Artemis Callisto

Through the use of various texts, Artemis, has been shaped as a complex Olympian—often inhabiting spheres of power that seemingly oppose one another. Such contradictions were not inherent to her patrons, but also included the aspects of her personality. The inconsistencies in character are first seen in her birth—where she gains her first patron, childbirth. Yet later on requests to protect her chastity and never marry or have children. This occurs again in her personality which depicts her as very loving and protective of nature, but vindictive against most humans that cross her—intentionally or not. In these inconsistencies the Greek myths depict a goddess formed into a complex and therefore more realistic goddess and person. The powers

Though they did nothing but happen to be related to a woman who slighted her mother, Artemis has no care for cutting down three innocent young women. Another illustration of this complex personality is seen in the myth of Callisto, in which a young and devout follower of Artemis is raped by Jupiter, and in doing so loses her purity. Ashamed to tell Artemis of the event Callisto tries to hide what occurred but unfortunately discovers she is with child. When this is discovered rather than try to help or understand what occurred Artemis rejects her: “‘Be off from here! Do not defile these sacred waters!’ and expelled her from her band.” (Ovid Book II lines 453-465). Here Artemis shows little fealty to a follower who was mentioned to be pious and favorited among her maidens. Yet when the rape occurs, from which Callisto is said to have fought with all her might, she is abandoned because of something that is in no way her fault. This incident is confusing in that though she shows little loyalty to her mortal follower, she shows it fiercely to her other parent, Zeus (or Jupiter in this depiction). For even when he rapes her maiden, she does not show anger or blame towards him. This loyalty that Artemis is claimed to have appears conditional and not at all entirely stable, as depicted in Euripides’ Hippolytus, where the protagonist of the same name as the title angers Aphrodite in his vows to be chaste. Taking this as hubris, Aphrodite curses his step-mother to fall in love with him—her subsequent shame drives her to kill herself and leaves a false note incriminating Hippolytus. His father then curses him to death, but is promised by Artemis for his piety to be given tribute by all maidens after his death. Though Artemis seems to be rewarding a follower of hers, but in this play Hippolytus also displays a hate for women in that the idea that he views them and