Artemis

AR teh mes

Αρτεμις

Artemeda

ar TEH metha

Αρτεμεδα

The Virgin Goddess of the Hunt

Daughter of Zeus and Leto

Artemis and Apollon are the children of Zeus and Leto ... both are associated with the bow ... Apollon is said to use the curved bow and Artemis uses the silver bow. She is one of only three goddesses who are immune to the enchantments of Aphrodite (goddess of Love) ... the other two are Histia (Hestia) and Athene (Athena).

Artemis is a friend to mortals, and dances through the countryside in her silver sandals giving her divine protection to the wild beasts, particularly the very young. She rides her silver chariot across the sky and shoots her arrows of silver moonlight to the earth below.

When Apollon leaves his shrine in Pytho and travels to Mount Olympos (Olympus), the other gods and goddesses gather to hear the beautiful music he plays on the lyre. He sings with the Muses of the unending gifts the Immortals enjoy and the mortal plight of the people who must endure the pains of illness and the failings of old age. Hebe (goddess of Youth), the Graces, the Seasons, Harmonia and Aphrodite join hands and dance ... the goddess Artemis, tall and enviable, sings to her brother's irresistible melodies.

Artemis, like the other Olympians, has favorites among the mortals but she could not protect the fine huntsman, Skamandros (Scamander), from the spear of Menelaos (Menelaus) at the battle for the city of Troy.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus was told the story of a wonderful island named Syria, where hunger and grim old age have no dominion. When the Fates determined that the noble inhabitants of this island were at the end of their lives, Artemis and Apollon would swoop down and painlessly kill them with their arrows.

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Artemis and Niobe

Unlike her brother Apollon, Artemis is not skilled in war-craft but she can punish and kill as the will of Zeus dictates. In The Iliad her mother Leto was insulted by a woman named Niobe. Niobe boasted that she had twelve children and Leto only had two. As punishment, Apollon killed Niobe's six sons and Artemis killed her six daughters ... the bloody bodies of the children laid exposed for nine days before Zeus allowed the other Olympians to bury them. Niobe was turned into stone on the slopes of Mount Sipylos near the waters of Achelous, in which state she still weeps over her loss.

Artemis and Apollon killing the children of Niobe.

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Artemis and Herakles

Herakles (Heracles) encountered Apollon and Artemis while he was completing his Third Labor, the capturing of the Keryneian Hind. At the command of his cousin Eurystheus, Herakles was required to capture a deer with golden horns and return the sacred beast to Mycenae. The Keryneian Hind was sacred to Artemis and was named after a Peloponnesian river. Herakles spent a year searching for the elusive deer before he was able to capture it.

While returning the hind to Eurystheus, Herakles encountered Apollon and Artemis. They demanded the return of the sacred creature but Herakles successfully argued the justice of his quest and was allowed to complete his Labor with the blessings of Apollon and Artemis.

Artemis, Herakles and Apollon with the Keryneian Hind.

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Artemis and Orion

The hunter Orion encountered Artemis and Leto on the island of Crete ... he had been recently punished with blindness and then healed but he learned nothing from the ordeal ... his vanity and brutality remained his trademark. While hunting with Artemis and Leto, Orion threatened to kill every wild beast on the earth. Gaia (Earth) was so annoyed with Orion that she sent a giant scorpion to sting and kill him. Artemis and Leto prayed to Zeus that Orion be put in the heavens as a major constellation to honor his manliness and there he remains today with the scorpion beside him.

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Artemis and Agamemnon

The preparations for the siege of Troy were well under way when the Greek fleet rendezvoused at the port town of Aulis. While at Aulis, Agamemnon offended the Artemis. As punishment for Agamemnon's offence, Boreas (North Wind) would not let the ships leave the harbor. The seer, Kalchas (Calchas), said that unless Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia (Iphigeneia), to Artemis, the fleet would not be allowed to leave. Agamemnon had Iphigenia (or perhaps her name was Iphianassa), brought to Aulis on the pretext that she was to marry Achilles. When the time for the sacrifice came, Artemis took Iphigenia from the altar and substituted a stag in her stead. Artemis transported Iphigenia to Tauris where she became an immortal priestess to the goddess. Iphianassa was thus saved from the cruel sacrifice but this incident set the stage for Agamemnon's tragic homecoming at the end of the Trojan War.

Agamemnon's wife Klytemnestra (Clytemnestra) learned of the attempt to sacrifice Iphigenia to Artemis and, coupled with the lonely neglect of Agamemnon's ten year absence, decided to kill him when he returned from Troy. Upon his triumphant return, Agamemnon paid no heed to the dire warnings from the ghost of Achilles or king Priam's daughter, Kassandra (Cassandra). He entered his palace oblivious to his fate and was brutally murdered by Klytemnestra.

