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64-550: Caryae was celebrated for its temple of Artemis Caryatis , and for the annual festival of this goddess, at which the Lacedaemonian virgins used to perform a peculiar kind of dance. This festival was of great antiquity, for in the Second Messenian War , Aristomenes is said to have carried off the Lacedaemonian virgins, who were dancing at Caryae in honour of Artemis. It was, perhaps, from this ancient dance of

128-859: A Minoan form whose history was lost in the myths. Artemis was one of the most popular goddesses in Ancient Greece. The most frequent name of a month in the Greek calendars was Artemision in Ionic , territories Artemisios or Artamitios in the Doric and Aeolic territories and in Macedonia . Also Elaphios in Elis , Elaphebolion in Athens, Iasos , Apollonia of Chalkidice and Munichion in Attica . In

192-467: A female deer (doe) and both disappear into the waters. In relation to these myths Artemis was worshipped as Saronia and Stymphalia . The myth of a goddess who is chased and then falls in the sea is related to the cults of Aphaea and Diktynna . Artemis carrying torches was identified with Hecate and she had the surnames Phosphoros and Selasphoros . In Athens and Tegea , she was worshipped as Artemis Kalliste , "the most beautiful". Sometimes

256-545: A legend, Carya, the female lover of Dionysos was transformed into a nut tree and the dancers into nuts. The city is considered to be the place of the origin of the bucolic (pastoral) songs. Cedreatis , near Orchomenus in Arcadia. A xoanon was mounted on the holy cedar (kedros). Chesias , from the name of a river at Samos. Chitonia , wearing a loose tunic, at Syracuse in Sicily, as goddess of hunting. The festival

320-422: A location in ancient Laconia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Artemis In ancient Greek religion and mythology , Artemis ( / ˈ ɑːr t ɪ m ɪ s / ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ἄρτεμις ) is the goddess of the hunt , the wilderness , wild animals, nature , vegetation , childbirth , care of children , and chastity . In later times, she was identified with Selene ,

384-534: A rare epithet of Artemis. Aphaea is identified with Britomartis. In the legend Britomartis (the sweet young woman) escaped from Minos, who fell in love with her. She travelled to Aegina on a wooden boat and then she disappeared. The myth indicates an identity in nature with Diktynna . Aricina , derived from the town Aricia in Latium , or from Aricia, the wife of the Roman forest god Virbius ( Hippolytus ). The goddess

448-570: A sacrifice, Artemis pities her and takes her away, leaving a deer in her place. In the war that followed, Artemis supported the Trojans against the Greeks, and she challenged Hera in battle. Artemis was one of the most widely venerated of the Ancient Greek deities; her worship spread throughout ancient Greece, with her multiple temples, altars, shrines, and local veneration found everywhere in

512-401: A stag after he discovered her bathing in the woods, so that no man could boast of seeing her naked; he was then torn to pieces by his hounds. The Roman goddess Diana, with whom Artemis was equated, was of undoubtedly of ancient worship, but the original nature of her cult remains mysterious. From the earliest period she was revered at a sacred grove near Aricia in Latium . At Rome, Diana

576-621: A torch in either hand. Sophocles calls her, " Elaphebolos , (deer slayer) Amphipyros", reminding the annual fire of the festival Laphria The adjective refers also to the twin fires of the two peaks of the Mount Parnassus above Delphi ( Phaedriades ). Anaitis , in Lydia . The fame of Tauria (the Tauric goddess) was very high, and the Lydians claimed that the image of the goddess

640-614: Is believed that a precursor of Artemis was worshipped in Minoan Crete as the goddess of mountains and hunting, Britomartis . While connection with Anatolian names has been suggested, the earliest attested forms of the name Artemis are the Mycenaean Greek 𐀀𐀳𐀖𐀵 , a-te-mi-to /Artemitos/ ( gen. ) and 𐀀𐀴𐀖𐀳 , a-ti-mi-te /Artimitei/ ( dat. ), written in Linear B at Pylos . According to J.T. Jablonski ,

704-551: Is of unknown or uncertain etymology, although various sources have been proposed. R.S.P. Beekes suggested that the e / i interchange points to a Pre-Greek origin. Artemis was venerated in Lydia as Artimus . Georgios Babiniotis , while accepting that the etymology is unknown, also states that the name is already attested in Mycenean Greek and is possibly of pre-Greek origin. The name may be related to Greek árktos " bear " (from PIE * h₂ŕ̥tḱos ), supported by

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768-493: Is presented as a goddess who delights in hunting and punishes harshly those who cross her. Artemis' wrath is proverbial, and represents the hostility of wild nature to humans. Homer calls her πότνια θηρῶν , "the mistress of animals", a title associated with representations in art going back as far as the Bronze Age , showing a woman between a pair of animals. Artemis carries with her certain functions and characteristics of

