ARTEMISGREEK GODDESS

By

Tina Spencer

General Information

Artemis is the goddess of

chastity, virginity, the

hunt, the moon, and the

natural environment

She was the protector of

nature and the hunt; both

wild and tame animals

were under her protection.

She also protected the

agriculture and animal

herding.

MORE INFORMATION

Artemis was primarily a

virgin huntress,

goddess of wildlife and

patroness of hunters.

She was sometimes

associated with the

goddess of the moon.

She is the protector of

chastity and a nurturer

of the young.

BIRTH

Artemis was the

daughter of Zeus and

Leto.

Her twin brother is

Apollo.

She was born on the

island of Ortygia

(Delos).

Birth

Artemis was born a day

before Apollo.

She then served as a

guardian to him, which

provided a context for

her desire to protect

and nurture.

This also made her

become the protector of

childbirth and labor.

LIFE

Artemis asked her father

to grant her eternal

chastity and virginity, and

never gave in to any

potential lovers.

She was devoted to

hunting and nature, she

rejected marriage and

love.

She also protected the

agriculture and animal

herding

LifeArtemis acted out in

anger whenever her

wishes were disobeyed,

especially if anyone

transgressed against

the animals that were

sacred to her.

She punished

Agamemnon, for

example, when he killed

a stag in her sacred

grove.

Artemis spent most of

her time roaming the

forests with her nymphs

StoriesShe guarded her virginity

carefully. Actaeon and Orion tried

to dishonor or rape her, but

anyone who threatened her purity

met with a violent end.

When one of her nymphs was

seduced by Zeus, Artemis

transformed her into a bear and

then killed her.

Apollo and Artemis teamed up to

kill the children of Niobe. Niobe

bragged that she had birthed

more children than Leto (the

mother of Apollo and Artemis).

The twins then hunted her

children and killed them with their

bows and arrows.

Symbols

The symbols of Artemis

were the bow and the pike.

Her tree was the cedar and

her sacred animals were the

snake, the bear and the

deer.

 

She was sometimes

associated with the goddess

of the moon. Apollo was the

god of the Sun, whereas

Artemis' cult was connected

to the moon.

Other Names

Artemis is also called Diana.

Ariste ("perfect")

Calliste ("fairest”)

Caryatis ("of the walnut

tree”)

Cynthia ("of Mount Cynthus

in Delos, Greece”)

Ephesian ("from Ephesus”)

Kynigetis ("huntress")

Lochia ("patron of pregnant

women”)

Potnia theron

("lover/mistress of the

animals")

TodayArtemis was worshipped

widely in Greece but only

as a secondary deity.

A temple built in her honor

became one of the “Seven

Wonders of the Ancient

World.”

In art, Artemis is often

accompanied by a stag or

hunting dog.

"ARTEMIS." ARTEMIS. N.P., N.D. WEB. 27 APR. 2015. <HTTP://WWW.GREEKMYTHOLOGY.COM/OLYMPIANS/ARTEMIS/ARTEMIS.HTML>.

"ARTEMIS • FACTS AND INFORMATION ON GREEK GODDESS ARTEMIS." GREEK GODS & GODDESSES. N.P., N.D. WEB. 27 APR. 2015. <HTTP://GREEKGODSANDGODDESSES.NET/GODDESSES/ARTEMIS/>.

"OLYMPIAN GODS » ARTEMIS, THE GODDESS OF THE HUNT AND THE MOON." ARTEMIS, THE GREEK GODDESS OF THE HUNT AND THE MOON. N.P., N.D. WEB. 27 APR. 2015. <HTTP://WWW.GREEK-GODS.INFO/GREEK-GODS/ ARTEMIS/>.

Information Sources

"ARTEMIS PICTURE." , ARTEMIS IMAGE. N.P., N.D. WEB. 28 APR. 2015. <HTTP://WWW.GREEKMYTHOLOGY.COM/PICTURES/OLYMPIANS/ARTEMIS/19965/ ARTEMIS>.

"ARTEMIS PICTURE." N.P., N.D. WEB. 27 APR. 2015. <HTTP%3A%2F%2F354308253552654287.WEEBLY.COM%2F>.

FAN POP - FAN CLUBS FOR EVERYTHING. WHAT ARE YOU A FAN OF?" FANPOP - FAN CLUBS FOR EVERYTHING. WHAT ARE YOU A FAN OF? N.P., N.D. WEB. 28 APR. 2015. <HTTP://WWW.FANPOP.COM/>.

"ONEPIECETRAVEL - TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, TRAVEL, ATTRACTIONS, TOURISM, ATTRACTIONS, TRAVEL, TRAVEL GUIDES." ONEPIECETRAVEL – TOURIST ATTRACTIONS, TOURISM, TRAVEL GUIDES. N.P., N.D. WEB. 28 APR. 2015. <HTTP://WWW.ONEPIECETRAVEL.COM/>.

Images Sources