Artemis | Greek Mythology Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Weapons Silver Bow and Arrows Artemis (Ancient Greek: Ἄρτεμις) 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 depicted as a huntress carrying a Bow & Arrows . The deer, wolves , and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenistic times she also assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth.

Ancient Greek writers linked Artemis (Doric Artamis) by way of folk etymology to artemes (ἀρτεμής) "safe" or artamos (ἄρταμος) "butcher". However, the name Artemis (variants Arktemis, Arktemisa) is most likely related to Greek árktos "bear" (from PIE *h₂ŕ̥tḱos), supported by the bear cult that the goddess had in Attica (Brauronia) and the Neolithic remains at the Arkoudiotissa Cave, as well as the story about Callisto, which was originally about Artemis (Arcadian epithet kallisto). This cult was a survival of very old totemic and shamanistic rituals and formed part of a larger bear cult found further afield in other Indo-European cultures (e.g., Gaulish Artio). It is believed that a precursor of Artemis was worshiped in Minoan Crete as the goddess of mountains and hunting, Britomartis.

While connection with Anatolian names has been suggested, the earliest attested forms of the name Artemis are the Mycenaean Greek a-te-mi-to and a-ti-mi-te, written in Linear B at Pylos. Artemis was venerated in Lydia as Artimus. Contents [ show ] Birth Various conflicting accounts are given in Classical Greek mythology of the birth of Artemis and her twin brother, Apollo. All accounts agree, however, that she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and that she was the twin sister of Apollo . An account by Callimachus has it that Hera forbade Leto to give birth on either terra firma (the mainland) or on an island. Hera was angry with Zeus , her husband, because he had impregnated Leto. But the island of Delos (or Ortygia in the Homeric Hymn to Artemis) disobeyed Hera, and Leto gave birth there. Once, Artemis was tricked into having a child. Artemis had offended Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. She told Athena and Hera that they were not true virgin goddess. After all, Athena had children, and Hera was the goddess of marriage.

She then told Aphrodite that love was worthless, since you would most likely have a broken heart in the end. She showed the example of Orpheus and Eurydice. They still had broken hearts. Of course, these goddess did not take offense easily. They plotted to get revenge. With the help of Dionysus, they made every young man look like a golden stag. But really, they were the men of Athens. Soon she was in childbirth, which was very painful. Hera (who was also the goddess of childbirth), made sure that the birth would not come easily for Artemis. People are not sure who her daughter was. Some say it is Haley's comet. Others say that she is the shadows of night. Most most people believe that it was moon that was her daughter, always shining down upon us. In ancient Cretan history Leto was worshiped at Phaistos and in Cretan mythology Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis at the islands known today as the Paximadia. A scholium of Servius on Aeneid iii.

72 accounts for the island's archaic name Ortygia by asserting that Zeus transformed Leto into a quail (ortux) in order to prevent Hera from finding out his infidelity, and Kenneth McLeish suggested further that in quail form Leto would have given birth with as few birth-pains as a mother quail suffers when it lays an egg. The myths also differ as to whether Artemis was born first, or Apollo. Most stories depict Artemis as born first, becoming her mother's mid-wife upon the birth of her brother Apollo. Artemis caused no pain to Leto, earning her the title of goddess of childbirth. After she was born she helped Leto give birth to Apollo her twin brother. Childhood The childhood of Artemis is not fully related in any surviving myth. The Iliad reduced the figure of the dread goddess to that of a girl, who, having been thrashed by Hera , climbs weeping into the lap of Zeus.

A poem of Callimachus to the goddess "who amuses herself on mountains with archery" imagines some charming vignettes: according to Callimachus, Artemis, at three years old, while sitting on the knee of her father, Zeus , asked him to grant her six wishes: to remain always a virgin; to have many names to set her apart from her brother Apollo ; to be the Phaesporia or Light Bringer; to have a bow and arrow and a knee-length tunic so that she could hunt; to have sixty "daughters of Okeanos", all nine years of age, to be her choir; and for twenty Amnisides Nymphs as handmaidens to watch her dogs and bow while she rested. She wished for no city dedicated to her, but to rule the mountains, and for the ability to help women in the pains of childbirth. Artemis believed that she had been chosen by the Fates to be a midwife, particularly since she had assisted her mother in the delivery of her twin brother, Apollo. All of her companions remained virgins, and Artemis closely guarded her own chastity.

Her symbols included the silver bow and arrow, the hunting dog, the stag, and the moon. Callimachus tells how Artemis spent her girlhood seeking out the things that she would need to be a huntress, how she obtained her bow and arrows from the isle of Lipara, where Hephaestus and the Cyclops worked. Okeanus' daughters were filled with fear, but the young Artemis bravely approached and asked for bow and arrows. Callimachus then tells how Artemis visited Pan , the god of the forest, whom gave her seven female dogs and six dogs. She then captured six golden-horned deer to pull her chariot. Artemis practiced with her bow first by shooting at trees and then at wild beasts. Possible Relations & Others As a virgin, Artemis had interested many gods and men. Artemis was friends with the giant Orion, but long after Orion's death humans thought that they could have been something more. This was unlikely true because the first stories of their friendship were things like Orion being a rapist and attempting to take advantage of their friendship and rape Artemis, which in turn led to her killing him.

Others were things like Orion attempting to kill every beast in the world to win her heart, in order to stop him either Artemis killed him without regret (she thought he was crazy and that she would never fall in love no matter what, or Gaia sending Scorpio to kill him. Either way unlike popular belief there was plenty of evidence that they had nothing other than a mere friendship (despite Orion wanting more but he may or may not have acted on it and tried to rape her). In the unlikely case of Artemis being in love with Orion it would have likely ended with with Apollo wanting to make sure Artemis kept her vow and he either sent Scorpio to kill him or tricked Artemis into shooting Orion. Orion was the self-proclaimed best hunter in another version and Hera sent Scorpio to kill him, in this version Zeus put him in the stars as a constellation as an apology to Orion for what his wife did. It was most likely in most case that Zeus was the one who put him in the sky and only the ones where Artemis was in love with him would Artemis have put her in the sky. The whole idea of Artemis loving Orion was started way after the first stories of any possible friendship between the two.

