Who is Artemis? Artemis (Artemis), daughter of Zeus, eternally young and beautiful goddess of the hunt. Type of Artemis of Ephesus

ARTEMIS

born in Ortygia, near Delos, helped Latona cross the strait, where she gave birth to Apollo. Patroness of childbirth - because her mother gave birth to her without pain. She selected nine-year-old nymphs into her retinue, and they went to the forge of the first Cyclopes, where a bow and arrows were forged for her. Pan gave her puppies for hunting. She shot the first two arrows into the trees, the third into the game, and the fourth into the city of the unjust (?). The river god Alpheus fell in love with her and chased her all over Greece. Artmis and her friends smeared their faces with white clay (in Elis) and began to look alike. Alpheus walked away amid their laughter. She set the dogs on Callisto, turning her into a bear when Zeus fell in love with her (Zeus appeared to Callisto in the form of Apollo). Zeus turned Callisto into a constellation. In Ephesus, her symbols were the date palm, the deer and the bee.

In the Peloponnese, Artemis was closely associated with the cult of trees. She was sometimes called Lygodesma because her image was associated with the willow tree.

Caryatid or Kedreatid - after the names of chestnut and cedar trees. A significant role in most of its cults, the adherents of which were both men and women, was played by dances and masquerades of the most frivolous and even obscene nature. Cymbals were discovered in the temple of Artemis Limnatis on the border of Laconia and Messenia. During excavations carried out by British scientists at the famous sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in Sparta, terracotta masks were found depicting grotesque male and female faces. It is likely that similar masks were worn by participants in cult dances. In these rituals we trace the folk origins of the mythological Artemis dancing with her nymphs.

Artemis was the most popular goddess of Greece. She was the leader of the nymphs, and she herself, in reality, was just the main nymph. Archedemos, who decorated the cave at Vari, dedicated his inscriptions to the nymphs, but one of the inscriptions is addressed to the Nymph (singular). One Nymph of all was singled out as the representative of them all, and she became the great goddess Artemis.

From “artamos” - “butcher”, “killer”

During the festivals of Artemis in Arcadia, young girls dressed up as bears.

Corinthian Artemis with wings behind her shoulders, her feet are water birds.

In Sparta, Arcadia, Sikyon - Artemis Limnatis and Limnaya - Swamp.

In the Peloponnese - Lygodesma, since her image was associated with willow, Caryatidv or Kedreatida - after the names of chestnut and cedar trees.

Corinthian and Spartan holidays in honor of Artemis - Typhenidia (from “nanny”, “I feed”) Nurses brought infant boys to the sanctuary of Artemis, huts from branches were built in the city.