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The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Perhaps the most glorious tribute to Artemis was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. The temple was so magnificent it was listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The site on which the Temple of Artemis was built had been a center of worship for an Anatolian Mother Goddess since prehistoric times. When King Kroesus (Croesus) of Lydia conquered Karia (Caria), of which Ephesus was the primary city, he built the first Temple of Artemis on the ruins if the Mother Goddess temple which was on the estuary of the Cayster River (modern Kucuk Menderes). Construction began circa 560 BCE, under the supervision of the engineer/architect Chersiphron.

The temple was utterly destroyed in 356 BCE when a man named Herostratus set fire to the wooden roof. The heat from the flames was so intense that the building, although mostly constructed of marble, was ruined. Herostratus is reputed to have arrogantly boasted that the men who built the temple would be forgotten but he would always be remembered as the man who destroyed it.

The new temple was gigantic by Greek standards and was larger than the Parthenon at Athens or the Temple of Zeus at Olympia. The temple was built on the same site as the previous temples and although the proposed design was traditional, the scope and budget surpassed any previous construction project except for those in Egypt and Babylon. The new temple was a massive structure and measured 425 feet (130 meters) in length and 225 feet (78 meters) wide; the 60 foot (18 meter) columns were set on a 10 foot (3 meter) base and surmounted by a wooden roof that added another 20 feet (6 meters) to the overall height. The base of the temple had fourteen pairs of columns on each side and six pairs on each end.

A gold and ivory statue of Artemis was the centerpiece of the temple but there were numerous other statues decorating the interior and exterior. The building was surrounded by beautifully landscaped gardens and glades full of wild beasts suitable for the habitat of Artemis as the Goddess of the Hunt.

The temple supported a large staff of musicians as well as a choir and was well financed by Persian and Greek benefactors. The temple was a magnet for travelers and pilgrims not only because of its grandiose beauty but also because of its location in Asia Minor rather than on the Greek mainland. Persians, Greeks and Europeans revered the goddess Artemis and found a commonality in her worship.

The city of Ephesus was devoted to the goddess and each spring there was a festival in her honor where contributions of jewels, gold, silver, silk and other valuable gifts were presented to the priests and priestesses. The city of Ephesus and the temple were plundered in 262 CE by the Goths. The temple was rebuilt but never restored to its former grandeur. Finally, in 401 CE, the Patriarch of Constantinople supervised the utter destruction of the temple. The remaining temple artifacts were looted and the massive stones were used to build churches and civic buildings.

After hundreds of years of peaceful splendor, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus became relegated to the mist of legend and the once powerful symbol of Greek culture was doomed to be lost in time until the ruins were finally excavated in 1858 CE by the English engineer, John T. Wood.

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Artemis is sometimes confused with the Roman goddess, Diana.

Artemis and Apollon

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Artemis in The Iliad

(listed by book and line)

The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Wyatt translations of The Iliad. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Lattimore (ISBN 0226469409); A.T. Murray/William F. Wyatt Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995791 and 0674995805); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374529051); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140275363)

• 05.051 - Artemis taught the Trojan, Skamandrios (Scamander), how to strike down all wild things in the mountain forest
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• 05.053 - Artemis of the showering arrows could not help Skamandrios (Scamander) when he was killed at Troy
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• 05.447 - Artemis and Leto heal Aineias (Aeneas)
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• 06.205 - Glaukos (Glaucus) related the story of how Artemis killed Laodameia, the daughter of Bellerophontes (Bellerophon)
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• 06.427 - Artemis killed Andromache's mother after Achilles had released her for ransom
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• 09.532 - Artemis, of the golden chair, was angered at Oineus (Oeneus) for neglecting her in sacrifice and sent a boar to ravage the countryside
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• 09.536 - Artemis, the daughter of great Zeus, was denied the first fruits by Oineus (Oeneus)
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• 09.538 - Artemis is called 'Lady of Arrows'
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• 09.547 - Artemis caused great anger when the boar was dead and the hunters argued over possession of the boar's head
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• 16.183 - Hermes fell in love with Polymele when he saw her dancing in the choir of clamorous Artemis
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• 19.059 - Achilles wishes that Artemis had killed Briseis instead of letting her become a point of dissention between himself and Agamemnon
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• 20.040 - Apollon, Artemis, Aphrodite, Leto and Xanthos (Xanthus) fought on the side of the Trojans
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• 20.071 - Artemis of the showering arrows stood against Hera when the Immortals entered the battle for Troy
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• 21.470 - Apollon's sister, Artemis, scolds him for not fighting Poseidon
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• 21.472 - Artemis refers to Apollon as 'striker from afar'
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• 21.480 - Hera says that Artemis is shameless and bold for daring to stand against her in battle
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• 21.491 - Hera grabs Artemis and knocks the bow and arrows from her shoulder; Artemis flees in tears
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• 21.505 - Artemis, the maiden, bowed at the feet of Zeus
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• 21.509 - Zeus speaks to Artemis and asks which of the gods has shamed her
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• 21.511 - Artemis answers Zeus and says that Hera hit her during the fighting at Troy
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• 24.604 - Achilles tells Priam about how Apollon had killed Niobe's sons and Artemis had killed her daughters

