Artemis Greek Mythology

“Artemis” Gods, Goddesses, and Mythology. Ed. C. Scott Littleton. New York: Marshall
Cavendish Corporation. 2005. 156-160. Print.
In Greek mythology, Artemis is depicted as a woman old enough to marry, who is dressed in a huntress’s garb, and she is often seen with a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. Often she would be hunting with her nymphs in the mountains. She was described as being very aloof, and quick to anger. The origins of her legends may be farther east than Greece, as her name is mentioned among the Lydian gods, who were in what is now Modern Turkey. Lions would accompany her in pieces of art, and Homer called her “the Mistress of Animals.” She was Apollo’s twin, and the daughter of the titan Leto, and the god Zeus, and given

birth to on the island of Delos. One legend said that the mother of Artemis, Leto, didn’t have any pain while she was giving birth Artemis, but Leto did experience pain during the birth of Apollo. Zeus asked Artemis to remain unwed, and she had 60 9-year old nymphs as companions,all of whom were about 9-years old. She also had 12 nymphs of marriageable age as handmaids, who took care of her bow, arrows, etc. Every man who had wanted to marry her, that was documented, met a terrible fate at her hands. One day the great general, Agamemnon, shot a deer, and boasted that not even Artemis herself could have made a better shot. As punishment for insulting her, Artemis told him to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigeneia, or they would not have good fortune at Troy. While Iphigeneia was on the altar, Artemis replaced her with a doe, and Artemis made her a priestess. Artemis was called Diana by the Romans, and if a woman dies of disease, she is said to be ‘killed by the arrows of Artemis’.
Daly, Kathleen N. “Artemis” Greek and Roman Mythology A-Z, . Revised by Marian Rengel. Mythology A-Z. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2004. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts on File. Web. 7 October 2014.
Artemis was the goddess of both childbirth and chastity in Greek Mythology, and was sometimes associated with the moon goddess.

She was an Olympian god and the twin sister of Apollo. Her origins are found in the Earth Mother Mythologies. She was wild and used her bow and arrows to wield destruction. Her weapons were forged by Hephaestus and she could cause deadly disease in animals. Known to the Romans as Diana, she was also the Deity of Sudden Death. Despite legends of her cruelty, she could also be benevolent, helpful to mothers in childbirth and, similar to her brother Apollo, she loved music and dance. If any of her nymphs fell in love, Artemis would punish them. One of her nymphs, Callisto, was turned into a she-bear after she had her child. Two giants called the Aloeids swore to capture Artemis and Hera, so Artemis turned herself as a white doe and ran between the Aloeids. They shot at her, trying to kill her, but she moved away and they ended up killing each other. One woman named Niobe had given birth to 12 boys and girls, and said she was superior to Leto, who had only given birth to two children. As punishment, Leto sent Apollo and Artemis kill all of Niobe’s children. Artemis eventually fell in love with a man named Orion, and possibly to save her chastity, or because he was jealous of her love for Orion, One day, Apollo tricked her into killing Orion when he was swimming far from shore. Apollo challenged Artemis to hit a rock that was out in the

distance, but it was actually Orion. He just looked like a rock from far away
Leadbetter, Ron. “Artemis.” Encyclopedia Mythica. 3 March 1997. Encyclopedia Mythica. 8 October 2014. Web.
Artemis was the twin of Apollo, and the daughter of Leto and the Olympian, Zeus.

Her image was frequently shown with a crescent moon over her head, and she was also identified with the moon goddess. Artemis was an Olympian, and a virgin goddess, and she hunted with her nymphs in the mountains. Her bow was made by Hephaestus and the Cyclopes. In one legend, she was born a day before Apollo, on the island of Ortygia, then helped walk her mother to Delos, where Leto gave birth to Apollo. A man named Orion tried to dishonor her at one point, so she sent a scorpion to end his life. Orion was turned into a constellation, and the scorpion was turned into Scorpio. Artemis was both possessive and protective of her animals. Before sailing to Troy, Agamemnon killed a doe. This happened in Artemis’ sacred grove. As punishment, she stopped the winds from blowing and vowed that she would only give them back if Agamemnon agreed to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Niobe, a mother of 12 children, claimed she was superior to Leto, since Leto had only birthed two children. As punishment, Artemis and Apollo killed all of Niobe’s children. Apollo killed Niobe’s boys, while Artemis killed her girls. Artemis was worshipped as a secondary deity in most cities, but was prominent in the city of Ephesus. A temple to Artemis was built in Ephesus, and this became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Artemis had many epithets such as Potnia Theron (mistress of wild animals),

Kourotrophos (nurse of youths), Locheia (helper in childbirth), Agrotera (huntress), and Cynthia (taken from her birthplace of Mt. Cynthus on Delos).
Wilkinson, Philip. “The Olympian.” Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology. Ed. Maggie Prowley. Melbourne: DK Publishing, 2007. 56. Print.
Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo, and she was also the goddess of Hunting. Her brother, Apollo, was the one who pulled the sun across the sky. Artemis was an Olympian and she was often depicted as an innocent and young girl with a bow and arrows. Although she hunted animals with her bow, she respected all animals, and she loved the animals in her care. She also protected all young animals. Although she was supposed to be young and protective, Artemis was also known for becoming very angry when threatened. The people of Ephesus, which is now in modern day Turkey, were Lydians and they worshipped Artemis as their primary god. Her temple in Ephesus is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. It is one of the seven wonders because it is amazing that ancient architects were able to build the temple without modern-day technology. The Lydians worshipped Artemis as the goddess of childbirth.