Kourotrophos - feeding young men

Paidotrophos - feeding children

Orthia - erect

Tavropola - bull

Bravronia - her holidays were held in the city of Bravron

In Greek mythology, the goddess Pima, daughter of Zeus I Leto, twin sister of Apollo (Hes. Theog. 918). Born on the island of Asteria (Delos). Artemis spends time in the forests and mountains, hunting, surrounded by nymphs - her companions and also hunters. She is armed with a bow and is accompanied by a pack of dogs (Hymn. Hom. XXVII; Callim. Hymn. III 81-97). The goddess has a decisive and aggressive character, often uses arrows as an instrument of punishment and strictly monitors the implementation of long-established customs that regulate the animal and plant world. Artemis was angry with King Oeneus of Calydon because he did not bring her the first fruits of the harvest as a gift, as usual, at the beginning of the harvest, and sent a terrible boar to Calydon (see the article Calydonian Hunt); it caused discord among the relatives of Meleager, who led the hunt for the beast, which led to the painful death of Meleager (Ovid. Met. VIII270-300, 422-540). Artemis demanded as a sacrifice the daughter of Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaeans in the campaign at Troy, because he killed the sacred doe of Artemis and boasted that even the goddess herself would not have been able to kill her so accurately. Then Artemis, in anger, sent a calm, and the Achaean ships could not go to sea to sail to Troy. The will of the goddess was conveyed through the soothsayer, who demanded Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon, in exchange for the killed doe. However, hidden from people, Artemis took Iphigenia from the altar (replacing her with a doe) to Tauris, where she became a priestess of the goddess demanding human sacrifices (Eur. Iphig. A.). Human sacrifices were made to Artemis of Tauride, as evidenced by the story of Orestes, who almost died at the hands of his sister Iphigenia, the priestess of Artemis (Eur. Iphig T.). Hercules had to justify himself before Artemis and Apollo, who killed the Cerynean doe with golden horns (Find. 01. III 26-30). These facts, emphasizing the destructive functions of the goddess, are associated with her archaic past - the mistress of animals on Crete. It was there that the nymph-hunter Britomartis was the hypostasis of Artemis. The most ancient Artemis is not only a hunter, but also a bear. In Attica (in Bravron), the priestesses of Artemis Bravronia wore bear skins in a ritual dance and were called bears (Aristoph. Lys. 645). Sanctuaries of Artemis were often located near springs and swamps (the veneration of Artemis Limnatis - “swampy”), symbolizing the fertility of the plant deity (for example, the cult of Artemis Orthia in Sparta, dating back to Crete-Mycenaean times). The chthonic unbridledness of Artemis is close to the image of the Great Mother of the Gods - Cybele in Asia Minor, where the orgiastic elements of the cult glorifying the fertility of the deity come from. In Asia Minor, in the famous Temple of Ephesus, the image of Artemis with many breasts was revered. The rudiments of the archaic plant goddess in the image of Artemis are manifested in the fact that she, through her assistant (formerly her hypostasis) Ilithyia, helps women in labor (Callim. Hymn. III 20-25). As soon as she was born, she helps her mother accept Apollo, who was born after her (Apollod. I 4, 1). She also has the prerogative to bring quick and easy death. However, the classic Artemis is a virgin and protector of chastity. She is the patron of Hippolytus, who despises love (Eur. Hippol.). Before the wedding, Artemis, according to custom, was offered an atoning sacrifice. For King Admetus, who had forgotten about this custom, she filled the wedding chambers with snakes (Apollod. I 9, 15). The young hunter Actaeon, who accidentally spied the goddess’s bathing, was turned into a deer by her and torn to pieces by dogs (Ovid. Met. III 174-255). She killed her companion, the nymph, the huntress Callisto, who was turned into a bear, angry for her violation of chastity and Zeus’s love for her (Apollod. III 8, 2). Artemis killed the terrible Buphage (“bull eater”), who tried to encroach on her (Paus. VIII 27, 17), as well as the hunter Orion (Ps.-Eratogth. 32). Artemis of Ephesus is the patroness of the Amazons (Callim. Hymn. III237).

Artemis with a doe. Roman copy. From the Greek original by Leochares (late 4th century BC). Marble. Paris, Louvre.

The ancient idea of ​​​​Artemis is associated with her lunar nature, hence her closeness to the witchcraft spells of the moon goddess Selene and the goddess Hecate, with whom she sometimes becomes close. Late heroic mythology knows Artemis, the moon, secretly in love with the handsome Endymion (Apoll. Rhod. IV 57 - 58). In heroic mythology, Artemis is a participant in the battle with giants, in which Hercules helped her. In the Trojan War, she, along with Apollo, fights on the side of the Trojans, which is explained by the Asia Minor origin of the goddess. Artemis is the enemy of any violation of the rights and foundations of the Olympians. Thanks to her cunning, the giant brothers of Aloada, who were trying to disrupt the world order, died. The daring and unbridled Tityus was killed by the arrows of Artemis and Apollo (Callim. Hymn. III 110). Niobe, who boasted before the gods of her numerous offspring, lost 12 children, also killed by Apollo and Artemis (Ovid. Met. VI 155-301). In Roman mythology, Artemis is known as Diana and was considered the personification of the moon, just as her brother Apollo was identified with the sun in late Roman antiquity.

Among the ancient sculptures of Artemis are Roman copies of Praxiteles’ “Artemis Brauronia” (“Artemis of Gabii”), the statue of Leochares (“Artemis with a Doe”), etc. Images of Artemis are found on reliefs (on the frieze of the Pergamon altar in the gigantomachy scene, on the frieze of the Parthenon in Athens, etc.), in Greek vase painting (scenes of the murder of Niobides, punishment of Actaeon, etc.).

