Artemis
Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt and wild animals, twin sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus and Leto. She protects young life but can also bring sudden death. Her stories often concern the dangerous consequences of crossing a divine boundary.
Key stories of Artemis
Actaeon and the forbidden sight
The hunter Actaeon accidentally sees Artemis bathing. She turns him into a stag, and his own hunting dogs kill him.
In Metamorphoses, Ovid tells this story using Diana, Artemis's Roman name. Actaeon cannot make his dogs recognise him once he has changed shape.
In Metamorphoses by Ovid
The rescue of Iphigenia
In the most common version, Artemis saves Iphigenia from sacrifice by putting a deer in her place. She carries the girl away to serve as her priestess in Tauris.
In Iphigenia in Tauris, Iphigenia explains that Artemis rescued her from the altar. Her later encounter with her brother Orestes opens a way home.
In Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides
The punishment of Niobe
Niobe boasts that her many children make her greater than Leto. Artemis and Apollo avenge their mother's honour by killing Niobe's children.
In The Iliad, Achilles recalls how Apollo killed Niobe's sons and Artemis killed her daughters. He uses her grief to urge Priam to eat despite his sorrow for Hector.
In The Iliad by Homer
How to recognise Artemis in stories
- Look for a bow, arrows, deer, and a goddess moving through wild country.
- Notice a fiercely independent goddess who refuses marriage and guards her privacy.
- Watch for protection or punishment involving young people, hunters, and childbirth.
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Are Artemis and Diana the same goddess?
Diana is the Roman goddess commonly identified with Artemis. Roman writers often retell Greek stories using Diana's name, as Ovid does in Metamorphoses. Their traditions are not identical, but either name may point to the huntress in a classic book.
Is Artemis the goddess of the moon?
Artemis became closely associated with the moon, but Selene is the moon goddess in earlier Greek tradition. Artemis is chiefly the huntress and protector of wild animals. Later literature and art often connect her with moonlight or show her wearing a crescent.
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