Alpheus , a river god, was in love with Artemis, but he realizes that he can do nothing to win her heart. So he decides to capture her. Artemis, who is with her companions at Letrenoi, goes to Alpheus, but, suspicious of his motives, she covers her face with mud so that the river god does not recognize her. In another story, Alphaeus tries to rape Artemis' attendant Arethusa . Artemis pities Arethusa and saves her by transforming Arethusa into a spring in Artemis' temple, Artemis Alphaea in Letrini, where the goddess and her attendant drink. Bouphagos, the son of the Titan Iapetos, sees Artemis and thinks about raping her. Reading his sinful thoughts, Artemis strikes him at Mount Pholoe. Sipriotes is a boy, who, either because he accidentally sees Artemis bathing or because he attempts to rape her, is turned into a girl by the goddess. Aktaeon Multiple versions Actaeon myth survive, though many are fragmentary.

The details vary but at the core they involve a great hunter, Aktaeon who Artemis turns into a stag for a transgression and who is then killed by hunting dogs. Usually the dogs are his own, whom no longer recognize their master. Sometimes they are Artemis' hounds. According to the standard modern text on the work, Lamar Ronald Lacey's The Myth of Aktaion: Literary and Icongraphic Studies, the most likely original version of the myth is that Aktaeon was the hunting companion of the goddess who, seeing her stark naked in her sacred spring, attempts to force himself on her. For this hubris he is turned into a stag and devoured by his own hounds. However, in some surviving versions Aktaeon is a stranger who happens upon her. Different tellings also diverge in the hunter's transgression, which is sometimes merely seeing the virgin goddess naked, sometimes boasting he is a better hunter than she, or even merely being a rival of Zeus for the affections of Semele .

Adonis In some versions of the story of Adonis , who was a late addition to Greek mythology during the Hellenistic period, Artemis sent a wild boar to kill Adonis as punishment for his hubristic boast that he was a better hunter than she. In other versions, Artemis killed Adonis for revenge. In later myths, Adonis had been related as a favorite of Aphrodite , and Aphrodite was responsible for the death of Hippolytus , who had been a favorite of Artemis. Therefore, Artemis killed Adonis to avenge Hippolytus's death. In yet another version, Adonis was not killed by Artemis, but by Ares , as punishment out of jealousy. Orion Orion was Artemis' hunting companion. In some versions, he is killed by Artemis, while in others he is killed by a scorpion sent by Gaia . In some versions, Orion tries to seduce Opis , one of her followers, and she killed him. In a version by Aratus , Orion took hold of Artemis's robe and she killed him in self-defense. In yet another version, Apollo sends the scorpion.

According to Hyginus , Artemis once loved Orion (in spite of the late source, this version appears to be a rare remnant of her as the pre-Olympian goddess, who took consorts, as Eos did), but was tricked into killing him by her brother Apollo, who was "protective" of his sister's maidenhood. Artemis was friends with the giant Orion, but long after Orion's death humans thought that they could have been something more. This was unlikely true because the first stories of their friendship were things like Orion being a rapist and attempting to take advantage of their friendship and rape Artemis, which in turn led to her killing him. Others were things like Orion attempting to kill every beast in the world to win her heart, in order to stop him either Artemis killed him without regret (she thought he was crazy and that she would never fall in love no matter what, or Gaia sending Scorpio to kill him. Either way unlike popular belief there was plenty of evidence that they had nothing other than a mere friendship (despite Orion wanting more but he may or may not have acted on it and tried to rape her).

In the unlikely case of Artemis being in love with Orion it would have likely ended with with Apollo wanting to make sure Artemis kept her vow and he either sent Scorpio to kill him or tricked Artemis into shooting Orion. Orion was the self-proclaimed best hunter in another version and Hera sent Scorpio to kill him, in this version Zeus put him in the stars as a constellation as an apology to Orion for what his wife did. It was most likely in most case that Zeus was the one who put him in the sky and only the ones where Artemis was in love with him would Artemis have put her in the sky. The whole idea of Artemis loving Orion was started way after the first stories of any possible friendship between the two The Aloadae These twin sons of Iphidemia and Poseidon , Otos and Ephialtes, grew enormously at a young age. They were aggressive, great hunters, and could not be killed unless they killed each other. The growth of the Aloadae never stopped, and they boasted that as soon as they could reach heaven, they would kidnap Artemis and Hera and take them as wives.

The gods were afraid of them, except for Artemis who captured a fine deer (or in another version of the story, she changed herself into a doe) and jumped out between them. The Aloadae threw their spears and so mistakenly killed each other. Callisto Callisto was the daughter of Lycaon, King of Arcadia and also was one of Artemis' hunting attendants. As a companion of Artemis, she took a vow of chastity. Zeus appeared to her disguised as Artemis, or in some stories Apollo , gained her confidence, then took advantage of her. As a result of this encounter she conceived a son, Arcas. Enraged, Hera or Artemis (some accounts say both) changed her into a bear. Arcas almost killed the bear, but Zeus stopped him just in time. Out of pity, Zeus placed Callisto the bear into the heavens, thus the origin of Callisto the Bear as a constellation. Some stories say that he placed both Arcas and Callisto into the heavens as bears, forming the Ursa Minor and Ursa Major constellations.

Iphigenia and the Taurian Artemis Artemis punished Agamemnon after he killed a sacred stag in a sacred grove and boasted that he was a better hunter than the goddess. When the Greek fleet was preparing at Aulis to depart for Troy to begin the Trojan War , Artemis becalmed the winds. The seer Calchas advised Agamemnon that the only way to appease Artemis was to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia . Artemis then snatched Iphigenia from the altar and substituted a deer. Various myths have been told around what happened after Artemis took her. Either she was brought to Tauros and led the priests there, or became Artemis' immortal companion. Niobe A Queen of Thebes and wife of Amphion , Niobe boasted of her superiority to Leto because while she had fourteen children (Niobids), seven boys and seven girls, Leto had only one of each. When Artemis and Apollo heard this impiety, Apollo killed her sons as they practiced athletics, and Artemis shot her daughters, whom died instantly without a sound.

Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions two of the Niobids were spared, one boy and one girl. Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, killed himself. A devastated Niobe and her remaining children were turned to stone by Artemis as they wept. The gods themselves entombed them. Niobe and Amphion boasted they were better than Leto, becuase they had raised fourteen children and Leto had only raised two. Artemis and Apollo, very angered that the two dared to compare their mortal lives to that of a goddess, killed their children. Apollo killed all the male children and Artemis killed all the female children, each with their bow and arrows. Amphion committed suicide and Niobe wept until she was turned into a rock. This myths is said to be the explanation of why rocks "cry". Khione Khione was a princess of Pokis. She was beloved by two gods, Hermes and Apollo, and boasted that she was prettier than Artemis because she made two gods fall in love with her at once. Artemis was furious and killed Khione with her arrow or struck her dumb by shooting off her tongue.

However, some versions of this myth say Apollo and Hermes protected her from Artemis' wrath. Atalanta, Oeneus and the Meleagrids Artemis saved the infant Atalanta from dying of exposure after her father abandoned her. She sent a female bear to suckle the baby, whom was then raised by hunters. But she later sent a bear to hurt Atalanta because people said Atalanta was a better hunter. This is in some stories. Among other adventures, Atalanta participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar, which Artemis had sent to destroy Kalydon because King Oeneus had forgotten her at the harvest sacrifices. In the hunt, Atalanta drew the first blood, and was awarded the prize of the skin. She hung it in a sacred grove at Tegea as a dedication to Artemis. Meleager was a hero of Aetolia. King Oeneus had him gather heroes from all over Greece to hunt the Calydonian Boar. After the death of Meleager, Artemis turned his grieving sisters, the Meleagrids into guineafowl that Artemis loved very much.

Aura In Nonnus Dionysiaca, Aura was Greek goddess of breezes and cool air, daughter of Lelantos and Periboia . She was a virgin huntress, just like Artemis and proud of her maidenhood. One day, she claimed that the body of Artemis was too womanly and she doubted her virginity. Artemis asked Nemesis for help to avenge her dignity and caused the rape of Aura by Dionysos . Aura became a mad and dangerous killer. When she bore twin sons, she ate one of them while the other one, Iakhos, was saved by Artemis. Iakhos later became an attendant of Demeter and the leader of Eleusinian Mysteries. Trojan War Artemis may have been represented as a supporter of Troy because her brother Apollo was the patron god of the city and she herself was widely worshiped in western Anatolia in historical times. In the Iliad she came to blows with Hera , when the divine allies of the Greeks and Trojans engaged each other in conflict. Hera struck Artemis on the ears with her own quiver, causing the arrows to fall out.

As Artemis fled crying to Zeus , Leto gathered up the bow and arrows. Artemis played quite a large part in this war. Like her mother and brother, whom was widely worshiped at Troy, Artemis took the side of the Trojans. At the Greek's journey to Troy, Artemis becalmed the sea and stopped the journey until an oracle came and said they could win the goddess' heart by sacrificing Iphigenia , Agamemnon's daughter. Agamemnon once promised the goddess he would sacrifice the dearest thing to him, which was Iphigenia, but broke the promise. Other sources said he boasted about his hunting ability and provoked the goddess' anger. Artemis saved Iphigenia because of her bravery. In some versions of the myth, Artemis made Iphigenia her attendant or turned her into Hekate , goddess of night, witchcraft, and the underworld. Aeneas was helped by Artemis, Leto, and Apollo. Apollo found him wounded by Diomedes and lifted him to heaven. There, the three of them secretly healed him in a great chamber.

Artemis in Art The oldest representations of Artemis in Greek Archaic art portray her as Potnia Theron ("Queen of the Beasts"): a winged goddess holding a stag and leopard in her hands, or sometimes a leopard and a lion. This winged Artemis lingered in ex-votos as Artemis Orthia , with a sanctuary close by Sparta . In Greek classical art she is usually portrayed as a maiden huntress, young, tall and slim, clothed in a girl's short skirt with hunting boots, a quiver, a bow and arrows. Often, she is shown in the shooting pose, and is accompanied by a hunting dog or stag. When portrayed as a goddess of the moon, Artemis wore a long robe and sometimes a veil covered her head. Her darker side is revealed in some vase paintings, where she is shown as the death-bringing goddess whose arrows fell young maidens and women, such as the daughters of Niobe . Only in post-Classical art do we find representations of Artemis-Diana with the crown of the crescent moon, as Luna . In the ancient world, although she was occasionally associated with the moon, she was never portrayed as the moon itself.

Ancient statues of Artemis have been found with crescent moons, but these moons are always Renaissance-era additions. On June 7, 2007, a Roman era bronze sculpture of Artemis and the Stag was sold at Sotheby's auction house in New York state by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery for $25.5 million. Attributes Bow and Arrow: According to the Homeric Hymn to Artemis, she had golden bow and arrows, as her epithet was Khryselakatos, "of the Golden Shaft", and Iokheira (Showered by Arrows). The arrows of Artemis could also to bring sudden death and disease to girls and women. Artemis got her bow and arrow for the first time from The Kyklopes, as the one she asked from her father. The bow of Artemis also became the witness of Callisto's oath of her virginity. In later cult, the bow became the symbol of waxing moon. Chariots: Artemis' chariot was made of gold and was pulled by four golden horned deer (Elaphoi Khrysokeroi). The bridles of her chariot were also made of gold.

Spears, Nets and Lyres: Although quite seldom, Artemis is sometimes portrayed with a hunting spear. Her cult in Aetolia, the Artemis Aetolian, showed her with a hunting spear. The description about Artemis' spear can be found in Ovid's Metamorphosis, while Artemis with a fishing spear connected with her cult as a patron goddess of fishing. As a goddess of maiden dances and songs, Artemis is often portrayed with a lyre. Fauna Deer Deer were the only animals held sacred to Artemis herself. On seeing a deer larger than a bull with horns shining, she fell in love with these creatures and held them sacred. Deer were also the first animals she captured. She caught five golden horned deer called Elaphoi Khrysokeroi and harnessed them to her chariot. The third labour of Heracles , commanded by Eurystheus , consisted in catching the Kerynitis Hind alive. Heracles begged Artemis for forgiveness and promised to return it alive. Artemis forgave him but targeted Eurystheus for her wrath. Hunting Dog Artemis got her hunting dogs from Pan in the forest of Arcadia.