Emblems: cypress tree, doe and dogs. Favorite colors: saffron, red, brown. Synonyms and epithets: Phoebe, Britomartis - deer-killer, Brauronia - bearish, Laphria, golden-arrowed, arrow-loving, maiden-hunter

Characters and cult objects of Greek mythology. 2012

See also interpretations, synonyms, meanings of the word and what ARTEMIS is in Russian in dictionaries, encyclopedias and reference books:

• ARTEMIS in the Dictionary of Fine Arts Terms:
  - (Greek myth) one of the most important deities of Greece, daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. Numerous myths are associated with the name of Artemis: ...
• ARTEMIS in the Dictionary World of Gods and Spirits:
  in Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus and Latona, twin sister of Apollo, goddess of the hunt, patroness of forests and wild animals, also goddess...
• ARTEMIS in the Bible Encyclopedia of Nikephoros:
  otherwise DIANA (purity; Acts 19:28) is a famous pagan goddess among the Greeks, according to mythology the daughter of Jupiter and Latona, usually depicted with ...
• ARTEMIS in the Dictionary-Reference Book of Myths of Ancient Greece:
  - goddess of the hunt, goddess of fertility, goddess of female chastity, patroness of all life on earth, giving happiness in marriage and help with...
• ARTEMIS in the Concise Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities:
  ("???????, Diana). Daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo, born on the island of Delos, goddess of the moon and the hunt. She was depicted with a quiver, ...
• ARTEMIS in the Directory of Characters and Cult Objects of Greek Mythology:
  (???????- etymology is unclear, possible options: “bear goddess”, “mistress”, “killer”) in Greek mythology, the goddess of the hunt, daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo...
• ARTEMIS in the Dictionary-Reference Book of Who's Who in the Ancient World:
  Greek goddess, possibly of pre-Olympic origin; in the works of Homer she is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, the twin sister of Apollo. She, like...
• ARTEMIS in the Lexicon of Sex:
  in Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus, goddess of the hunt, patroness of marriage and childbirth. According to legend, A. was a chaste virgin, so her ...
• ARTEMIS in the Literary Encyclopedia:
  goddess among the ancient Greeks (Roman Diana); according to myth - the daughter of Zeus and Latona, the sister of Apollo, the goddess of fertility and hunting, guardian...
• ARTEMIS in the Big Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  in Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus, goddess of the hunt, patroness of women in labor. She was depicted with a bow and arrows, sometimes with a crescent moon on her head. To her …
• ARTEMIS in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB:
  in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess, daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo. Initially, A. is the goddess of fertility, the patroness of animals and hunting, the goddess ...
• ARTEMIS in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Euphron:
  Greek goddess, see...
• ARTEMIS
  [ancient Greek artemis (artemidos)] in ancient Greek mythology, the virgin goddess, sister of Apollo, guardian of herds and game, patroness of hunting, moon goddesses; the same as...
• ARTEMIS in the Encyclopedic Dictionary:
  s, zh., soul., with a capital letter In ancient Greek mythology: virgin goddess, patroness of wild animals and hunting, goddess of the Moon, fertility and childbirth; ...

Nikolay Kun

The eternally young, beautiful goddess was born on Delos at the same time as her brother, golden-haired Apollo. They are twins. The most sincere love, the closest friendship unites brother and sister. They also deeply love their mother Latona.

Gives life to everyone Artemis. She takes care of everything that lives on earth and grows in the forest and in the field. She takes care of wild animals, herds of livestock and people. She causes the growth of herbs, flowers and trees, she blesses birth, wedding and marriage. Greek women make rich sacrifices to the glorious daughter of Zeus Artemis, who blesses and gives happiness in marriage, heals and sends diseases.

Eternally young, beautiful as a clear day, the goddess Artemis, with a bow and quiver over her shoulders, with a hunter’s spear in her hands, happily hunts in shady forests and sunlit fields. A noisy crowd of nymphs accompanies her, and she, majestic, in short hunter’s clothing, reaching only to the knees, quickly rushes along the wooded slopes of the mountains. Neither a timid deer, nor a timid fallow deer, nor an angry boar hiding in the reeds can escape from her arrows that never miss. Her nymph companions hurry after Artemis. Cheerful laughter, screams, and barking of a pack of dogs can be heard far away in the mountains, and the mountain echo answers them loudly. When the goddess gets tired of the hunt, she hurries with the nymphs to the sacred Delphi, to her beloved brother, the archer Apollo. She is resting there. To the divine sounds of Apollo's golden cithara, she dances with muses and nymphs. Artemis, slender and beautiful, walks ahead of everyone in the round dance; she is more beautiful than all the nymphs and muses and taller than them by a whole head. Artemis also loves to relax in cool, green grottoes, far from the eyes of mortals. Woe to him who disturbs her peace. This is how young Actaeon, the son of Autonoia, daughter of the Theban king Cadmus, died.

