Artemis + her relationships with other Theoi 🌙🏹🦌
One of the amazing things about Lady Artemis is how versatile her domain is. Here are just some of the prominent theoi she is connected to.
- These two were celebrated together during Kharisteria/Charisteria ('thanksgiving'), which took place on the sixth day of Boedromion.
- Goats were sacrificed jointly to Artemis and Ares for their roles in battle and war.
- Even though Artemis is not technically a 'goddess of war', her role as the (sometimes brutal) hunter gave her an association with battle and death. They were also both patron deities of the Amazons.
Diana of Versailles (original attributed to Leochares)
- Perhaps her most famous connection is to that of her twin brother. They are opposites but are also, in a certain sense, two sides of the same coin.
- Apollon is the warmth of the sun, Artemis is the light of the moon. (They also shared the epithet 'light-bringer') They compliment each other while contrasting.
- They are day and night, city and country. They complete a cycle, making them almost inextricably interconnected in myth. Yet they also share domain over hunting, healing, death, and even music.
- The muses, who were led by Apollon, were often seen accompanying Artemis and her nymphs as she danced through the forest. Dance and music were also vitally important in her rituals.
Artemis Hymnia=Of the Hymns
Artemis Hegemone=Leader of Dance/Choir
Diana awakening Apollo (Carl Bertling)
- Artemis and Dionysus are both deities of the thin line between us and animals/'beasts.' They symbolize our own wild nature and what it means to succumb to it.
- They historically shared in rituals of 'frenzy', release, and estastic dance. Both are deities of revolutionary liberation and freedom.
Artemis as 'Potnia Theron' on the François Vase
- These two goddesses are so heavily connected that many conflate/synchronize them. They are both deities associated with the night, the moon, and for their roles in protecting the young/children.
- The Roman goddess Diana Trivia is sometimes thought to be a syncretism of Luna/Selene, Artemis/Diana, and Hekate/Trivia.
- They were both known to hold torches and snakes, and some say that it was Artemis instead of Hekate who used her light to guide Demeter to Persephone during her search. Although most still contribute this part of the story to Hekate, it shows how conflated the two goddesses are.
- In some versions of their stories, Iphigenia was 'turned into' Hekate by Artemis. In others, Artemis 'became' Hekate as a companion of Persephone after her descent into the Underworld. Variations of Hekate's name were also epithets of Artemis.
Artemis Hekatê/Hekate = Far-Shooting, Shooter from Afar, or Worker from Afar
Artemis Hekatêbolos/Hecatebolus = Far-Shooting, Far-Darting, or Hundred-Shots
Artemis, Hekate, and Leto from the Pergamon Altar
- It is said that these two were raised together, perhaps with Athena, prior to her descent into the Underworld. They also share domain over nature and vegetation.
- In the Homeric Hymn II to Demeter, (and many other sources) it is said that Artemis and Persephone were picking flowers (sometimes with Athena) when she was taken.
- When Persephone returns from the Underworld, we can only assume that the two sisters and childhood friends are reunited just as she is reunited with Demeter.
- Hekate is also considered to be Persephone's companion in the Underworld. So if one syncretises the two, Artemis-Hekate would be her companion year round!
Diana's Bath (Louis Devedeux)
- As well as being deities of vegetation, Artemis is connected to both Persephone and Demeter in their roles in the Eleusinian Mysteries (Hekate also had a prominent role in this tradition).
- The mysterious goddess Despoine, also central to the Eleusinian Mysteries, is thought to be Persephone, Hekate, Artemis, or some syncretism of them.
- The sanctuary of Despoine, which was vital to the tradition of the Eleusinian Mysteries, was in Arcadia. At this sanctuary, Pausanias stated that multiple representations of Artemis could be found; including a 'six foot tall bronze statue' which stood guardian in front of the entrance to the mystery cult.
- A theory states that Demeter is actually the mother of Artemis, while Leto is her 'sister' or 'nurse.' Pausanias claims that "Artemis was the daughter, not of Leto but of Demeter, which is the Egyptian account."
Artemis with a Dog (Munich)
- It is traditionly stated that Selene is the personification of the moon itself while Artemis is a goddess of the moon.
- At some point, the two were congealed/synchronized as Artemis became more and more heavily associated with the moon. The Roman goddess Diana almost certainly involved syncretism between the two.
Diana and Endymion (Jérôme-Martin Langlois)
- Artemis and Pan are both deities of the wild, pastures, woodland, animals, and the country. Rural deities with connections to dance and music, these two have a similar untamed persona.
- Pan gave Artemis a pack of seven hunting dogs as a gift, showing their companionship. Pan also famously had a love affair with Selene, so syncretism between Artemis and Selene also connects her to Pan.
Diana the Huntress (Gaston Casimir Saint-Pierre)
- Artemis has always been a favored daughter of her father. Perhaps their most famous interaction occurs from Callimachus when Artemis, still a child, presents Zeus with a list of requests - including her 'eternal virginity'.
- Zeus is happy to oblige and gives her all that she desired and more. This unconditional love and acceptance illustrates Zeus' affection for his feral daugher of the forest.
Diana the Huntress by Guilluame Seignac
- Artemis and Athena share many similar qualities, including their 'chasity' and their choice to remain 'virgins' (in the historical sense of the word).
- As mentioned above, Persephone, Athena, and Artemis are said to have grown up together and were seen picking flowers together.
- As with Artemis' connection to Ares, Athena's domain of war, battle, and death are also connected to Artemis. Their sterness, intensity, and ability to commit violence when deemed necessary connect the two deities.
Diana as Huntress by Bernardino Cametti
- While these two were often in conflict with each other in myth, they still share connections. In historical celebration and ritual, women/girls progressing to adulthood and/or entering into marriage were ceremoniously passed from Artemis' protection to Hera's. They shared space in the context of transitions.
- In addition, Artemis has been heavily conflated with Eileithyia, a goddess of childbirth and daugher of Hera. 'Eileithyia' has even served as an epithet of Artemis.
(From The Theoi Project - theoi.com)
(From She Who Hunts: Artemis: The Goddess Who Changed the World by Carla Ionescu)
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