Pan gave Artemis two black-and-white dogs, three reddish ones, and one spotted one - these dogs were able to hunt even lions. Pan also gave Artemis seven bitches of the finest Arcadian race. However, Artemis only ever brought seven dogs hunting with her at any one time. Bear The sacrifice of a bear for Artemis started with the Brauron cult. Every year a girl between five and ten years of age was sent to Artemis' temple at Brauron. The Byzantine writer Suidos relayed the legend in Arktos e Brauroniois. A bear was tamed by Artemis and introduced to the people of Athens. They touched it and played with it until one day a group of girls poked the bear until it attacked them. A brother of one of the girls killed the bear, so Artemis sent a plague in revenge. The Athenians consulted an oracle to understand how to end the plague. The oracle suggested that, in payment for the bear's blood, no Athenian virgin should be allowed to marry until she had served Artemis in her temple ('played the bear for the goddess'). Boar The boar is one of the favorite animals of the hunters, and also hard to tame.

In honor of Artemis' skill, they sacrificed it to her. Oineus and Adonis were both killed by Artemis' boar. Guinea Fowl Artemis felt pity for the Meleagrids as they mourned for their lost brother, Meleagor, so she transformed them into Guinea Fowl to be her favorite animals. Citation needed Buzzard Hawk Hawks were the favored birds of many of the gods, Artemis included. Citation needed Flora Palm Tree and Cypress Tree trees were connected with the story of their birth to be her birthplace. Other plants sacred to Artemis are Amaranth and Asphodel . Artemis as The Lady of Ephesus Main Article: Temple of Artemis At Ephesus in Ionia, Turkey, her temple became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was probably the best known center of her worship except for Delos. There the Lady whom the Ionians associated with Artemis through interpretatio graeca was worshiped primarily as a mother goddess, akin to the Phrygian goddess Cybele, in an ancient sanctuary where her cult image depicted the "Lady of Ephesus" adorned with multiple rounded breast like protuberances on her chest.

They have been variously interpreted as multiple accessory breasts, as eggs, grapes, acorns, or even bull testes. Excavation at the site of the Artemision in 1987-88 identified a multitude of tear-shaped amber beads that had adorned the ancient wooden xoanon. In Acts of the Apostles, Ephesian metalsmiths who felt threatened by Saint Paul's preaching of Christianity, jealously rioted in her defense, shouting "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" Of the 121 columns of her temple, only one composite, made up of fragments, still stands as a marker of the temple's location. The rest were used for making churches, roads, and forts. Artemis in Astronomy A minor planet, (105) Artemis ; a lunar crater; the Artemis Chasma and the Artemis Corona have all been named for her.

Artemis is the acronym for "Architectures de bolometres pour des Telescopes a grand champ de vue dans le domaine sub-Millimetrique au Sol," a large bolometer camera in the submillimeter range that was installed in 2010 at the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), located in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Animals and other things sacred to Artemis The Goose Sacred to Artemis The Guinea-Fowl is sacred to Artemis The Wolf is sacred to Artemis as well as Zeus Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Hunt - Profile Gods and Goddesses Index Powers: Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and wild animals. Although a virgin herself, Artemis helps women in childbirth. Artemis watches over streets and harbors. Family of Origin: Artemis was the twin sister of Apollo. Their parents were Zeus and Leto. Artemis was born on Delos . Roman Equivalent: The Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis was Diana. Attributes: Golden arrows, bow, and fawn.

Sources: Ancient sources for Artemis include: Apollodorus, Callimachus, The Cypria, Diodorus Siculus, Euripides, Hesiod, Homer, Hyginus, Nonnius, Ovid, Pausanias, and Statius. continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance Temple of Artemis: One of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built around 550 B.C. The temple of Artemis was deliberately burned down by Herostratus in an attempt to gain fame in 356 B.C. More on Artemis: The God and Goddess | The Story of Artemis Artemis: Goddess of Light And Protector of the Vulnerable In Greek mythology Artemis (also known as the Roman goddess Diana) was the daughter of Zeus, the mighty ruler of the Olympian gods. After an affair and secretly impregnating Leto, Leto had to give birth to Aretmis while being chased by the Python sent by Hera. Fortunately for Leto her first child, Artemis, was birthed without any pain.

However Leto had twins so her labor continued, and as weak as she was the newborn Artemis quickly took the roll as midwife and helped birth her twin brother Apollo. You could say that, of all the Greek goddesses, the goddess Artemis was literally born to serve as a nurturer and protector! It looks like though both twins had young knacks for things. On her birthday Artemis asked for Six wishes from Zeus, his father. These wishes were. 1. To be able to live life chaste. 2. To be able to be a lifelong bachelorette and never marry. 3. A bow and arrow like that of Artemis’s 4. Hunting dogs to assist her hunting. 5. Stags to lead her chariot. 6. And 80 virgin nymphs to be her hunting companions. Zeus was amused by wishes and being the good father granted her each wish she asked for. Artemis would never marry, and would be chaste for all eternity. She roamed with her hunting dogs, nymphs, and her stags, hunting all throughout the mountains where she resided.

Artemis was very protective of the chastity of her nymphs and was angered when they didn’t keep their purity. In the case of Callisto, Zeus had disguised himself as Artemis and took advantage and impregnated Callisto, Artemis was furious that she was no longer chaste and blamed her loss of purity on her. Artemis then immediately irrevocably turned her into a bear. However before Artemis killed Callisto in bear form Zeus intervened turning Callisto into constellation in the stars, as Callisto the Bear, also known as Ursa Major. The Greek goddess Artemis was frequently called upon to nurture her needy and somewhat ineffectual mother. Many times she came to the aid of her mother healing her from sickness. Artemis very naturally became the patron saint of childbirth, the protector of children, and the goddess who especially heard the appeals of women. Helping women in childbirth by relieving them of the pain they suffer on several occasions. . Artemis is unsurprisingly associated with the wilderness and the natural world.

She symbolizes the untamed spirit, never being tied down by things such as love, being the eternal huntress of the forests.The Greek goddess Artemis was famous for her hunting skills, especially with her bow and arrow. She had unerring aim that never missed her target. She was a very able hunter taking down some of the most terrifying beasts with ease and grace. Artemis was also very protective of the animals in her domain. Once the King Agamemnon slaughtered one of Artemis’s sacred stags and boasted that he was a superior hunter to Artemis. In vengeance while Agamemnon and his forces were sailing to Troy for the Trojan War Artemis becalmed the ships so they were stuck in the middle of the sea with no wind. Artemis then demanded Agamemnon sacrifice his daughter and then Artemis would restore the wind. In the end Artemis herself swaps the sacrifice of Artemis was a goddess very comfortable with her female companions and rarely ever had male companions excepting her twin brother. She often bathed and danced with her nymphs and womanly companions. Once the hunter Actaeon saw Artemis bathing with her nymphs and was paralyzed in wonderment staring at all the women bathing in the river.

