Artemis
Twin sister of Apollo and goddess of the hunt. Artemis roamed the wild forests with her band of nymphs, fiercely protecting her virginity and the natural world.
The Myth of Artemis
Artemis was born on Delos moments before her twin Apollo, daughter of Zeus and Leto. She asked her father for eternal virginity, a silver bow, and dominion over wild places. She became the greatest hunter among the gods, roaming mountains with her nymphs. Artemis punished transgressors without mercy. When the hunter Actaeon stumbled upon her bathing, she transformed him into a stag and his hounds tore him apart. She demanded the sacrifice of Iphigenia from Agamemnon at Aulis after he boasted of surpassing her. She slew the giant Orion and placed him among the stars. She turned Callisto into a bear for breaking her vow, and with Apollo killed the children of Niobe for insulting Leto. Despite her fierce virginity, she was also goddess of childbirth, and the great temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders.
Parents
Zeus and Leto
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Artemis
⚡ godGoddess of the hunt, wilderness, and childbirth
The virgin huntress who roamed the wild places with her nymphs, punishing those who trespassed on her domain with lethal precision.
Goddess of the Hunt
💭 conceptHunting, wilderness, childbirth, the moon
Artemis roams the forests with her band of nymphs, protecting wild animals and punishing those who violate her sacred groves.
Diana
⚡ godHunt, moon, wilderness, crossroads
Roman goddess of the hunt, the moon, and wild places, identified with the Greek Artemis
Cyrene
🌿 nymphhunting, wild beasts
A Thessalian huntress-nymph whose fearless wrestling of a lion attracted Apollo's love, becoming the mother of Aristaeus.
Atalanta
🗡 heroThe virgin huntress who outran every suitor
The swift-footed huntress who drew first blood against the Calydonian Boar and was only beaten in a footrace by divine trickery.
Selene
⚡ godTitaness of the moon
Selene was the Titaness who drove the silver chariot of the moon across the night sky — she loved the mortal Endymion and visited him each night as he slept eternally.
Atalanta
🗡 herospeed, independence
The only woman among the Argonauts in some traditions, a virgin huntress raised by bears who could outrun any man and demanded a footrace as the price of marriage.
Hera
⚡ godQueen of the gods, marriage, family, childbirth
Queen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's lovers and their children.
Selene
⚡ godTitaness of the moon
The Titaness who personified the moon, driving her silver chariot across the night sky. She fell in love with the mortal Endymion and visited him nightly as he slept.
Demeter
⚡ godGoddess of harvest and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Demeter was the goddess of grain, harvest, and fertility whose grief over Persephone's abduction explained the seasons and whose Mysteries promised hope beyond death.
Circe
⚡ godSorceress goddess of transformation
A powerful sorceress who lived on the island of Aeaea. Circe transformed Odysseus's men into swine and later became his lover and advisor.
Venus
⚡ godLove, beauty, desire, fertility
Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, identified with the Greek Aphrodite but also revered as ancestress of the Roman people