Actaeon

Based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses"

One day Actaeon was hunting with his comrades in the forests of Cithaeron. It was a hot afternoon. The tired hunters settled down to rest in the shade of a dense forest, and young Actaeon, separating from them, went to seek coolness in the valleys of Cithaeron. He went out to the green, flowering valley of Gargafia, dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Plane trees, myrtles and firs grew luxuriantly in the valley; Slender cypress trees rose on it like dark arrows, and the green grass was full of flowers. A transparent stream gurgled in the valley. Silence, peace and coolness reigned everywhere. In the steep slope of the mountain, Actaeon saw a lovely grotto, all entwined with greenery. He went to this grotto, not knowing that the grotto often serves as a resting place for the daughter of Zeus, Artemis.

When Actaeon approached the grotto, Artemis had just entered there. She gave the bow and arrows to one of the nymphs and prepared to bathe. The nymphs took off the goddess’s sandals, tied her hair in a knot, and were about to go to the stream to scoop up some cold water, when Actaeon appeared at the entrance to the grotto. The nymphs cried out loudly when they saw Actaeon enter. They surrounded Artemis, they want to hide her from mortal sight. Just as the rising sun lights up the clouds with purple fire, so the goddess’s face glowed with anger, her eyes sparkled with anger, and she became even more beautiful. Artemis was angry that Actaeon had disturbed her peace; in anger, Artemis turned the unfortunate Actaeon into a slender deer.

Branched horns grew on Actaeon's head. The legs and arms turned into the legs of a deer. His neck stretched out, his ears became pointed, and spotted fur covered his entire body. The timid deer took off in a hasty flight. Actaeon saw his reflection in the stream. He wants to exclaim: “Oh, grief!” - but he is speechless. Tears rolled from his eyes - but from the eyes of a deer. Only the human mind remained with him. What should he do? Where to run?

Actaeon's dogs sensed the scent of a deer; They did not recognize their owner and rushed after him with furious barking.

Through the valleys along the gorges of Kiferon, along the rapids of the mountains, through forests and fields, a beautiful deer rushed like the wind, throwing branchy antlers on its back, and dogs rushed after it. The dogs were getting closer and closer, so they overtook him, and their sharp teeth dug into the body of the unfortunate Actaeon the deer. Actaeon wants to shout: “Oh, have mercy! After all, it is I, Actaeon, your master!” - but only a groan escapes from the deer’s chest, and in this groan the sound of a man’s voice is heard. The deer Actaeon fell to his knees. Sorrow, horror and prayer are visible in his eyes. Death is inevitable - furious dogs tear his body apart.

Actaeon’s comrades who arrived in time regretted that he was not with them during such a happy catch. The marvelous deer was hunted down by dogs. Actaeon’s comrades did not know who this deer was. This is how Actaeon died, disturbing the peace of the goddess Artemis, the only mortal who saw the heavenly beauty of the daughter of the thunderer Zeus and Latona.

Artemis Artemis

(Αρτεμισ, Diana). Daughter of Zeus and Leto, sister of Apollo, born on the island of Delos, goddess of the moon and the hunt. She was depicted with a quiver, arrows and a bow and was identified with the moon goddess Selene, like Apollo with the sun god Helios. The Romans called this goddess Diana. Human sacrifices were made to Artemis, especially from ancient times (in Bravron, Attica, Tauris). The most famous surviving statue of Artemis is the one at Versailles in Paris. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was considered one of the seven wonders of the world.

(Source: “A Brief Dictionary of Mythology and Antiquities.” M. Korsh. St. Petersburg, edition by A. S. Suvorin, 1894.)