Artemis, was none too pleased at the peeping tom and so she turned him into a stag and made his own dogs attack and kill him. Artemis never had any love affairs, but one. That was with the mortal Orion. Artemis was in love with Orion. However, upset that his sister's time and attentions had been diverted away from him, the God Apollo, her twin, became very jealou. So when Orion was swimming far into the ocean Apollo made a wager with Artemis that she couldn’t hit the floating object on the horizon. Artemis being the prideful archer she was took the wager gladly and proudly drew her bow and shot the object on the horizon winning the wager. However once she won she realized that the “floating object” was actually her only lover Orion. In her great grief the Goddess Artemis turned Orion into various stars and shot him into the night sky, making him a constellation in the night sky forevermore. The Greek goddess Artemis was often associated with the moon, especially the crescent or "new" moon. Phoebe was one of the many names she was called. The name Phoebe means the "light one" or "bright one".

Artemis "Goddess of Light" had the divine duty of illuminating the darkness. Artemis was often depicted carrying a candle or torch, lighting the way for others, leading them through territories yet uncharted. In Greek mythology Artemis, despite her "wildness" (her refusal to conform to conventional ways or tradition) and her fierce independence, was depicted as one of the compassionate, healing goddesses. Of all the Greek goddesses, she was the most self-sufficient, living life on her own terms, comfortable both in solitude and in holding the reins of leadership. The Greek goddess Artemis gives us courage. Like her counterpart, the Roman goddess Diana, she illuminates those places that terrify us and lends us her strength to bring us safely through our fears. Ancient Greek Gods for Kids, Artemis & Diana - Ancient Greek & Roman Gods for Kids Roman Name: Diana Ancient Greek Myths for Kids Artemis was the goddess of the hunt and the goddess of the moon. She was Apollo's twin sister. Her father was Zeus, king of all the gods. Her mother was the gentle Leto. Artemis was Apollo's opposite. Her brother could be warm and loving. But Artemis was not like that.

She adored her dogs. She loved her twin brother. She loved her Mom. She respected her Dad. She even liked most of her half-siblings. But to others, Artemis was cold and pitiless. Artemis was a private goddess. There are not that many myths about her. She absolutely, positively, no question about it, resented anyone who intruded upon her, or spied upon her, or interrupted her, especially any man. Artemis had swore never to marry. She never did. As the myth goes ... Artemis and the Deer Hunter Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a famous hunter. His name was Actaeon. One day, Actaeon and his dogs were in the woods. The dogs perked up their ears. They heard something. Laughter. Coming from a stream nearby. Actaeon quietly crept up on the steam to see who was laughing. Imagine his amazement to discover it was the goddess Artemis, along with some of her attendants, splashing in the stream. He should have left immediately. He, like everyone else in the ancient Greek world, was very aware that Artemis demanded privacy.

But he was young, and foolish, and arrogant. Instead of leaving, he moved out onto the bank, and boldly stared at Artemis. Artemis was furious. She splashed him with water. Magically, he changed into a deer. His dogs leaped on him, as he had trained them to do when they spotted any deer. The dogs killed him. Artemis never thought of him again. More myths that include Artemis ... The Roman Goddess Diana [ ? ]Subscribe To This Site The Roman Goddess Diana The Roman goddess Diana was the equivalent of the Greek goddess Artemis . She was the daughter of Jupiter and Latona and Apollo ’s sister. Initially, in Roman mythology, she was a goddess of nature. She was later identified with the Greek goddess Artemis , under the influence of the Greek colonies established in Southern Italy, that’s how she also became the goddess of hunt. She was considered a protector of the weak and the slaves turned to her for help. The most important temples of the Roman goddess Diana were in Capua and in Aricia, near Lake Nemi, where she was also called Diana Nemorensis (Diana of the woods).

There was a festival held in her honour on the 13th August (the Ides of August). The priest in the Temple of Diana Nemorensis was said to be, in the beginning, a runaway slave. If somebody else wanted to take his place, he had to kill the priest with a wooden branch. One of the stories says that Artemis (i.e Diana) took Hippolytus, son of Theseus, after he was brought to life again by Asclepios, and brought it to Italy, at her temple in Aricia, where he became her priest, under the name Virbius (he who lived twice). And a curious fact: in the Romanian language, the Latin name of the Roman goddess Diana became the word “zana”, which means “fairy”. In Romanian folk tales, the fairies are women with magical powers (some good, some bad) who would usually wander through the woods, in large groups. In many tales, a young man sees the fairies bathing and steals some clothes. When they discover someone is watching, they get out of the water, get dressed and fly away.

The fairy whose clothes were stolen can’t go away, so she hides behind a bush, promising to marry him if he gives her back her clothes (which have magical powers). The young man refuses and gives her other clothes, they marry and they live happily for a while, until, one day, she manages to find her fairy clothes. When she does, she can fly back to her sisters, leaving her son and her husband, who will be forever sad. Because, when someone was married to a fairy, the other women mean nothing to him any more. Not exactly Actaeon's story, but anyway, the man who saw the fairies naked is punished for this, with an eternal sadness. In art, this goddess was mainly represented under the name Diana. Artemis | Greek Roman Egyptian gods and others Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Greek Roman Egyptian gods and others Wiki Share Ad blocker interference detected! Wikia is a free-to-use site that makes money from advertising. We have a modified experience for viewers using ad blockers Wikia is not accessible if you’ve made further modifications. Remove the custom ad blocker rule(s) and the page will load as expected. Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities.

Her Roman equivalent is Diana . Some scholars [1 ] believe that the name and indeed the goddess herself was originally pre-Greek. [2 ] Homer refers to her as Artemis Agrotera, Potnia Theron : "Artemis of the wildland, Mistress of Animals". [3 ] In the classical period of Greek mythology , Artemis ( Greek : ( nominative ) Ἄρτεμις, ( genitive ) Ἀρτέμιδος) 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 young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women; she often was depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. [4 ] The deer and the cypress were sacred to her. In later Hellenistic times, she even assumed the ancient role of Eileithyia in aiding childbirth. Contents Edit [1] [2] Apollo (left) and Artemis. Brygos (potter, signed), Briseis Painter , Tondo of an Attic red-figure cup, ca.

470 BC, Louvre .Various conflicting accounts are given in Classical Greek mythology of the birth of Artemis and her twin brother, Apollo. All accounts agree, however, that she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and that she was the twin sister of Apollo. An account by Callimachus has it that Hera forbade Leto to give birth on either terra firma (the mainland) or on an island. Hera was angry with Zeus, her husband, because he had impregnated Leto. But the island of Delos (or Ortygia in the Homeric Hymn to Artemis ) disobeyed Hera, and Leto gave birth there. [13 ] In ancient Cretan history Leto was worshipped at Phaistos and in Cretan mythology Leto gave birth to Apollo and Artemis at the islands known today as the Paximadia . A scholium of Servius on Aeneid iii.

72 accounts for the island's archaic name Ortygia [14 ] by asserting that Zeus transformed Leto into a quail (ortux) in order to prevent Hera from finding out his infidelity, and Kenneth McLeish suggested further that in quail form Leto would have given birth with as few birth-pains as a mother quail suffers when it lays an egg. [15 ] The myths also differ as to whether Artemis was born first, or Apollo. Most stories depict Artemis as born first, becoming her mother's mid-wife upon the birth of her brother Apollo. Childhood Edit [3] [4] Roman marble Bust of Artemis after Kephisodotos ( Musei Capitolini ), Rome.The childhood of Artemis is not fully related in any surviving myth. The Iliad reduced the figure of the dread goddess to that of a girl, who, having been thrashed by Hera , climbs weeping into the lap of Zeus.

[16 ] A poem of Callimachus to the goddess "who amuses herself on mountains with archery" imagines some charming vignettes: according to Callimachus, at three years old, Artemis, while sitting on the knee of her father, Zeus, asked him to grant her six wishes: to remain always a virgin; to have many names to set her apart from her brother Apollo ; to be the Phaesporia or Light Bringer; to have a bow and arrow and a knee-length tunic so that she could hunt; to have sixty "daughters of Okeanos ", all nine years of age, to be her choir; and for twenty Amnisides Nymphs as handmaidens to watch her dogs and bow while she rested. She wished for no city dedicated to her, but to rule the mountains, and for the ability to help women in the pains of childbirth. [17 ] Artemis believed that she had been chosen by the Fates to be a midwife, particularly since she had assisted her mother in the delivery of her twin brother, Apollo. [18 ] All of her companions remained virgins, and Artemis closely guarded her own chastity.

Her symbols included the golden bow and arrow, the hunting dog, the stag, and the moon. Callimachus tells [19 ] how Artemis spent her girlhood seeking out the things that she would need to be a huntress, how she obtained her bow and arrows from the isle of Lipara , where Hephaestus and the Cyclops worked. Okeanus' daughters were filled with fear, but the young Artemis bravely approached and asked for bow and arrows. Callimachus then tells how Artemis visited Pan , the god of the forest, who gave her seven bitches and six dogs. She then captured six golden-horned deer to pull her chariot. Artemis practiced with her bow first by shooting at trees and then at wild beasts. [19 ] Wooing the Goddess Edit As a virgin, Artemis had interested many gods and men, but only her hunting companion, Orion, won her heart. Orion was accidentally killed either by Artemis or by Gaia. Alpheus , a river god, was in love with Artemis, but he realizes that he can do nothing to win her heart. So he decides to capture her.

Artemis, who is with her companions at Letrenoi, goes to Alpheus, but, suspicious of his motives, she covers her face with mud so that the river god does not recognize her. In another story, Alphaeus tries to rape Artemis' attendant Arethusa . Artemis pities Arethusa and saves her by transforming Arethusa into a spring in Artemis' temple, Artemis Alphaea in Letrini, where the goddess and her attendant drink. Bouphagos, the son of the Titan Iapetos, sees Artemis and thinks about raping her. Reading his sinful thoughts, Artemis strikes him at Mount Pholoe. Sipriotes is a boy, who, either because he accidentally sees Artemis bathing or because he attempts to rape her, is turned into a girl by the goddess. Actaeon Artemis was once bathing in a vale on Mount Cithaeron , when the Theban hunter, Actaeon , stumbles across her. Enraged, Artemis turns him into a stag, and, not recognizing their owner, Actaeon's dogs kill him.

Adonis Edit [5] [6] The Death of Adonis, by Giuseppe Mazzuoli , 1709 - Hermitage Museum In some versions of the story of Adonis , who was a late addition to Greek mythology during the Hellenistic period, Artemis sent a wild boar to kill Adonis as punishment for his hubristic boast that he was a better hunter than she. In other versions, Artemis killed Adonis for revenge. In later myths, Adonis had been related as a favorite of Aphrodite , and Aphrodite was responsible for the death of Hippolytus , who had been a favorite of Artemis. Therefore, Artemis killed Adonis to avenge Hippolytus’s death. In yet another version, Adonis was not killed by Artemis, but by Ares, as punishment for being with Aphrodite. Orion Edit Orion was Artemis' hunting companion. In some versions, he is killed by Artemis, while in others he is killed by a scorpion sent by Gaia . In some versions, Orion tries to seduce Opis , [20 ] one of her followers, and she killed him.

In a version by Aratus , [21 ] Orion took hold of Artemis' robe and she killed him in self-defense . In yet another version, Apollo sends the scorpion. According to Hyginus [22 ] Artemis once loved Orion (in spite of the late source, this version appears to be a rare remnant of her as the pre-Olympian goddess, who took consorts, as Eos did), but was tricked into killing him by her brother Apollo, who was "protective" of his sister's maidenhood. The Aloadae Edit These twin sons of Iphidemia and Poseidon , Otos and Ephialtes, grew enormously at a young age. They were aggressive, great hunters, and could not be killed unless they killed each other. The growth of the Aloadae never stopped, and they boasted that as soon as they could reach heaven, they would kidnap Artemis and Hera and take them as wives. The gods were afraid of them, except for Artemis who captured a fine deer (or in another version of the story, she changed herself into a doe) and jumped out between them. The Aloadae threw their spears and so mistakenly killed each other.

