Artemis

Greek goddess of the wild hunt, virginity, childbirth-protection (paradox resolved by her midwifery role at Apollo's birth on Delos). Twin sister of Apollo. Major cult sites at Ephesus (the Artemision, one of the Seven Wonders), Brauron (Arkteia bear-rite), Sparta (Orthia flogging-altar). The Ephesian Artemis with her distinctive cult-image is iconographically and theologically distinct from mainland Greek Artemis — a syncretized form with Anatolian mother-goddess elements.

Parentage

• father: ZeusHesiod, Theogony 918–920 (primary)
• mother: LetoHesiod, Theogony 918–920 (primary)

Domains

• wild hunt
• virginity
• childbirth

Powers

• Send swift, painless (or sudden) death
• Transform mortals as punishment

Epithets

• Ἀγροτέρα greek · Agrotera · cultOf the wild / huntress; the wilderness goddess of the chaseHom. Il. 21.471; Xen. Anab. 3.2.12; Paus. 1.19.6 (primary)
• ἰοχέαιρα greek · iocheaira · HomericArrow-pourer / shooter of arrows; the constant Homeric epithetHom. Il. 5.53; 20.71 (primary)
• Ὀρθία greek · Orthia · cultThe upright / steep one; Artemis Orthia of Sparta (the flagellation cult)Paus. 3.16.7-11; Xen. Lac. Pol. 2.9 (primary)
• Ποτνία Θηρῶν greek · Potnia Theron · HomericMistress of (wild) animals; the Homeric title of ArtemisHom. Il. 21.470 (πότνια θηρῶν) (primary)
• Λοχία greek · Lochia · cultOf childbirth; protectress of women in labourEur. Suppl. 958; IG II² 4588 (primary)
• Ἐφεσία greek · Ephesia · cultEphesian; the great many-breasted Artemis of EphesusActs 19:28; Xen. Anab. 5.3.4-13; Paus. 4.31.8 (primary)
• χρυσηλάκατος greek · khrysēlákatos · literaryOf the golden distaff / golden arrowsHomer, Iliad 16.183; Odyssey 4.122 (primary)
• κελαδεινή greek · keladeinḗ · literaryThe resounding; goddess of the noisy chaseHomer, Iliad 16.183, 21.511 (primary)
• Ταυροπόλος greek · Tauropólos · cultBull-tender; the Artemis of Tauris and Brauron/HalaeEuripides, Iphigenia among the Taurians 1457 (primary)
• Βραυρωνία greek · Braurōnía · cultOf Brauron; the Attic bear-maiden cultPausanias 1.23.7; Aristophanes, Lysistrata 645 (primary)

Relations

• sibling: HebeFull sibling; shares the same complete attested parentage.
• sibling: AresFull sibling; shares the same complete attested parentage.
• sibling: AeacusFull sibling; shares the same complete attested parentage.
• sibling: AthenaFull sibling; shares the same complete attested parentage.
• sibling: DionysusFull sibling; shares the same complete attested parentage.
• sibling: HermesFull sibling; shares the same complete attested parentage.
• equated with: DianaRoman Diana is the canonical Latin parallel to Greek Artemis through interpretatio Romana; the Aricine Diana Nemorensis grove cult and Aventine Diana Aventinensis cult are pre-equation Italic foundations later harmonized with Hellenic Artemis.Standard interpretatio Graeca/Romana scholarship; Beard, North & Price, Religions of Rome (1998); Wissowa, Religion und Kultus der Römer (1912) (secondary)
• killer of: TityusReciprocal of greek_tityus.killed-byApollod. 1.4.1 (primary)
• sibling: Apolloh.Hom.Apoll. 14-18 (twin birth on Delos to Leto) (primary)
• interpretatio: DianaArtemis ↔ Diana per ancient interpretatio. Roman Diana has substantial Italic identity (Diana Nemorensis at Lake Nemi with the Rex Nemorensis priesthood by combat, Diana Aventinensis as the Latin League cult center per Liv. 1.45) preceding the Greek equation.Cic. Nat. D. 2.69; Cat. 34 (primary)
• interpretatio: BastetHdt: 'Bubastis in the Greek tongue is Artemis.' Preserves the virgin-daughter slot beside Horus-Apollo; breaks badly on character — Bastet's festive, protective cat-nature vs the huntress's wildness.Herodotus, Histories 2.137, 2.156 (primary)
• interpretatio: Bendis the Two-Speared HuntressHdt names Artemis among Thrace's three gods; lexicographers gloss Bendis as Thracian Artemis. Preserves the huntress with spears; Athens nonetheless gave Bendis her own Bendideia, not Artemis's cult.Herodotus, Histories 4.33, 5.7 (primary); Hesychius, Lexicon s.v. Βενδῖς (primary)
• equated with: ArtimusLydian Artimus of Sardis is the same theonym as Artemis; the Lydian-Aramaic Sardis bilingual confirms the cult. Preserves the wild-nature mistress; the Sardian goddess shades into Anatolian mother-types.R. Gusmani, Lydisches Wörterbuch (1964), s.v. Artimu- (secondary)
• equated with: ErtemiLycian Ertemi at the Letoon is the Greek Artemis received into Lycian; daughter of Lada (Leto) there. Preserves the Letoid triad; the Lycian cult subordinates her to the national mother-goddess.T. R. Bryce, The Lycians in Literary and Epigraphic Sources (1986) (secondary)
• interpretatio: Aredvi Sura AnahitaAnatolian Greeks worshipped Anahita as 'Artemis Anaitis' / 'Persian Artemis'. Preserves the pure virgin-river imagery; breaks on Anahita's fertility-bestowing waters — closer to a mother than a huntress.Pausanias 3.16.8 (Artemis Anaitis of the Lydians) (primary); A. de Jong, Traditions of the Magi (1997) (secondary)
• father: ZeusHesiod, Theogony 918–920 (primary)
• mother: LetoHesiod, Theogony 918–920 (primary)
• counterpart of: ArtemisThe hymn addresses this deity in an Orphic ritual context; Greek genealogy is not imported.Orphic Hymns, 35 (Thomas Taylor numbering; modern hymn 36) (primary)

Sources

• existence: Hom. Il. 21.470-513; h.Hom.Apoll.; Hes. Theog. 918-920; Callim. Hymn 3; Apollod. 1.4 (primary)
• parentage: Hes. Theog. 918-920 (twin of Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto) (primary)