The myth of Artemis is one of the oldest in Greece, we are talking about one of the most revered goddesses of antiquity, representing an intact and active form of the female figure, so the cult of this goddess was above all characteristic even men who wanted to participate in their celebrations were punished.
In the myth of Artemis two facets of the goddess appear, one is that of the woman who does not tolerate any contact with men and avoids their presence; another is the goddess of hunting, who wears a long dress to walk in the fields and is always surrounded by animals. Anyway, it’s funny that it’s animal-friendly while promoting hunting.
- There are several mythological accounts in which this goddess intervenes.
- Almost always to strengthen her domains.
- The only male figure to have any relevance in the myth of Artemis is Orion.
- While some authors say she loved him.
- Others see him alone as a hunting and adventure companion.
Gods? Maybe there are, I don’t say it or deny it, because I don’t know or can’t afford to know, but I know, because that’s what life teaches me every day, that if they exist, they don’t care about us or for a gift. Don’t you care about us?
As with the other characters, there are several versions of the myth of Artemis, however, each of them is said to be the daughter of Zeus and Leto who, in turn, was the daughter of two titans.
Zeus’ wife, Hera, discovered the romance between her husband and Leto and discovered that she was pregnant, so Hera decided to pursue her relentlessly, leaving no one to help her, in this way she managed to take her to a desert island for Besides, she forbade her daughter Iltia, goddess of childbirth, to attend Leto at that time.
As a result, Leto suffered greatly and the birth was postponed for nine days. In the end, the gods were thrilled with their suffering and allowed Artemis to be born and she, a newborn, to help her mother with the birth of her twin. brother, Apollo.
The myth of Artemis says that when the goddess was only 3 years old, she asked her father, Zeus, to give her nine wishes. These were: always remain a virgin; Have several names Be the “Light Donor”; They have a bow and arrows and a knee-high robe. They have sixty daughters of Oceano, all 9 years old, to be their choir; 20 nynfas of young women to care for her; dominate the mountains and help women with the pain of work.
All his desires were fulfilled and Artemis spent his childhood learning the art of hunting and preparing to live in the forest, became very jealous of his dominion and relentless with those who entered his country or tried to challenge his virtues.
One of the best-known stories is that of Acteon, an accomplished hunter who unknowingly saw the naked goddess in a river while she was swimming, although the nymphs ran to cover it, they didn’t get there in time. angered by this intrusion, turned Acteon into a deer and urged his own dogs to devour him.
Orion is said to have become his hunting companion and accompanied Artemis for a long time on his excursions in the forest. Apollo, fearing Orion would take his sister’s virginity, devised a plan to get rid of him. goddess of the earth, that Orion was a proud and vain hunter and sent a scorpion to kill him.
Trying to escape the scorpion, Orion began swimming towards an island. Meanwhile, Apollo told Artemis that the person fleeing in the distance was a stranger who had tried to rape one of her nymphs, so you asked her to shoot one of your arrows. the goddess shot. When she realized that she had killed Orion, she asked her father to turn her into a constellation.
Many men and gods wanted to have Artemis as their wife, but she did not grant this wish to any of them, she had to attack several of them personally with her arrows or with the help of animals.