(Άρτεμις - etymology is unclear, possible options: “bear goddess”, “mistress”, “killer”), in Greek mythology the goddess of the hunt, daughter Zeus And Summer, twin Apollo(Hes. Theog. 918). Born on the island of Asteria (Delos). A. spends time in the forests and mountains, hunting surrounded by nymphs - his companions and also hunters. She is armed with a bow and is accompanied by a pack of dogs (Hymn. Hom. XXVII; Callim. Hymn. Ill 81-97). The goddess has a decisive and aggressive character, often uses arrows as an instrument of punishment and strictly monitors the implementation of long-established customs that regulate the animal and plant world. A. was angry with the king of Calydon Oeneus because he did not bring her the first fruits of the harvest as a gift, as usual, at the beginning of the harvest, and sent a terrible boar to Calydon (see article Calydonian hunt); she caused discord among relatives Meleager, who led the hunt for the beast, which led to the painful death of Meleager (Ovid. Met. VIII 270-300, 422-540). A. demanded her daughter as a sacrifice Agamemnon, the leader of the Achaeans in the campaign near Troy, because he killed the sacred doe A. and boasted that even the goddess herself would not have been able to kill her so accurately. Then A., in anger, sent a calm, and the Achaean ships could not go to sea to sail to Troy. The will of the goddess was transmitted through the soothsayer, who demanded in exchange for the killed doe Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon. However, hidden from people, A. took Iphigenia from the altar (replacing her with a doe) to Taurida, where she became a priestess of the goddess demanding human sacrifices (Eur. Iphig. A.). A. Tauride made human sacrifices, as evidenced by history Orestes, almost died at the hands of his sister Iphigenia, priestess A. (Eur. Iphig T.). He had to justify himself to A. and Apollo Hercules, who killed the Cerynean doe with golden horns (Pind. 01. Ill 26-30). These facts, emphasizing the destructive functions of the goddess, are associated with her archaic past - the mistress of animals in Crete. It was there that A.’s hypostasis was the nymph-hunter Britomartis. The most ancient A. is not only a hunter, but also a bear. In Attica (in Bravron), the priestesses of A. Vravronia wore bear skins in a ritual dance and were called bears (Aristoph. Lys. 645). A.'s sanctuaries were often located near springs and swamps (the veneration of A. Limnatis - “swampy”), symbolizing the fertility of the plant deity (for example, the cult of A. Orthia in Sparta, dating back to Crete-Mycenaean times). The chthonic unbridledness of A. is close to the image of the Great Mother of the Gods - Cybele in Asia Minor, where the orgiastic elements of the cult glorifying the fertility of the deity come from. In Asia Minor, in the famous Temple of Ephesus, the image of A. many-breasted (πολύμαστος) was revered. The rudiments of the archaic plant goddess in the image of A. are manifested in the fact that she, through her assistant (in the past, her hypostasis) Ilithia helps women in labor (Callim. Hymn. Ill 20- 25). As soon as she was born, she helps her mother accept Apollo, who was born after her (Apollod. I 4, 1). She also has the prerogative to bring quick and easy death. However, classical A. is a virgin and defender of chastity. She patronizes Hippolyta, despising love (Eur. Hippol.). Before A.’s wedding, according to custom, an atoning sacrifice was made. To the Tsar Admet, having forgotten about this custom, she filled the bridal chambers with snakes (Apollod. I 9, 15). Young hunter Actaeon, who accidentally spied the goddess’s ablution, was turned by her into a deer and torn to pieces by dogs (Ovid. Met. Ill 174-255). She killed her companion, the nymph, the huntress Callisto, who was turned into a bear, angry for her violation of chastity and Zeus’s love for her (Apollod. Ill 8, 2). A. killed the terrible Bufaga (“bull eater”), who tried to encroach on her (Paus. VIII 27, 17), as well as the hunter Orion(Ps.-Eratosth. 32). A. Ephesus - patroness of the Amazons (Callim. Hymn. Ill 237).
The ancient idea of ​​​​A. is associated with its lunar nature, hence its closeness to the witchcraft spells of the moon goddess Selena and goddesses Hekates, with whom she sometimes gets close to. Late heroic mythology knows A.-luna, secretly in love with a handsome man Endymion(Apoll. Rhod. IV 57-58). In heroic mythology, A. is a participant in the battle with giants, in which Hercules helped her. In the Trojan War, she, along with Apollo, fights on the side of the Trojans, which is explained by the Asia Minor origin of the goddess. A. is the enemy of any violation of the rights and foundations of the Olympians. Thanks to her cunning, the giant brothers died Aloada, trying to disrupt the world order. Bold and unbridled Tityus was killed by the arrows of A. and Apollo (Callim. Hymn. Ill 110). Boasting to the gods about her numerous offspring Niobe lost 12 children, also killed by Apollo and A. (Ovid. Met. VI 155-301).
In Roman mythology, A. is known under the name Diana, was considered the personification of the moon, just as her brother Apollo was identified with the sun in late Roman antiquity.
Lit.: Herbillon J., Artemis homerlque, Luttre, 1927; In Bruns G., Die Jägerin Artemis, Borna-Lpz., 1929; Picard C h., Die Ephesia von Anatolien “Eranos Jahrbuch”. 1938, Bd 6, S. 59-90 Hoenn A., Gestaltwandel einer Gottin Z., 1946.
A. A. Takho-Godi

