(Greek name)

or

 

(Roman name)

 

Artemis, with her bow and arrow

http://www.archeryhaven.com/Archers/Pictures/Artemis.jpg

 

 

 

 

The remains of the temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world located in Ephesus, Turkey

http://www.bibleplaces.com/images/Sardis_Temple_of_Artemis4_tb_n010700.jpg

 

 

 

Goddess of...?

-the hunt

-the wilderness and wild animals

-childbirth

-light

-the moon

 

 

Parents:

Artemis and Apollo, her identical twin, are the offsprings of Zeus and Leto.

 

 

Her twin:

Apollo is Artemis's identical twin. He's god of the sun and music.^[1]

 

 

The birth of Artemis:

In one story, Zeus and Hera are married, but Zeus also has a relationship with Leto. Leto's constant suffering resulted in Hera's jeolousy. Leto was unable to find  a place to deliver her children because Hera made sure the serpent, Pythos, was always on her tail. She wondered around and eventually found the island, Ortygia and gave birth to Artemis. The second Artemis was born, she was able to act as a midwife and help out Leto with Apollo's birth in Delos. Because of Artemis's childbirth experience, pregnant women in ancient Greece would pray to Artemis to ensure a healthy delivery.^[2]

 

 

 Traits:

-protective

-possessive

-loyal

-competitive

-vigorous

-wild

-caring

-focused

-fierceful

-vengeful

-confident

-courageous

*Artemis is well known for her two-sided characteristic. For example, she can be extremely caring and protective to her sacred animals and to pregnant women, but on the other hand, Artemis can be rather fierce and vengeful when someone does something that displeases her*^[3]

 

 

What she does:

-wanders the woods

-ensures the well-being of the animals

-ensures the safe reproduction of animals and people

-hunts deer, lions, panthers, etc.^[4]

 

 

 

Her wish:

When Artemis was very young, she knew what she wanted for the rest of her immortal life, so she asked Zeus. She wanted to remain a virgin for the rest of eternity and always be a free and wild spirit that roams the woods. She also wanted to be as well known as Apollo, a bow and arrows, a hunting outfit, and the ability to bring light. Zeus gave her those things and also gave her fifty nymphs and a pack of hunting hounds to accompany her.^[5]

 

Symbols:

-her bow and arrow

-the nymphs

- wild animals (deer, hounds, bear)

-the moon^[6]

 

A major myth that Artemis is part of:

 

-the myth of Orion:

 

the constellation, Orion

http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/Orion.jpg 

 

 

 

One of the more well-known stories that Artemis plays a huge role in is the myth of Orion. There are many versions of the myth of Orion. One version is that Artemis fell in love with him. Because Apollo felt that he's not getting enough attention from Artemis, he decided to do something horrible. When Orion was swimming, Apollo stated that Artemis couldn't hit the object in the distance (Orion). Because Artemis loves being challenged and knows that she's skilled and dexterous enough to hit the target accurately, she released her arrow. Little did she know that what she aimed at was the head of Orion. She later discovered this stunning truth when the dead body of Orion got washed up on the shore. To honor Orion, she took him into the skies and made him a constellation. She chose a dark place so that the constellation, Orion, will be the brightest thing.^[7]