Who was the Goddess Artemis? The Queen of the mountains, forests and hunting

The goddess Artemis is one of the oldest, most complex and interesting forms of the Greek pantheon. The goddess is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo, and is the queen of the mountains, forests and hunting . She is also the protector of young children and animals. The birth of this peculiar goddess was on the island of Ortigia.

Leto, being pregnant and after going through terrible hardships and wandering, had to flee this rocky and barren island, in order to hide and protect himself from the furious persecution of Zeus's legitimate wife, Hera. There, with the help of all female deities (with the exception of Hera), Artemis was born and shortly thereafter, her brother Apollo.

From the first hours of his birth, Artemis began to take the initiative . Although she was a newborn, she helped her exhausted mother give birth to her second child, and from there she has identified in this way with Ilitía, the birth goddess.

The goddess Artemis was beautiful and bright, and from an early age she had earned the appreciation of other gods. From the age of three, he had specific requirements regarding clothing, equipment and the sequence of his most preferred activity, hunting. She was a girl who knew what she wanted and was very stable and rigid in her decisions . Zeus admired him for his perseverance and because of his versatility, he harbored a great affection for her.

What did the goddess Artemis ask her father Zeus as a gift?

One of the first things Artemis asked for as a gift from her father was eternal purity and virginity.

He would be faithful and constant in what he wanted, in exchange for committing to never tarnish his ethics or his character . Seriously and proudly, she always maintained her purity, defying any siege and erotic assaults. Dedicated to hunting and nature, Artemis was not worried about marriage and the pleasures of love. With the zeal and rigor, she demanded innocence and virginity not only of herself, but of the nymphs that surrounded her and also those who honored her with her services.

Artemis was an implacable goddess who almost never forgave anyone. Any irregularity against him or any deviation from his beliefs and principles deserved his punishment. His relentless fury was ready to explode at any moment against the violator of his strict rules. Its deadly arrows oriented in mortal ways to gods and heroes who ignored its existence or neglected its principles and worship.

Once, Aktaionas, the son of Autonois and Aristeo, went to see Artemis naked, at the time he was taking his bath. The goddess, for fear that the incident would spread, transformed him into a deer and put her fifty dogs to devour him.

The goddess Artemis had a weakness for children and adolescents . The men and women who maintained their innocence and lived according to their principles were always favored and were constantly under their protection.

In fact, Hippolytus, who dedicated himself to her and adored her, is a living example of this tactic and the weakness of the goddess.

Hippolytus, a hunter, had dedicated his life to the beautiful Artemis and the ideals she professed. No challenge, no woman was ever able to attract him . Not even Fedra, wife of Theseus, was able to charm and seduce him . His exemplary behavior touched the goddess who gave awards, glory and eternal memory to his name after his death. Artemis was one of the most beautiful and elegant goddesses of Olympus. The ancient Greeks really admired her.

In general, the goddess Artemis was an energetic goddess, hard and restless. In most of her appearances she was conscious, mature and decisive, although on very few occasions she showed herself at events with a completely different image.

In the face of Apollo's reluctance to grieve with Poseidon, Artemis had a negative attitude and confronts the twin brother with ironic, insolent and derogatory words. Hera, who was present in this incident, was enraged by her behavior and furiously began to hit her with her own arrows.

One of Artemis's favorite activities was hunting. An active, impetuous and agile woman, a free and restless goddess, channeled most of her vigor in the search and follow-up of games in the mountains. Accompanied by beautiful nymphs and surrounded by wild dogs, they were running through the lakes, rivers, meadows and mountains in order to find, above all, wild animals.

Always dressed in light clothes and equipped with the appropriate equipment for the occasion, she threw herself with enthusiasm and fury in what mainly interested her.

One of the main characteristics of the goddess Artemis was the universal sovereignty of nature. Domestic and wild animals, fish in the water and birds in the air were under their protection. As goddess and protector of nature, Artemis was held responsible for both agriculture and livestock.

Areas that worshiped and venerated unfailingly always had their fertile land, splattered fields, abundant crops and healthy and fertile animals. On the contrary, many of the areas that did not correctly fulfill their obligations to it, and on the other hand ignored its existence, had to face rage and vengeful fury, which meant the destruction of crops and herds decimated

The war between Greeks and Trojans does not turn indifferent Artemis. Together with her brother Apollo, Ares, Aphrodite and Leto, she actively participated by taking part in the Trojans.

One of the first events that occurred even before the start of the war, was due to the wrath of the goddess Artemis . The Greek fleet could not even start due to the absence of strong winds that the goddess had created. A random incident in relation to the Achaean leader, Agamemnon, had caused this situation.

Once, without realizing it, he had invaded a forest dedicated to Artemis, had killed a sacred deer . The goddess was so angry that she demanded the sacrifice of her daughter Iphigenia to send favorable winds to help the sails of the Greek ships.

Finally, the wound made by Diomedes during the war, Aeneas, had received the help of Artemis and Leto, and had succeeded thanks to them to regain their strength and return to battle.

The symbols of the goddess Artemis were many and varied. They spread like animals and plants, like weapons, goats, deer, bears, dogs, snakes, laurels, palms, cypress, swords, quivers, javelins and more.

AUTHOR: JoT333, editor of the great family of hermandadblanca.org