Greek Mythology 101: Who is Artemis?

Welcome to Greek Mythology 101, the place where we break down iconic figures from, you guessed it, Greek mythology! Here, we give you the main information you need to gain a better understanding of different gods and goddesses. Today’s topic: the huntress herself, Artemis.

General Info

Artemis is one of the twelve Olympians, daughter of Zeus and twin sister of Apollo. She is the goddess of the moon, archery, the hunt, and wilderness. Like her brother Apollo, who took over as the sun god from the Titan Helios, Artemis took over the role of moon goddess from the Titan Selene. 

Artemis is also known as the protector of young girls. As a virgin goddess, she surrounded herself with a retinue of like-minded girls. These were her hunters, who had all sworn an oath of chastity to serve her and who she protected at all costs.

Symbols & Sacred Animals

As the goddess of archery and hunting, Artemis’ main symbol is the bow and arrow. Quick on the draw, she is almost never depicted without a bow in her hand. The crescent moon is also a symbol of Artemis, denoting her role as the goddess of the moon, as well as representing her tracking of nocturnal beasts.

Her sacred animals are deer and hounds. Whether stag or hind, deer have always been sacred to Artemis; they pull her chariot and there are many myths about Artemis’ wrath if one of her precious deer is killed. Artemis’ hounds are specifically hunting hounds, and they often join her and her hunters in the wilderness as they chase after their prey.

Relationships

Artemis was a virgin goddess, which means that she never married and never had any children. Her relationships were therefore of the familial and platonic kind.

There were, of course, her hunters, those young girls that served her and had consequently sworn off all men to remain close to her. Artemis was fiercely protective of them. When the mortal Actaeon stumbled upon Artemis and her hunters bathing, she turned him into a stag as punishment for violating their privacy and modesty, after which he was chased down and killed by his own hunting hounds.

Artemis’ most famous friendship is arguably with the giant Orion. The two bonded over their shared love of the wilderness and hunting, but Orion is then killed. Depending on the version of the myth you read, he is either stung by a scorpion sent by Gaia after boasting that he’ll hunt and kill every beast on Earth or shot by Artemis herself after she’s tricked by Apollo in an archery competition between the two gods. 

No matter which version you believe, heartbroken by the death of her dear friend, Artemis places Orion’s spirit amongst the stars, turning him into the constellation we all know today.

Final Thoughts

Goddess of the hunt, archery, and the moon, Artemis is wild and free, a woman that will never be tamed. Do you love Artemis as much as we here at Mythic Tees do? Then check out our collection of Artemis shirts and mugs here!