Claim: Artemis was a goddess of birth.

Artemis -LRB- -LSB- ˈɑːrtᵻmᵻs -RSB- Ἄρτεμις , Modern Greek : Άρτεμις , Ártemis , -LSB- ár.te.mis -RSB- -RRB- was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities . Her Roman equivalent is Diana . Some scholars believe that the name , and indeed the goddess herself , was originally pre-Greek . Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera , Potnia Theron : `` Artemis of the wildland , Mistress of Animals '' . The Arcadians believed she was the daughter of Demeter .   In the classical period of Greek mythology , Artemis was often described as the daughter of Zeus and Leto , and the twin sister of Apollo . She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt , wild animals , wilderness , childbirth , virginity and protector of young girls , bringing and relieving disease in women ; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows . The deer and the cypress were sacred to her . In later Hellenistic times , she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth .