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ARTEMIS (Roman=Diana)
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One of the major Greek Olympian deities; the goddess of wild animals, hunting, and archery;
and the protector of children, particularly young girls. Deer, dogs, and the silver bow and
arrows were her symbols.. The daughter of Zeus and Leto, one of the Titans, Artemis was the
twin sister of Apollo, god of prophecy. Leto gave birth to the twins on the island of Asteria,
which later became known as Delos. Zeus's wife, Hera, was naturally jealous of any female
children born to her husband by other women, so she often opposed or harassed Artemis. In
Homer's Iliad, for example, Hera insults and even strikes the younger Artemis, who runs to Zeus
in tears. She was a virgin and was fiercely proud of it, insisting that her attendants, usually
nymphs (minor nature goddesses), also remain virgins. She demanded this to the extent that
she would severely punish any of her attendants for losing their virginity, even if it was not their
fault. One example was Callisto, who was seduced by Zeus. Now one could say that she
could have said no, but how does one reject the king of the gods without being punished by
him? So, hoping that his attentions would not last long and that Artemis would not know,
Callisto acquiesced to Zeus. She, however, became pregnant (as most women who had
affairs with Zeus did) and could not hide the pregnancy from Artemis for long. Upon learning of
that the nymph had lost her virginity, Artemis, in a rage, turned her into a bear. Zeus could do
nothing about this, he, even with all his power, could not reverse the curse/power of another
god. So, he turned the girl and her child into constellations (ursa major = big bear and ursa
minor = little bear).
In most myths, Artemis continued to display considerable strength, determination, and even
ferocity. When a giant named Tityus tried to rape her mother, Artemis and Apollo slew him;
and when Niobe (a queen of Thebes) insulted Leto, the twins savagely and methodically used
their deadly arrows to kill the woman's children. Artemis also slew Orion, a giant hunter. (The
reasons varied from one ancient story to another and included, among others, his trying to
rape her or one of her attendants or his threatening to kill of all the animals in the world.) She
did, however, recognize Orion’s talent and immortalized him in the stars by making the his
essence into a constellation. In addition, during the famous battle between the gods and
giants Artemis defeated and killed a giant named Gration.
Artemis was no less formidable in dealing with mortals who crossed her in some way. When, for
example, Actaeon (grandson of Apollo) saw the goddess bathing naked, she turned him into
a stag, which Actaeon's own dogs then attacked and killed. Artemis also punished Oeneus,
king of Calydon (in western Greece). When he neglected to perform her rituals at an
important religious festival, she unleashed a giant boar (Caledonian Boar) that terrorized the
local countryside. This boar would eventually be killed and its pelt given to Artemis by the only
Greek female hero, and Artemis worshipper, Atalanta. One of the most famous incidents
involving punishment by and appeasement of Artemis took place at the outset of the Trojan
War. Agamemnon, leader of the Greek expedition, displeased the goddess (the reason
varying from story to story), and in return she demanded that he sacrifice his daughter,
Iphigenia, by throwing her off a cliff of Mycenae (Agamemnon’s lands). This would be the only
way to obtain the fair winds needed to launch his ships toward Troy. The power hungry
Agamemnon did so and would earn great fame and fortune from the Trojan war, but would
also suffer great tragedies. Although many thought it was cruel for the goddess to demand
the sacrifice of Iphegenia, Artemis did not allow the young virgin to die. Letting Agamemnon
believe that she had fallen to her death, Artemis swept in at the last second and saved the
falling girl and took her to a far off land where she lived a full and happy life.