Among the ancient sculptures of A. are Roman copies of “A. Bravronia" of Praxiteles ("A. from Gabii"), statues of Leochares ("A. with a doe"), etc. Images of A. are found on reliefs (on the frieze of the Pergamon altar in the gigantomachy scene, on the frieze of the Parthenon in Athens, etc. ), in Greek vase painting (scenes of the murder of Niobides, the punishment of Actaeon, etc.).
In European medieval fine art, A. (in accordance with ancient tradition) often appears with a bow and arrow, accompanied by nymphs. In painting of the 16th - 18th centuries. The myth about A. and Actaeon is popular (see Art. Actaeon), as well as scenes of “Diana’s hunt” (Correggio, Titian, Domenichino, Giulio Romano, P. Veronese, P. P. Rubens, etc.), “Diana’s rest” (A. Watteau, C. Vanloo, etc.) and especially “Diana’s bathing” (Guercino, P. P. Rubens, Rembrandt, L. Giordano, A. Houbraken, A. Watteau, etc.). Among the works of European sculpture are “Diana the Huntress” by J. Goode and “Diana” by F. Shchedrin.
Among the literary works are the poem by G. Boccaccio “The Hunt of Diana” and others, dramatic works: “Diana” by I. Gundulic and “Diana” by J. Rotrou, a fragment of the play by G. Heine “Diana”, etc.

(Source: “Myths of the Peoples of the World.”)

Goddess of the hunt, goddess of fertility, goddess of female chastity, patroness of all life on earth, giving happiness in marriage and assistance during childbirth. Daughter of Zeus and the goddess Leto, twin sister of Apollo. In Roman mythology, she corresponds to Diana. See more about it.

// François BOUCHER: Diana returns from the hunt // Arnold Böcklin: Diana's Hunt // Giovani Batista TIEPOLO: Apollo and Diana // TITIAN: Diana and Callisto // TITIAN: Diana and Actaeon // Francisco de QUEVEDO Y VILLEGAS: Actaeon and Diana // Afanasy Afanasyevich FET: Diana // Jose Maria de HEREDIA: Artemis // Jose Maria de HEREDIA: Hunt // Joseph BRODSKY: Orpheus and Artemis // Rainer Maria RILKE: Cretan Artemis // N.A. Kuhn: ARTEMIS // N.A. Kuhn: ACTEON

(Source: “Myths of Ancient Greece. Dictionary-reference book.” EdwART, 2009.)

The eternally young, beautiful goddess was born on Delos at the same time as her brother, the golden-haired Apollo. They are twins. The most sincere love, the closest friendship unites brother and sister. They also deeply love their mother Latona.

Artemis gives life to everyone (1). She takes care of everything that lives on earth and grows in the forest and in the field. She takes care of wild animals, herds of livestock and people. She causes the growth of herbs, flowers and trees, she blesses birth, wedding and marriage. Greek women make rich sacrifices to the glorious daughter of Zeus Artemis, who blesses and gives happiness in marriage, heals and sends diseases.

Eternally young, beautiful as a clear day, the goddess Artemis, with a bow and quiver over her shoulders, with a hunter’s spear in her hands, happily hunts in shady forests and sun-drenched fields. A noisy crowd of nymphs accompanies her, and she, majestic, in a short hunter’s robe, reaching only to the knees, quickly rushes along the wooded slopes of the mountains. Neither a timid deer, nor a timid fallow deer, nor an angry boar hiding in the reeds can escape from her arrows that never miss. Her nymph companions hurry after Artemis. Cheerful laughter, screams, and barking of a pack of dogs can be heard far away in the mountains, and the mountain echo answers them loudly. When the goddess gets tired of the hunt, she hurries with the nymphs to the sacred Delphi, to her beloved brother, the archer Apollo. She is resting there. To the divine sounds of Apollo's golden cithara, she dances with muses and nymphs. Artemis, slender and beautiful, walks ahead of everyone in the round dance; she is more beautiful than all the nymphs and muses and taller than them by a whole head. Artemis also loves to relax in cool, green grottoes, far from the eyes of mortals. Woe to him who disturbs her peace. This is how young Actaeon, the son of Autonoia, daughter of the Theban king Cadmus, died.

