Artemis: The Greek Goddess That Gave Her Name to NASA’s Mission

Painting of Diana (Artemis) and Cupid by Pompeo Batoni. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, CC0

In Greek mythology, Artemis is 1 of the twelve Olympians, the astir important deities successful the ancient Greek pantheon. She is the girl of Zeus, king of the gods, and Leto, a lesser-known Greek goddess. Her member was Apollo, deity of the Sun and light.

On the contrary, Artemis is related to the satellite and she is heavy identified with different lunar deities specified arsenic Selene and Hecate. She is besides the goddess of the hunt, nature, the wilderness and chaotic animals. She carries a metallic bow and quiver afloat of arrows made by the Cyclopes connected the land of Lipari. She is besides the protector of young children and a goddess of chastity and childbirth.

Her ineffable symbols is the bow and arrow, hunting dogs, stags, and the moon. Artemis has the powerfulness to nonstop plagues and to heal them.

In the Roman spiritual pantheon, the goddess is called Diana.

The commencement of Artemis

Zeus was infamous for his changeless adultery and romanticist liaisons with different deities and mortals alike. Artemis and her brother, Apollo, were conceived arsenic a effect of different specified affair.

Zeus transformed himself and Leto into quails erstwhile they coupled to debar detection, but his wife, the goddess Hera, learned of the matter nonetheless. She sent the serpent Python aft Leto and cursed her truthful that she could not springiness commencement connected either the mainland oregon connected immoderate island.

According to antithetic versions of the myth, it was the land of Delos, Ortygia, oregon Paximadia which disobeyed Hera’s bid and led to Leto’s being capable to present her children successful safety. Artemis was calved first, and, successful immoderate myths, she past helped her parent with the commencement of Apollo.

Diana and Actaeon by Titian. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The wrath of Artemis

As with galore of the past Greek deities, respective stories involving Artemis picture her vengeance and fury. The goddess of the hunt was astir famously roused to choler connected occasions erstwhile men threatened her chastity.

On 1 specified occasion, the huntsman Actaeon happened upon Artemis bathing successful a ineffable spring. He tried to unit himself upon the goddess, but she transformed him into a stag. His hunting dogs did not admit him and tore him to pieces.

According to different myth, the stream deity Alpheus fell successful emotion with Artemis and pursued her crossed Greece. Artemis cunningly masked her look with achromatic mud and instructed each her nymphs to bash the same. Alpheus could not archer Artemis isolated from the nymphs—much to the amusement of the goddess and her followers—and helium was forced to springiness up.

Artemis besides required her companions to stay chaste. She was mostly accompanied by nymphs and hunting dogs connected her adventures.

One nymph, called Callisto, broke her vow of chastity and was seduced by Zeus. Artemis noticed that she was large and turned Callisto into a bear. In different versions of the myth, it was a jealous Hera who transformed Callisto into the bear.

Artemis’ hunting enactment would person hunted and killed Callisto successful her carnivore signifier if it were not for the involution of Zeus. Zeus snatched Callisto from the hunting enactment and acceptable her constellation among the stars.

Statue of Artemis. Credit: Greek Reporter / Arunansh Goswami

Worship

Artemis was worshipped crossed past Greece. The astir well-known cults dedicated to her worship were successful Delos, Brauron, Sparta, and Mounikhia. Temples dedicated to the goddess person been recovered successful respective locations, including Aptera successful Crete and the land of Evia.

Animal sacrifice was a communal signifier successful past Greek religion. Most sacrifices would person been domesticated animals, but since Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, chaotic animals were besides sometimes sacrificed to her.

Pausanias, an past Greek geographer of the 2nd period AD, describes however the radical of Patrae would observe the festival of Laphria successful grant of Artemis by burning a multitude of chaotic animals connected a ample bonfire.

A assortment of offerings were near to appease the goddess, and temples dedicated to her successful wealthier cities would person been lavishly decorated. An ornate bronze statuette of Artemis was recovered successful the past ruins of Aptera. She is depicted wearing a abbreviated chiton with her bow raised and acceptable to shoot.

The carnivore was said to beryllium Artemis’ favourite animal, so, successful immoderate temples, worshippers near offerings associated with bears. At the Arcadian sanctuary of Artemis, immoderate devotees near carnivore teeth. At the Acropolis of Athens, a marble statuette of a carnivore was dedicated to the goddess.

The Temple of Artemis astatine Delos. Credit: Zde via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

A sinister goddess?

Although she was a goddess of childbirth, determination is grounds to suggest that large women successful past Greece were wary of her. According to Euripides, the apparel of women who died successful childbirth were offered arsenic gifts astatine the tomb of Iphigenia, located conscionable adjacent to the sanctuary of Artemis astatine Brauron.

This has led scholars similar Kevin Clinton to suggest that women who had died successful childbirth were viewed arsenic sacrificial victims to the goddess. Ancient Greek women whitethorn person believed that Artemis was angered by their nonaccomplishment of virginity, and spiritual offerings were an effort to placate her fury and guarantee a harmless pregnancy.

On the different hand, she was warmly regarded by worshippers successful respective Greek city-states. The Athenians granted her the epithets Aristo and Aristoboule, meaning “the best” and “the champion adviser.” She was besides sometimes surnamed “the fairest.”

Ancient Greek deities tended to beryllium analyzable and multi-faceted. Moreover, antithetic cults interpreted the quality of the gods they worshipped differently. Therefore, Artemis’ devotees successful 1 spot whitethorn person held precise antithetic beliefs from devotees successful another.

Legacy

Ancient Greek mythology continued to power art, philosophy, and civilization agelong aft it died retired arsenic a religion. Artemis, often referred to by her Latin sanction Diana, has been depicted by respective renowned artists centuries aft her worship ceased.

The goddess has been depicted by artists specified arsenic J. M. W. Turner, Sir Peter Paul Rubens, and François Boucher.

Recently, NASA has named its Artemis Mission to found a semipermanent quality beingness connected the satellite aft the past Greek goddess.

Years agone her brother’s name, Apollo, was utilized to sanction respective NASA missions.