Artemis

In Greek mythology, Artemis embodies the goddess of the hunt and the moon. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin brother of the god Apollo. She is the protector of forests and wild animals. She could give sickness and death to mortals, but she could also heal them.

Artemis was born one day before her brother Apollo to help her mother give birth to him. From then on, she was considered the protector of mothers (Artemis Eileithyia). She was very beautiful from birth, so much so that every god fell in love with her. That is also why she requested these gifts from Zeus - eternal virginity, a bow and arrows, a retinue of sea nymphs and a retinue of river fish. The fish served to care for her clothes.

When Artemis was bathing, Actaeon came to her. When Artemis saw him, she turned him into a deer and set his own dogs on him. All the time they were looking for their master, even after they had killed Actaeon, who had been turned into a deer. The myth claims that the centaur Chiron then had to make a statue of Actaeon to assuage their grief.

In another myth, Artemis fell in love with Orion. However, this did not please her brother Apollo, so he secretly turned Orion into the target of a shooting contest between him and Artemis. Artemis hit the point safely, killing Orion. Upon learning this fact, Artemis deposited Orion's body in the heavens, creating the eponymous constellation.

But if anyone forgot her sacrifice, they were severely punished. So says the myth of Meleager, in which Artemis sent a terrible boar upon his city. It destroyed crops and everything in its path.

Artemis also took revenge on Niobe. In fact, Niobe bragged to Leto about the number of her children, because she had seven sons and seven daughters and Leto only had Apollo and Artemis. The vengeance was cruel, for at one point Artemis killed six of Niobé's daughters with an arrow (except Niobé and the last daughter - they were then petrified) and Apollo killed all her sons.

← Ares Athena →

back