(1) Artemis (Diana to the Romans) is one of the most ancient goddesses of Greece. As one might assume, Artemis, the goddess-hunter, was originally the patroness of animals, both domestic and wild. In ancient times, Artemis herself was sometimes depicted in the form of an animal, for example, a bear. This is how Artemis of Brauron was depicted in Attica, near Athens. Artemis then becomes the guardian goddess of the mother during the birth of the child, giving a successful birth. As the sister of Apollo, the god of light, she was also considered the goddess of the moon and was identified with the goddess Selene. The cult of Artemis is one of the most widespread in Greece. Her temple in the city of Ephesus (Artemis of Ephesus) was famous.

(Source: “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece.” N.A. Kun.)

in Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus and Latona, twin sister of Apollo, goddess of the hunt, patroness of forests and wild animals, also goddess of the Moon.

(Source: “Dictionary of spirits and gods of German-Scandinavian, Egyptian, Greek, Irish, Japanese, Mayan and Aztec mythologies.”)

See what “Artemis” is in other dictionaries:

Goddess of the hunt, patroness of all living things... Wikipedia

Artemis- Artemis of Ephesus. Roman marble copy. Artemis of Ephesus. Roman marble copy. Artemis in the myths of the ancient Greeks is the goddess of the hunt, daughter of Zeus and Leto, twin sister of Apollo. Born on the island of Asteria (). Spent time in forests and mountains... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary "World History"

Y, female Borrowed Derivatives: Artemis; Ida.Origin: (In ancient mythology: Artemis is the goddess of the hunt.) Dictionary of personal names. Artemis Artemis, s, female, borrowed. In ancient mythology: Artemis is the goddess of the hunt. Derivatives: Artemis, Ida... Dictionary of personal names

- (gr. Artemis). Greek name for Diana. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ARTEMIS Greek. Artemis. Greek name for Diana. Explanation of 25,000 foreign words that have come into use in the Russian language, with... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Artemis- Ephesus. Roman copy from a Greek original 3rd 2nd centuries. BC. Marble. National Museum. Naples. ARTEMIS, in Greek mythology, daughter of Zeus and Leto, goddess of the hunt, patroness of women in childbirth, protector of chastity. Artemis with bow and arrows in... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

The patroness of hunting, plant and animal fertility, female chastity, closely associated with the worship of the moon. (See also its description in the article Gods of ancient Greece.)

Apollo and Artemis. Antique red-figure bowl, ca. 470 BC

The cults of Apollo and Artemis have much in common, but some features of the same mythological essence found more complete expression in him, and others in her. Like Apollo, Artemis, with the help of her arrows, can inflict sudden death on animals and people, especially women, but at the same time she is a protector and savior goddess.

Artemis is closer to nature than her brother, who acts more in the realm of the spirit. She gives light and life, she is the goddess of childbirth and the goddess-nurse, she protects herds and game. She loves forest animals, but also chases them. Accompanied by forest nymphs, Artemis hunts through forests and mountains.

Life among free nature is her delight; she has never submitted to the power of love and, like Apollo, does not know the bonds of marriage. This idea of ​​the virgin huntress is especially developed in ideas about Artemis, while a similar trait in the character of Apollo completely recedes into the background. On the contrary, other qualities characteristic of Apollo, for example, his attitude to music and the gift of prophecy, are expressed in the legends about his sister only in faint hints.

Numerous myths are associated with the name of Artemis, for example: 1) the myth of the miraculous birth of Artemis and Apollo on the island of Delos; 2) the myth of the murder of the giant Tityus by Artemis and Apollo, who was trying to dishonor their mother Latona; 3) the myth about the extermination of children by them Niobe; 4) the myth of Actaeon’s transformation into a deer; 5) the myth of the miraculous salvation of the sacrificed Iphigenia; 6) the myth of the murder of Orion - and others.

