Artemis

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Artemis, Greek / Hellenic goddess. She was at times identified with other goddesses, e.g., the Roman "Diana", the Etruscan Artume, Hecate, and Selene.

Twin sister to Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto, Artemis was associated with the moon and described as "the huntress". She was the "goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women" Artemis held sacred deer and the cypress tree.

She had a team of women as fellow huntresses. These included Arethusa, Callisto,

She was associated in later times with Adonis, and with Orion. She transformed a boy, Sipriotes, into a girl (for seeing her nude, or attempting to rape her).

In some stories she rescued Iphigenia from a sacrificial altar, where she had been placed by her father, Agamemnon.

She saved the infant Atalanta, abandoned, by sending a female bear to nurse her and protect her.

Depictions

• Jane Yolen, "The Sleep of Trees" (printed in Sister Emily's Lightship) - Artemis as jealous lover of tree nymphs
• Lori Devoti, Amazon Ink and Amazon Queen - Artemis is subject of worship (not depicted directly)

Further reading

• wikipedia

References

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