Callisto Edit [7] [8] Diana and Callisto by Titian . Callisto was the daughter of Lycaon, King of Arcadia and also was one of Artemis's hunting attendants. As a companion of Artemis, she took a vow of chastity. Zeus appeared to her disguised as Artemis, or in some stories Apollo, gained her confidence, then took advantage of her (or raped her, according to Ovid ). As a result of this encounter she conceived a son, Arcas. Enraged, Hera or Artemis (some accounts say both) changed her into a bear. Arcas almost killed the bear, but Zeus stopped him just in time. Out of pity, Zeus placed Callisto the bear into the heavens, thus the origin of Callisto the Bear as a constellation. Some stories say that he placed both Arcas and Callisto into the heavens as bears, forming the Ursa Minor and Ursa Major constellations. Iphigenia and the Taurian Artemis Edit Artemis punished Agamemnon after he killed a sacred stag in a sacred grove and boasted that he was a better hunter than the goddess.

When the Greek fleet was preparing at Aulis to depart for Troy to begin the Trojan War , Artemis becalmed the winds. The seer Calchas advised Agamemnon that the only way to appease Artemis was to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia . Artemis then snatched Iphigenia from the altar and substituted a deer. Various myths have been told around what happened after Artemis took her. Either she was brought to Tauros and led the priests there, or became Artemis' immortal companion. [23 ] Niobe Edit A Queen of Thebes and wife of Amphion , Niobe boasted of her superiority to Leto because while she had fourteen children ( Niobids ), seven boys and seven girls, Leto had only one of each. When Artemis and Apollo heard this impiety, Apollo killed her sons as they practiced athletics, and Artemis shot her daughters, who died instantly without a sound. Apollo and Artemis used poisoned arrows to kill them, though according to some versions two of the Niobids were spared, one boy and one girl. Amphion, at the sight of his dead sons, killed himself.

A devastated Niobe and her remaining children were turned to stone by Artemis as they wept. The gods themselves entombed them. Chione Edit Chione was a princess of Pokis. She was beloved by two gods, Hermes and Apollo , and boasted that she was prettier than Artemis because she made two gods fall in love with her at once. Artemis was furious and killed Chione with her arrow or struck her dumb by shooting off her tongue. However, some versions of this myth say Apollo and Hermes protected her from Artemis' wrath. Atalanta, Oeneus and the Meleagrids Edit Artemis saved the infant Atalanta from dying of exposure after her father abandoned her. She sent a female bear to suckle the baby, who was then raised by hunters. But she later sent a bear to hurt Atalanta because people said Atalanta was a better hunter. This is in some stories. Among other adventures, Atalanta participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar , which Artemis had sent to destroy Calydon because King Oeneus had forgotten her at the harvest sacrifices.

In the hunt, Atalanta drew the first blood, and was awarded the prize of the skin. She hung it in a sacred grove at Tegea as a dedication to Artemis. Meleager was a hero of Aetolia. King Oeneus had him gather heroes from all over Greece to hunt the Calydonian Boar . After the death of Meleager , Artemis turned his grieving sisters, the Meleagrids into guineafowl that Artemis loved very much. Aura Edit In Nonnus Dionysiaca , [24 ] Aura was Greek goddess of breezes and cool air, daughter of Lelantos and Periboia . She was a virgin huntress, just like Artemis and proud of her maidenhood. One day, she claimed that the body of Artemis was too womanly and she doubted her virginity. Artemis asked Nemesis for help to avenge her dignity and caused the rape of Aura by Dionysus . Aura became a mad and dangerous killer. When she bore twin sons, she ate one of them while the other one, Iakhos, was saved by Artemis.

Iakhos later became an attendant of Demeter and the leader of Eleusinian Mysteries . Trojan War Edit Artemis may have been represented as a supporter of Troy because her brother Apollo was the patron god of the city and she herself was widely worshipped in western Anatolia in historical times. In the Iliad [25 ] she came to blows with Hera, when the divine allies of the Greeks and Trojans engaged each other in conflict. Hera struck Artemis on the ears with her own quiver, causing the arrows to fall out. As Artemis fled crying to Zeus, Leto gathered up the bow and arrows. Artemis played quite a large part in this war. Like her mother and brother, who was widely worshiped at Troy, Artemis took the side of the Trojans. At the Greek's journey to Troy, Artemis becalmed the sea and stopped the journey until an oracle came and said they could win the goddess' heart by sacrificing Iphigenia, Agamemnon 's daughter. Agamemnon once promised the goddess he would sacrifice the dearest thing to him, which was Iphigenia, but broke the promise. Other sources[ which?

] said he boasted about his hunting ability and provoked the goddess' anger. Artemis saved Iphigenia because of her bravery. In some versions of the myth,[ which? ], Artemis made Iphigenia her attendant or turned her into Hecate , goddess of night, witchcraft, and the underworld. Aeneas was helped by Artemis, Leto, and Apollo. Apollo found him wounded by Diomedes and lifted him to heaven. There, the three of them secretly healed him in a great chamber. Worship of Artemis Edit [9] [10] Roman Temple of Artemis in Jerash, Jordan , built during the reign of Antoninus Pius .Main article: Brauronia Artemis, the goddess of forests and hills, was worshipped throughout ancient Greece . [26 ] Her best known cults were on the island of Delos (her birthplace); in Attica at Brauron and Mounikhia (near Piraeus ); in Sparta . She was often depicted in paintings and statues in a forest setting, carrying a bow and arrows, and accompanied by a deer.

The ancient Spartans used to sacrifice to her as one of their patron goddesses before starting a new military campaign . Artemis the Greek Goddess of the Hunt Artemis The Greek Goddess Of The Hunt Areas of Influence: Artemis is the Greek Goddess of the hunt, nature and birth. She is also described in Greek mythology as "Goddess of the night", "Lady of the Beast", "Woodland Goddess" and "Phoebe," which translates as the bright one. Several of this Goddesses roles may appear incompatible in nature. An example of this is that she is associated both with death, brought swiftly through her arrows and healing. She is also both Goddess of the hunt and the protector of wild animals. These contradictions are in reality just a reflection of the cycles of life, death and rebirth. Artemis is also a bird Goddess as she is linked to several wild birds including guinea fowl, buzzards and an unidentified sea bird. She was also known as a moon Goddess. Where she represents the new moon. As such Artemis is an important archetypal figure for young independent and unmarried woman in the form of the maiden goddess.