In mythology, Artemis is a chaste virgin goddess. Only one legend speaks of Artemis’s love for a beautiful young man. to Endymion(however, he is more often associated with the goddess Selena). The variety of myths about Artemis and the large number of nicknames of the goddess (Artemis Orthia, Artemis Brauronia, Artemis Tavropola, Artemis Kynthia (Cynthia), Artemis Iphigenia) suggests that several local deities united in her image.

Great Gods of Greece (Greek Mythology)

The antiquity of the veneration of Artemis is indicated by traces of human sacrifices preserved in her cult, for example, the ancient custom of cutting the skin on a man’s throat on the day of the festival of Artemis Tavropola. It is believed that the myth of Iphigenia in Tauris and the attempt to sacrifice Orestes was created only in classical times to explain this custom. The consonance of the nickname Tavropol, externally associated with the fact that Artemis was the mistress of beasts ( tavros- bull), with the ancient name of Crimea (Tavrida) gave rise to the legend that the cult of Artemis was transferred to Greece from Crimea. However, the origin of the cult of the goddess from the territory of Hellas itself (or, according to a number of scientists, from the regions of Asia Minor closest to it) is confirmed by the fact that the name of Artemis is attested in the inscriptions Mycenaean time- an era when the Greeks had no ties with Crimea.

The cult of Artemis, the mistress of animals, dating back to Mycenaean Greece, shows that initially the circle of animals associated with this goddess was very wide. In later times, the cult animals of Artemis were mainly the fallow deer and the she-bear. In Attica, the priestesses of Artemis Bravronia wore bear skins and performed the cult dance of the bears.

Also, the cult of Artemis as the goddess of trees and vegetation dates back to ancient times. This is evidenced by some of her images and nickname Orthia(Upright). As a goddess of vegetation, Artemis was also a fertility deity. This side of her cult was especially developed in Ephesus, where the famous temple of Artemis existed, burned in 356 BC. e. Herostratus. The goddess of fertility, revered here under the name of Artemis, was depicted as a nursing mother with many breasts.

In ancient art, Artemis was depicted as a young huntress, wearing a short chiton, with a quiver on her back; Next to her is usually an animal dedicated to her - a doe. She was represented as the moon goddess with a crescent moon on her head and torches in her hands, wearing long clothes. The most famous is the Louvre statue of Artemis. A number of busts of this goddess are in the Hermitage. One of them may be a copy from work Praxiteles. The image of Artemis inspired the artists of Rubens , Boucher et al.

In modern language, Artemis (Diana) is a synonym for an unapproachable virgin. (“Diana in society, Venus in masquerade...” M. Yu. Lermontov. Masquerade); sometimes allegorically Diana is the Moon. (“Illuminated by Diana’s ray, / Poor Tatyana does not sleep...” A. S. Pushkin. Evgeny Onegin, XI, II; “I loved to read pathetic novels / Or look at Diana’s bright ball.” M. Yu. Lermontov. Sashka.)

The ancient Greek goddess Artemis is the twin sister of the god Apollo, the first of them to be born. Their mother, Leto, is a titatis of nature, and their father is Zeus the Thunderer. Leto ascended with her to Olympus when Artemis was three years old to introduce her to her father and other divine relatives. “The Hymn of Artemis” describes the scene when the aegis-power father caressed her with the words: “When the goddesses give me children like this, even the wrath of Hera does not frighten me. My little daughter, you will have everything you want.”

Artemis chose as a gift a bow and arrows, a pack of hounds for hunting, a tunic short enough for running, nymphs for her retinue, and mountains and wild forests at her disposal. She also noted eternal chastity. Zeus willingly provided her with all this, “so that she would not rush around the forests alone.”

The ancient Greek goddess Artemis descended from Olympus and walked through the forests and to ponds, selecting the most beautiful nymphs. Then she went to the bottom of the sea to ask the masters of the god of the sea Poseidon, the Cyclopes, to forge her arrows and a silver bow.

A pack of wild dogs was provided to her by the goat-footed Pan, who plays the pipe. The ancient Greek goddess Artemis waited impatiently for the night to put the gifts she had received to the test.

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Ancient Greek goddess Artemis the huntress

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The ancient Greek goddess Artemis is the twin sister of the god Apollo, the first of them to be born. Their mother, Leto, is a titatis of nature, and their father is Zeus the Thunderer. Leto ascended with her to Olympus when Artemis was three years old to introduce her to her father and other divine relatives. “The Hymn of Artemis” describes the scene when the aegis-power father caressed her with the words: “When the goddesses...