🏹 Artemis :: Greek Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon


🏹 Artemis :: Greek Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon

Artemis is the Olympian goddess of the hunt, the moon, and chastity; in time, she also became associated with childbirth and nature. No more than few days old, she helped her mother Leto give birth to her twin brother Apollo. Artemis was very protective of her and her priestesses’ innocence. Consequently, she wasn’t very nice when some of them weren’t so careful.

Artemis’ Role

Artemis' Name

Even though Plato says that the name “Artemis” is related to her virginity and the Ancient Greek word for “unharmed” or “pure,” we now know that its origin is undoubtedly different and possibly even Persian. However, scholars can’t agree over its original meaning.

Artemis' Portrayal and Symbolism

Sculptors, poets, and painters, however, had no such problems. Artemis is almost universally depicted as a young, beautiful and vigorous huntress carrying a quiver with arrows and holding a bow, typically wearing a short knee-high tunic and often accompanied by some animal (stag, doe, or hunting dogs). As a moon goddess, she is sometimes represented wearing a long robe and a crescent moon crown.

Artemis' Epithets

Homer calls Artemis either “The Mistress of Animals” or “She of the Wild.” As a huntress, she is also often referred to as “arrow-pouring” or “deer-shooting.” Just like her brother, she may be occasionally called “bright” or, even more, illustrative of her function as a moon goddess, “torch-bringer.”

Artemis’ Family and Birth

The Trials of Leto

Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, herself a daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe. Angered by her husband’s infidelity, Hera hunted Leto over the whole planet and forbade her to give birth anywhere on solid earth.

The Birth of Artemis

When Hera heard this, she prohibited her daughter Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, of further helping Leto. This postponed the birth of Apollo for nine days. And who knows how much more time it would have passed if the baby Artemis hadn’t miraculously learned the art of midwifery and helped Leto finally deliver her brother.

Artemis Protecting Leto · Niobe and Tityus

Artemis and Apollo were very protective of their mother. When Niobe – a mother of six boys and as many girls – boasted that while Leto gave birth to two gods, she delivered a whole Olympus, Apollo and Artemis killed all her children. Apollo took care of the male offspring and Artemis of Niobe’s daughters. On another occasion, Tityus tried to rape Leto. Naturally, he was killed by Apollo’s and Artemis’s arrows.

Artemis, the Vengeful Virgin Goddess

When Artemis was still a little maid, she asked from her father Zeus to keep her maidenhood forever. So – just like Athena and Hestia – she remained chaste for eternity. And she guarded this vow even more vigorously than them.

Artemis and Actaeon

For example, when the hunter Actaeon saw her bathing naked, she transformed him into a stag and set his hounds against him. Needless to add, Actaeon was ripped apart to pieces.

Artemis and Siproites

The less famous Siproites was just a boy when he had Actaeon’s misfortune of accidentally seeing the goddess unclothed. So, he was punished less severely: Artemis transformed him into a girl.

Artemis and Orion

Others tried to rape Artemis; none of them lived to tell. The most famous story involves Orion, a long-time hunting companion of hers. In fact, he may as well have been Artemis’ only love interest. However, when he tried taking off Artemis’ robe, the goddess killed him. Others say that Orion was actually killed by a scorpion sent by Gaea or an Apollo’s arrow; the gods merely tried to keep Artemis’ virginity intact the only time she couldn’t.

Artemis, the Defender of Purity

Artemis didn’t only take care of her own purity; she also defended the innocence of her worshippers. And was merciless if any one of her priestesses ever lost it.

Artemis and Callisto

For example, after her hunting attendant Callisto gave birth to Zeus’s son Arcas, Artemis contrived with Hera to turn her into a bear. The plan was to have Arcas kill her/ However, just as that was about to happen, Zeus placed both of them into the heavens as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

Artemis and Hippolytus

Just as she punished the transgressors of the sacred vow, Artemis rewarded those who kept it. So as to devote himself to a chaste life, Hippolytus scorned Aphrodite after which the goddess of love made his stepmother fall in love with him. This set a chain of events which led to Hippolytus’ death. However, Artemis called upon Asclepius and resurrected Hippolytus as a new man, who subsequently ruled in Italy under the name of Virbius.

Artemis and Iphigenia

In the case of Iphigenia, Artemis substituted the girl with a deer just as Iphigenia was about to be sacrificed by her father, Agamemnon. Afterward, she took Iphigenia with her in Tauris and made her a priestess of her cult.


The Homeric Hymn to Artemis” may be short and merely descriptive, but Callimachus’ 3rd Hymn dedicated to Artemis is lengthy and rather charming. Euripides’ celebrated plays “Hippolytus” and “Iphigenia in Tauris” tell two of the most famous stories related to Artemis.

See Also: Actaeon, Apollo, Leto, Orion


Artemis Q&A

Who was Artemis?

Artemis is the Olympian goddess of the hunt, the moon, and chastity. in time, she also became associated with childbirth and nature.

What did Artemis rule over?

Artemis ruled over the Hunting, the Wild animals and the Children.

Where did Artemis live?

Artemis' home was Mount Olympus.

Who were the parents of Artemis?

The parents of Artemis were Zeus and Leto.

Who were brothers and sisters of Artemis?

Artemis had 26 siblings: Apollo, Aeacus, Angelos, Aphrodite, Ares, Athena, Dionysus, Eileithyia, Enyo, Eris, Ersa, Hebe, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Heracles, Hermes, Minos, Pandia, Persephone, Perseus, Rhadamanthus, the Graces, the Horae, the Litae, the Muses and the Moirai.

Which were the symbols of Artemis?

Artemis' symbols were the Bow and arrows, the Stags, the Hunting Dog and the Moon.

Which were the sacred animals of Artemis?

Artemis' sacred animals were the Deer and the Bear.

linK/CitE ThiS PagE



For MLA style citation use:, The Editors of Website. "Artemis". Website, 07 Apr. 2021, Accessed 23 July 2021.