Artemis
Mistress of Animals
Goddess of the Hunt
Iconography
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I sing about Artemis of the
golden arrows, chaste virgin
of the noisy hunt, who
delights in her shafts and
strikes down the stag, the
very own sister of Apollo of
the golden sword. She
ranges over shady hills and
windy heights, rejoicing in
the chase as she draws her
bow, made all of silver, and
shoots her shafts of woe.
The peaks of the lofty
mountains tremble, the dark
woods echo terribly to the
shrieks of wild beasts. But
she with dauntless heart
looks everywhere to wreak
destruction on animals.
. . . and dancer . . .
But when the huntress, who delights in
her arrows, has had her fill of pleasure
and cheered her heart, she unstrings her
curved bow and makes her way to the
great house of her dear brother, Phoebus
Apollo, in the rich land of Delphi, where
she supervises the lovely dances of the
Muses and Graces. After she has hung up
her unstrung bow and arrows, she takes
first place and, exquisitely attired, leads
the dance. And they join in a heavenly
choir to sing how Leto of the beautiful
ankles bore two children who are by far
the best of the immortals in sagacious
thought and action.
Homeric Hymn to Artemis
The hymn shows some of the
associations of Artemis:
•virginity
•the hunt and destruction of animals
•the bow, arrows, = distance,
mercilessness
•mountains, winds, wilderness
•silver
•her twin Apollo
•dancing and singing
•a group of maidens, either her hunting
companions or her dancing companions
Artemis’ other range of powers
is hinted at by her cult statue at
Ephesus:
•promoter and overseer of the fertility
of animals
•help to women in childbirth
•overseer of the transition of virgins
into brides
•emblem of transition of young men
into adult status, from “wild” to
civilized
Roman name: Diana
Origins of Artemis
Artemis appears first in Greek
art as a figure with Near
Eastern connections, the
potnia theron or “Mistress of
Animals.”
Her destructive capacity was
matched by her role as
protector of young animals and
overseer of animal fertility.
Destructive and Nurturing
“Zeus has made you a lion
among women, and given you
leave to kill any at your
pleasure.” (Hera to Artemis,
Homer’s Iliad)
“Artemis, lovely Artemis, so
kind to the ravening lion’s
tender, helpless cubs, the
suckling young of beasts that
stalk the wilds.” (Chorus in
Aeschylus, Agamemnon)
Destructive and
Nurturing
Hunter-gatherers are aware
that they can only live by
killing their fellow creatures,
but they also have a big stake
in maintaining the populations
of the wild animals they hunt
– without them, they starve.
The combination of hunter
and nurturer may seem
strange – but it makes
sense in a hunter-gatherer
context.
In the agricultural society of
historical Greece, hunting
issues are less central to
survival, but they are honored
in the figure of Artemis.
Why a huntress?
•because of the
association of fertility with
a female figure?
•because nature is
essentialized as feminine
in many patriarchal
societies?
•holdovers from the
neolithic “great goddess”
(if there really was one)?
Why a female deity of the
hunt, when hunting was a
male activity?
•for the same reasons the
war goddess Athena is
female?
Goddess in liminal territory
Hunting was a liminal activity, in which
young men went to the borders of
civilization and entered into risky
relationships with the wild.
Artemis, as a liminal deity, embodies
this marginal, dangerous territory.
This is one reason for her merciless,
destructive side: nature is destructive,
as are all liminal areas.
What transforms can kill.
Failed Initiation:
Actaeon
Greek cities marked this transition
in many different ways, and
several stories involving Artemis
seem to be cautionary tales about
the young men who don’t make it
through the trials.
“Initiation” in many
societies is a formal rite
of status change. Rituals
signalling passage from
child to adult are most
universal.
The story of Actaeon is the best
known. He saw Artemis bathing
nude. She turned him into a deer,
and he was hunted and killed by
his own hunting dogs.
Wilderness 1, initiands 0.
Interpretations of
Actaeon
There are many different
versions of what
happened that day.
Ovid says Actaeon was
unaware:
“And while Diana was being
bathed, as she had been many
times before, Actaeon, Cadmus’
grandson, came to the grotto
uncertain of his way and
wandering through the
unfamiliar wood; so fate carried
him along.” Ovid,
Metamorphoses
Other versions paint Actaeon as
a voyeur who deliberately spied
on the goddess.
Different stories have different
points about the wild, divine
justice, or fate. Either way,
Artemis, like nature, is
dangerous and merciless.
Artemis and the
transitions of maidens
In Homer’s Odyssey,
the marriageable girl
Nausicaa is compared
to Artemis: standing
out above her
companions, even
more beautiful.
Greek girls dedicated
their dollies to Artemis
when they were about
to get married.
In Greek society, marriage was a woman’s most
vital initiation, and Artemis was equally their
liminal deity.
