Aura with her boyish figure. This offended Artemis, who visited Nemesis, goddess of Retribution, to ask her to punish Aura. Nemesis would cause Dionysus to fall madly in love with Aura, who ravished her, causing her to become pregnant, ashamed and angry she killed one of her sons after he was born, whilst the other, who would be named Iacchus was carried away to safety. Later on Aura was put to peace, being turned into a spring by Zeus.
Humans- Artemis is benevolent to her followers and willing to bless humans that please her. She was recorded to have kept favourites such as Atalanta. Artemis even granted several human females who impressed her immortality, rewarding them for their noble sacrifice.
On the other hand she could be harsh and brutal to those who offended her. Examples of this include when she commanded a mortal King, Agaememnon to sacrifice his daughter Aulis to her, after he accidentally killed one of Artemis' sacred stags; but she would end up sparing Aulis' life, with this being done in order to teach Agaememnon a lesson and her sending the Calydonian Boar to ravage Calydon, after their King Oeneus disrespected her.She gave a human hunter, Actaeon a brutal fate- by turning him into a deer who was torn apart by his hunting hounds, just because he stumbled on her bathing naked during his hunting trip. Artemis would even kill the innocent daughters of Niobe a mortal queen, because Niobe boasted about having more children than Leto (Artemis' mother).She also abandoned one of her followers, Callisto, because she had lost her virginity, noticing this through her pregnant stomach, being completely unaware that Callisto had been raped by Zeus. This shows Artemis takes her human companions' oaths of chastity to her very seriously. Overall it seems Artemis sees humans as completely inferior to the Gods, expects their respect and sees no wrong in destroying their land, killing their loved ones or killing them if they offend her. The more a human being pleases her, the more she respects and values them.
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Skills and Abilities[]
- As a major goddess, Artemis has eternal youth and immortality. She is incapable of dying and is immune to any illnesses and diseases humans may suffer with, she also does not require sleep.
- Artemis is extremely resourceful and can make a bow and arrow with sticks.
- Artemis has premium and superior vision. She can shoot a perfect shot miles away.
- She is the goddess of childbirth, despite her virginity.
Gallery[]
Artemis' gallery can be found here.
Trivia[]
Artemis' name is spelt Αρτεμις.
Her Roman name is Diana.
Based on mythology, she is most likely heteroromantic and asexual, as shown with her romantic relationship with Orion, a giant hunter.
Monthly Update[]
Artemis has been chosen to be this Wikia's theme in the coming months.
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