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Artemis in The Odyssey

(listed by book and line)

The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Dimock translations of The Odyssey. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Richmond Lattimore (ISBN 0060931957); A.T. Murray/George E. Dimock Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995619 and 0674995627); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374525749); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140268863)

• 05.123 - Kalypso (Calypso) reminds Hermes how chaste Artemis had killed Orion with her painless arrows because he was the lover of Eos (Dawn)
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• 06.102 - Nausikaa was dancing like Artemis
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• 06.107 - Artemis dances with the nymphs in the mountains
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• 06.151 - Odysseus compares Nausikaa with the goddess Artemis in beauty and stature
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• 11.172 - Odysseus encounters the ghost of his mother, Antikleia (Anticleia), in the Underworld and asks her if she died of illness or by the painless arrows of Artemis
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• 11.324 - Artemis killed Ariadne on the island if Dia when Dionysos testified against her
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• 15.410 - Apollon and Artemis come to the island of Syria and kill the aged painlessly with silver arrows
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• 15.478 - When the swineherd, Eumaios (Eumaeus), was a child, he was kidnapped by Phoenicians with the help of his wicked nurse; Artemis killed her because of her betrayal
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• 17.037 - Penelope was as lovely as Artemis or golden Aphrodite
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• 18.202 - Penelope wishes that chaste Artemis would give her the peace of death
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• 19.054 - Penelope was as lovely as Artemis or golden Aphrodite
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• 20.060 - Penelope prays first to Artemis
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• 20.061 - Penelope calls upon Artemis, daughter of Zeus, to pierce her heart and ease her pain
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• 20.071 - Penelope thinks of the daughters of Pandareos (Pandareus) and how Hera gave them beauty, chaste Artemis gave them stature and Athene (Athena) gave them skill
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• 20.080 - Penelope wishes that the gods would make her vanish or that lovely haired Artemis would kill her so she could be with Odysseus in the Underworld

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Other Text References

Theogony

• line 14 - The poet asks the Muses to sing in praise of the Immortals, including Artemis, who delights in arrows
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• line 918 - Leto was joined in love with Zeus and became the mother of Apollon and Artemis, delighting in arrows

The Aethiopis

• fragment 1 - After Achilles slew Thersites for abusing and reviling him for his supposed love for the Amazon Penthesileia, Achilles sailed to the island of Lesbos and after sacrificing to Apollon, Artemis and Leto, was purified by Odysseus

The Astronomy

• fragment 3 - Kallisto (Callisto) was a companion of Artemis until the goddess became angry with her for consorting with Zeus; Artemis turned Kallisto into a bear
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• fragment 4 - Orion went to the island of Crete and spent his time hunting with Artemis and Leto; when Orion became obsessive about killing so many animals, Zeus placed Orion in the heavens as a constellation after hearing the prayers of Artemis and Leto

The Catalogues of Women and Eoiae

(Loeb Classical Library vol. 57, Hesiod)

• fragment 71 - Hesiod states that Iphigenia (Iphigeneia) was not killed but, by the will of Artemis, became the Roaring Goddess, Hekate (Hecate)

Catalogue of Women

(Loeb Classical Library vol. 503, Hesiod II)

• fragment 19.18 - The Achaeans (Achaians) sacrificed Iphimede on the altar of Artemis
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• fragment 19.21 - The Arrow-Shooter easily saved Iphimede by dripping ambrosia onto her head so her flesh would be steadfast forever
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• fragment 19.26 - The tribes of human beings call her Artemis by the Road, Arrow-Shooter
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• fragment 20a - I know that Hesiod in his Catalogue of Women says that Iphigenia did not die, and by the will of Artemis is Hekate (Hecate)
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• fragment 107 - While Adonis was still a boy, he was struck by the wrath of Artemis and was killed by a boar while hunting
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• fragment 162.13 - After Aktaeon (Actaeon) died, the daughter of Zeus (either Athene (Athena) or Artemis) told Cheiron (Chiron) that when Dionysos went to Mount Olympos (Olympus), Aktaeon's dogs would become his responsibility