Birth and Genealogy: Born to Leto and Zeus, she is also the twin sister to Apollo, whom according to myth, she helped her mother to deliver. This is why she was traditionally called upon by woman to ease the pains of childbirth. She was a virgin Goddess who never married or had any children. Strengths: Independence, courage, confidence and physical strength. When this Goddess is only three years old she asks her father, Zeus for her own bow and arrow. Her independence and free spirited nature is not appreciated however by all the Goddesses. Aphrodite has no control over her as she is not interested in love. The Queen of the Gods, Hera is also forced into confronting her when Artemis sides with the Trojans during the war. Weaknesses: Vengeful, impulsive and aloof. When one of priestesses is caught with her lover in the temple grounds she punishes the whole surrounding community with a plague. On another occasion she discovered a man out hunting named Actaeon, peeping at her and her companions she transformed him into a stag and his own dogs devoured him. Like many of the Greek Goddesses she does not like to be beaten.

When Agamemnon kills a stag and boasts that she could not have done it better, she is swift in seeking her revenge, holding back the winds and preventing his fleet from sailing. Roman Equivalent: Diana Temples: The Temple of Artemisium in Ephesis was regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was a blend on Greek and eastern influences and held an unusual statue of the Goddess. She is depicted as having numerous breasts (although some historians argue they are bulls testicles which seems more likely) and legs covered and adorned with lions, oxen and other animals. This statue is now housed at the museum in Selcuk. Festivals: The most well known festival was held at Brauronia. Where the people had angered the Goddess by killing a bear and were punished by a plague. Young girls played the parts of the bear in an attempt to appease her. There were many other festivals held throughout ancient Greece dedicated to this Goddess including the Elaphebolia, Mounikhia and Laphria. The Goddess also oversaw the rites of passage for young girls up until the time of their first pregnancy. These girls were expected to remain chaste until marriage.

She continues to be an important Goddess to Pagans and Wiccans today. Artemis's Symbolism Symbolism: Her bow and arrow that were a present from Zeus. She is often drawn wearing a short functional tunic. One of the oldest representations of her also depicts her as a winged Goddess holding a stag and a leopard or lion. Other works of art illustrate her riding a chariot drawn by four stags. Sacred Animals: Deer, bears and hunting dogs. Sacred Birds: Guinea fowl and Buzzards were associated with this bird Goddess. Sacred Plants: Cypress, almond, fir, walnut and willow trees. Amaranth, daisy, wormwood. Like her brother she was also associated with laurels. Artemis's Archetypes The Child of Nature : This stereotype feels most at home outside bonding and communicating with the forces of nature. The Child of Nature is often emotionally very sensitive and prefers solace and the company of animals to being with people. They are often independent and physically fit. The shadow aspect abuses animals and destroys the environment around them. Artemis embodies this role as she is the Goddess of wild animals.

As the huntress she becomes the shadow attribute of this stereotype, killing the animals and attacking anyone who tries to take away her dignity. The Virgin : This Archetype represents the desire to remain sexually pure and uncorrupted, maintaining your energy for other projects. It can also symbolise a deep desire to create brand new ideas and methods of working. The shadow virgin, resists her sexuality due to fear and revolution of sex and the loss of innocence it symbolises. This Goddess is a prime example of this chaste Archetype as she asked her father, Zeus to grant her eternal virginity. All her companions were also virgins and she was extremely protective of her purity. When a hunter saw the Goddess and her nymphs bathing, one myth says she turned him into a stag and set his dogs upon him. How To Work With These Archetypes The Child of Nature: To have this particular Archetype you need more than a love of nature. Your health and well-being is affected if you are unable to spend time outside working with animals, plants and other nature spirits. Your idea of hell is likely to be working in a busy office in the center of town. People who possess the shadow aspect are cruel to animals and have no interest in preserving the natural world.

The Virgin: The Virgin is one of your main Archetypes, if you are continually preserving your vital energies, for spiritual pursuits. The Virgin may also represent a desire to explore virgin territory; inventing refreshing, new ideas and ways of doing things. On the shadow side, fear and disgust caused by bad past experiences could be preventing you from exploring your sexuality. Roman Goddesses Goddess-Guide.com Roman Goddesses The original Roman Goddesses did not have distinctive personalities, human form, family histories or myths about their lives. Instead these deities were manifestations of what the Romans termed "numina", the divine essence that could be found in all living things and places. An example of the Numina is Pomona the Goddess of Fruit trees, orchards and gardens. This belief in numina helps explain why there were so many early Roman deities, as each represented different aspects of the natural world. Early Roman mythology did not contain tales of the lives of magical gods. Instead they were presented as the history of Rome's creation and concentrated on the rituals and religious practices. The nature of these early Roman deities was also closely linked to the physical and spiritual needs of people, concentrating on areas like the agriculture and motherhood.

The included Goddesses like Carmenta who was the Goddess of childbirth and prophecy. There were also many different local Goddesses and festivals who were mainly worshipped in the home and on the land. Later the Romans mythology borrowed heavily from other traditions. However it was the rule of Rome by the Etrusian kings that was first to influence Roman worship. They began by adapting three of the Etruscan gods and making them the focus of their religion. As the Roman Empire continued to expand they came into contact with new belief systems and ideas. Instead of destroying these religions and cults they absorbed and adopted many of them, including those of the Greeks. For example they adapted the mythology of the Greek dawn Goddess Eos and re-named her Aurora. Another example of this is the agricultural Goddess Demeter whose Roman equivalent Ceres is where the word cereal is from. I have included these and other examples below. They also adopted the system of a pantheon of twelve major deities, similar to the model of the Olympians.

These included: Juno (Queen of the Gods), Venus (Goddess of love and beauty), Vesta (Goddess of the hearth and home), Diana (Goddess of the hunt) Minerva (Goddess of war and wisdom). Roman Goddess Name Greek Equivalent Aurora Eos

Question: Who was the Roman equivalent of the Greek Goddess Artemis?
Answer: Diana