GREEK MYTHOLOGY – THE OLYMPIAN GODS – ARTEMIS. Artemis, daughter of Zeus and Leto, was born on the island of Delos together with her twin brother Apollo.
She was the goddess of hunting and wildlife, but also of childbirth, hence her role as protectress of children. Typically depicted with a bow and quiver of arrows and accompanied by a deer, Artemis was a virgin deity, like Athena and Hestia. She would punish harshly anyone who dared to cross her.
From Agamemnon, who had killed her sacred deer, she demanded the sacrifice of his own daughter Iphigenia in retribution. Due to the nature of her cult, she was mainly worshipped in country areas.
Major sanctuaries to Artemis were located in Sparta (Artemis Orthia), in Caryes, Laconia, where the local women (Caryatids) honoured the goddess with dances, as well as in Brauron, Attica. The famous temple dedicated to her in Ephesos was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