The Contest of Homer and Hesiod

• section 317
• Hesiod: But when she had been made subject in love, Artemis, who delights in arrows
• Homer: Slew Kallisto (Callisto) with a shot of her silver bow
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• section 326 - After Homer recited his Hymn to Apollon, the Delians wrote the poem on a tablet and dedicated it in the Temple of Artemis

The Kypria

• fragment 1, lines 68 and 71 - When Agamemnon bragged that he surpassed Artemis in hunting skills, the goddess would not let the Greek fleet sail from Aulis; the seer Kalchas (Calchas) said that Agamemnon's daughter Iphigenia (Iphigeneia) had to be sacrificed to appease Artemis; before the girl could be sacrificed, the goddess snatched Iphigenia away and put a stag on the altar; Artemis took Iphigenia to Tauris and made her immortal
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• fragment 18 - The captive girl Chryseis was not at the Temple of Artemis in Thebes when she was taken prisoner

Hymn to Artemis IX

• A short hymn to Artemis, the virgin sister of the Far-Shooter (Apollon)

Hymn to Artemis XXVII

• A 22 line poem dedicated to Artemis, the pure maiden, shooter of stags who delights on archery, the daughter of Leto and the sister of Apollon

Hymn to Demeter II

• line 424 - Artemis and other young goddesses were with Persephone when Ares (god of War) kidnapped her but none of the goddesses saw Persephone being taken

Hymn to Delian Apollon III

• line 15 - Zeus and Leto are the parents of Apollon and Artemis, who delights in arrows
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• line 165 - The poet bids farewell to Apollon and Artemis as he ends the poem

Hymn to Pythian Apollon III

• line 199 - Artemis joins in the singing with the other Immortals on Mount Olympos (Olympus)

Hymn to Aphrodite V

• line 16 - Aphrodite (goddess of Love) cannot use her charms of love on Artemis, the huntress with arrows of gold
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• line 93 - When Aphrodite (goddess of Love) went to the home of Anchises in disguise, he thought she might be Aphrodite, Artemis, Leto, Athene (Athena) or Themis
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• line 118 - Aphrodite (goddess of Love) was still in disguise when she told Anchises that she had been kidnapped by the Slayer of Argos (Hermes) from the dance of Artemis, the huntress with the golden arrows

Histories by Herodotus

• 1.26 - When King Kroesus (Croesus) of Lydia attacked the Ephesians, they dedicated their city to Artemis so that the goddess would protect them
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• 2.59 - The Egyptians held solemn assemblies at the city of Bubastis for Artemis
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• 2.83 - The Egyptians had oracles of Herakles (Heracles), Apollon, Athene (Athena), Artemis, Ares, and Zeus but the oracle of Leto was most honored
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• 2.137 - The Egyptian name Bubastis is Artemis in Greek
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• 2.155 - In the Egyptian city of Buto there was an oracle of Leto, Apollon and Artemis (goddess of the Hunt)
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• 2.156 - The Egyptians believed that Apollon and Artemis were children of Dionysos and Isis and that Leto became their nurse and preserver; the Egyptians knew Dionysos as Osiris and Artemis as Bubastis; the Egyptians said that Artemis was the daughter of Demeter
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• 3.48 - When Periander tried to take three hundred boys from Kerkyra (Corcyra), they took refuge at the Temple of Artemis on the island of Samos
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• 4.33 - The women of Thrace and Paionia did not make offerings without wheat straw when they sacrificed to Artemis, the Queen
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• 4.34 - The girls and boys of Delos cut off a lock of their hair and placed it on the tomb of the Hyperborean maidens (Hyperoche and Laodike) who died there; the tomb was next to the Temple of Artemis
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• 4.35 - The graves of the Hyperborean maidens Opis and Arge were behind the Temple of Artemis on the island of Delos
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• 4.87 - The Persians set up two pillars at the Bosporus; after the Persian defeat, the Byzantians took all but one stone to be used for the altar of Artemis Orthosia in Byzantium
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• 5.7 - The Thracians worshiped only Ares, Dionysos and Artemis
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• 6.138 - The Pelasgians kidnapped some Athenian women when they were celebrating the festival of Artemis in Brauron
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• 7.176 - On the island of Euboea, there was a beach called Artemisium, upon which there was a temple of Artemis
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• 8.77 - The goddess Artemis golden-sword-girded was mentioned in an oracle regarding her sacred strand (Artemisium)

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