Artemis

Artemis (Diana)

Character Summary: Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the sister of Apollo and was known as the godess of hunting and wild animals. The way she is represented in legends and myths is inconsistant. Sometimes she is caring and empathetic and other times she is cruel vengeful. In the tale of Theseus, she is symathetic towards Theseus after the death of his father, and and also rescued Arethusa from the river god, Alpheus. It was also said, "So gentle is she, Artemis the holy," yet she is also violent at times, sending a large boar to terrorize the town of Calydoa and killing Orion as well as Otus and Ephialtes. She also, with the help of Apollo killed the children of queen Neobe, who took their mother Leto's temple out of self pride. Artemis's contradictory personality traits are misleading, but perhaps this is because of the many interpretations and writing styles of Greek and Roman writers.

Analysis:

Artemis' characteristics varied throughout different myths. However, she is consistently depicted as a protector of the young, especially of young animals. This would suggest that the Greeks did make an effort not to kill animals of too young and age while hunting, understanding that this is necessary in order to preserve the population. It also suggests tthat the Greeks generally were opposed to mistreatment of youth. Artemis' revengefulness implies that the Greeks were comfortable with this and were, as a whole, not a people who would "forgive and forget." Artemis was also fiery tempered and impulsive, which suggests that these traits were not frowned upon by the Greeks. Artemis is generally recognized to contain three entities, the first being the Olympian godess of the hunt. The second is the moon, called Phoebe or Selene, and the third is the evil Hecate, godess of the Dark of Moon, or moonless nights. This triple personality makes it seem that the Greeks were aware of the complexity of human nature and the good and evil within all people. It also gives us an insight into the cultural blending that makes it possible for a single godess to be both the moon and moonless nights.

Connections:
 * There are certain laws prohibiting the killing of animals below a certain age or weight, similar to how Artemis prohibited the Greeks from killing juvenile animals
 * Artemis sending the boar to ravage Calydonia is similar to the introduction of invasive species, which terrorize the local ecosystem
 * In present day, Artemis would be represented as a hunter or someone in charge of the fish and game administration

Works Cited:

"Ancient Greek & Roman Sculpture: Artemis/Diana of Versailles." //Theoi Greek Mythology//. Web. 07 Nov. 2011. 

Hamilton, Edith. //Mythology: Edith Hamilton//. New York: Spark Pub., 2002. Print.

Atsma, Aaron. "Ancient Greek Art: Artemis Potnia Theron." //Theoi Greek Mythology//. Web. 9 Nov 2011. .

Atsma, Aaron. "Ancient Greek Art: Hecate." //Theoi Greek Mythology//. Web. 9 Nov 2011. . .