Sanctuary of
Artemis at
Brauron
Near
Athens,
the
sanctuary
at
Brauron
was
dedicated
to another
period of
girls’ lives:
the
wildness of
late
childhood.
Aristocratic families brought their daughters here to
serve the goddess as “Little Bears.” The Little
Bears performed various cult activities, among
them a footrace in honor of the goddess.
Proud
parents
dedicated
images of
their
daughter
s as Little
Bears.
(Incidentally, girls also ran races
elsewhere in Greece; here in
honor of Hera at Sparta.)
Callisto and Arcas
As with Actaeon, many versions
abound: Zeus, Hera, and Artemis are
all credited with transforming and/or
tormenting Callisto.
Ursa Minor
The bear association is also
present in the story of Callisto.
Callisto was raped by Zeus,
transformed into a bear, gave birth
to a son Arcas. Eventually both
were catasterized:
transformed into constellations.
Ursa
Major
Worship
Artemis was patron goddess of a number of major cities, a
number of them in Asia Minor. This is her temple at Sardis.
Worship
A gorgon marks
the pediment of
her archaic
temple at
Aphaia.
Leopards flank
the gorgon,
which somehow
recalls the
potnia theron . .
.
Worship
At Jerash in Jordan, she had a vast temple complex in Roman times
Worship
This is a reconstruction at
perhaps her most famous
sanctuary in antiquity, Ephesus
in Turkey, whose cult statue was
much copied (though less
understood . . .)
The divine twins
O blessed Leto, rejoice,
for you gave birth to
children of splendor, Lord
Apollo and Artemis,
showerer of arrows, her in
Ortygia first, Apollo in
rocky Delos. Homeric Hymn
to Apollo
Artemis and Apollo are twins, both
children of Leto by Zeus. In a
familiar story, Leto fled to escape
Hera’s wrath.
In some versions, Artemis
helps her mother give
birth to Apollo, reflecting
her role as facilitator of
(animal) fecundity.
The divine twins
The twins share
many elements of
their nature:
sometimes they are
shown sharing a
home, or sitting
next to each other
at the banquets of
the gods, or
Artemis and the
nymphs dance
while Apollo and
the Muses play
music. Here they
fight together
against the giants.
The divine twins
They are both “distant”
deities; Artemis is virgin
and unapproachable by
humans; Apollo has many
disastrous liaisons with
humans, but keeps his
distance in other ways.
Both are associated with
sudden death: Apollo
specifically with diseases
and plague.
They both use the bow, Artemis
for hunting.
Both can strike humans
down unexpectedly.
Niobe
Niobe’s story is another story of
hubris and its comeupance.
Niobe boasted that she was
better than Leto since she had
14 children and Leto had only 2.
Artemis and Apollo fixed that
situation.
Niobe turned into a stone which
still weeps . . .
Hekate
Artemis also becomes
associated with
Hekate, a mysterious
goddess with old IndoEuropean roots.
Later, Artemis and Apollo become
associated with the moon and the
sun, respectively.
Hekate eventually
becomes the goddess of
witchcraft, almost
opposite to the chaste
Artemis, but
paradoxically an aspect
of her – the dark side.
Euripides’ Hippolytus
Euripides was known as a
controversial playwright. He
often focused on female
characters & women’s issues
(for better or worse), used
startling new musical styles,
and challenged his audience
with uncomfortable scenes
and unresolved issues.
Hippolytus focused on a
younger wife driven mad by
Aphrodite, a virginal young
man, and a jealous father.
Aphrodite:
I am Cypris, a mighty and renowned
goddess both in heaven and among
mortals. Everyone who looks on the light
of the sun throughout the whole world is at
my mercy: I reward those who celebrate
my power, but I destroy those who with
arrogant pride oppose me . . .
Hippolytus is the only one who declares
that I am the worst of deities. He
renounces sex and rejects marriage, and
reveres Artemis, believing her the greatest
of deities. He hunts throughout the green
woods, always intimate with the virgin
goddess, enjoying a greater than mortal
relationship. I am not envious – why
should I be?
But for his sins against me I will take revenge on Hippolytus this
very day. Phaedra, the noble wife of his father, was struck to the
heart with a terrible desire for him, in accordance with my plans.
Some issues in the play:
•rejection of one god in favor of
another – is this acceptable?
•Is it acceptable to violate social
mores and conventions?
•women’s difficult lot in life; women
as a source of trouble for men.
•who is to blame when humans are
brought down by the gods?
Euripides’ Hippolytus
Artemis: There is a law for the gods as follows: no one of us wishes
to thwart the will of another but we always stand aside. . . . As it is,
these misfortunes have burst on you most of all, but I too feel pain.
So hail to you,
Artemis, with
my song, and at
the same time
to all the other
goddesses as
well; but I
begin to sing
about you first
of all . . .
finis