When choosing a god or goddesses from the twelve major Olympians, I wanted to pick one that I didn’t know too much about. I decided to research further on the goddess Artemis. People who are interested in Greek culture and mythology are typically familiar with Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena, but after little investigating about Artemis, I find her to be the favored underdog of the 6 Olympian Goddesses.
Artemis characteristically known as the goddess of the hunt, but she is also attributed to chastity, childbirth, the moon, archery, the natural environment, and animals. She is often depicted carrying a bow and arrows and her animal representative is most commonly the deer/stag (“Artemis”). She had a multitude of attendants that were all young…show more content… He states, “Leto bore Apollon and Artemis, delighting in arrows, Both of lovely shape like none of the heavenly gods, as she joined in love to the Aegis-bearing ruler” (Theogony, Lines 918-920). In this passage, we are informed that Artemis is the twin sister of Apollo and the daughter of the titan Leto and the god Zeus. They were born on the island of Ortygia (Delos) because Hera refused to allow Leto to give birth on the mainland, since her children were created out of infidelity towards Hera (“Artemis”).
Another important source of the information surrounding Artemis is “Hymn 9 to Artemis”. This hymn goes into detail about Artemis and the myths that surround her. It begins by her asking Zeus for her maidenhood, her bow and arrows, attendants, and a place for her to hunt. The hymn continues with more
Greek stories surrounding Artemis (“Artemis Myths 1”).
The once beautiful temple of Artemis can now be found as ruin in Ephesus, which is off the coast of Ionia. It is known as one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world and was considered the neokoros of worship for Artemis. This meant that it was in charge keeping the reverence pure and was the main center for her worship (“Artemis of the