832-455: Is presented as a hunting goddess of the woods, surrounded by her chaste band of nymphs. In the myth of Actaeon , when the young hunter sees her bathing naked, he is transformed into a deer by the angered goddess and is then devoured by his own hunting dogs, who do not recognize their master. In the story of Callisto , the girl is driven away from Artemis' company after breaking her vow of virginity, having lain with and been impregnated by Zeus. In

896-400: Is related to the old traditions where icons and puppets of a vegetation goddess would be hung on a tree. It was believed that the plane tree near the spring at Caphyae, was planted by Menelaus , the husband of Helen of Troy . The tree was called "Menelais". The previous name of the goddess was most likely Kondyleatis . Aphaea , or Apha , unseen or disappeared, a goddess at Aegina and

960-560: The Epic tradition , Artemis halted the winds blowing the Greek ships during the Trojan War , stranding the Greek fleet in Aulis , after King Agamemnon , the leader of the expedition, shot and killed her sacred deer. Artemis demanded the sacrifice of Iphigenia , Agamemnon's young daughter, as compensation for her slain deer. In most versions, when Iphigenia is led to the altar to be offered as

1024-498: The Iliad and Odyssey to describe her is ἰοχέαιρα iocheaira , "she who shoots arrows", often translated as "she who delights in arrows" or "she who showers arrows". She is called Artemis Chrysilakatos , of the golden shafts, or Chrysinios , of the golden reins, as a goddess of hunting in her chariot. The Homeric Hymn 27 to Artemis paints this picture of the goddess: I sing of Artemis, whose shafts are of gold, who cheers on

1088-472: The Olympians , but come from an old, less organized world–exorcisms, rituals to raise crops, gods and goddesses conceived not quite in human shape. Some cults of Artemis retained the pre-Greek features which were consecrated by immemorial practices and connected with daily tasks. Artemis shows sometimes the wild and darker side of her character and can bring immediate death with her arrows, however she embodies

1152-514: The Pseudo-Apollodorus relate a myth that Teiresias was blinded after witnessing Athena naked in her bath; a similar tradition was attached to Artemis and the hunter Actaeon. Athena is always dressed in Greek statuary, and at Athens her statue was fully covered when carried in public festivals. In some traditions, Athena received sacrifices of bulls, rams, or cows, but in others only female animals, excluding lambs. According to

1216-584: The Suda , after the site of Troy was reoccupied, to atone for the rape of Cassandra by Ajax the Less in the temple of Athena, Locrian maidens were sent as sacrifices to Athena, each year down to 346 BC. In Roman mythology, Athena was identified with Minerva, who shared many of the traits and characteristics of her Greek counterpart. In relating the Judgement of Paris for Roman audiences, Ovid varies from

1280-463: The daimons and this differentiates her from the other Greek divinities. This is the reason that Artemis was later identified with Hecate , since the daimons were tutelary deities. Hecate was the goddess of crossroads and she was the queen of the witches. Laphria is the Pre-Greek "mistress of the animals" at Delphi and Patras . There was a custom to throw animals alive into the annual fire of

1344-603: The forum , between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills . It was tended by the Vestal Virgins , a college of priestesses said to have been instituted by Numa Pompilius , the second King of Rome. Like the goddess herself, the Vestals swore an oath of celibacy, which they were obliged to keep for the duration of their service, a term of thirty years, although they were free to marry afterward. The breaking of this vow

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1408-426: The hearth and of domestic life . She was courted by both Poseidon and Apollo , but rejected them, and swore a vow of perpetual virginity by her brother, Zeus, who bestowed upon her a share in the honour of all temples. The Romans identified Hestia with Vesta, who was likewise regarded as goddess of the hearth and hospitality. Her worship is said to have predated the foundation of Rome , and her temple stood in

1472-484: The personification of the Moon . She was often said to roam the forests and mountains, attended by her entourage of nymphs . The goddess Diana is her Roman equivalent. In Greek tradition, Artemis is the daughter of Zeus and Leto , and twin sister of Apollo . In most accounts, the twins are the products of an extramarital liaison. For this, Zeus' wife Hera forbade Leto from giving birth anywhere on solid land. Only

1536-517: The "arkteia", young girls who dressed with short saffron-yellow chitons and imitated bears (she-bears: arktoi). In the Acropolis of Athens, the Athenian girls before puberty should serve the goddess as "arktoi". Artemis was the goddess of marriage and childbirth. The name of the small "bears" indicate the theriomorphic form of Artemis in an old pre-Greek cult. In the cult of Baubronia, the myth of

1600-535: The Greek traditions regarding Athena by describing Juno , Minerva, and Venus , stripped naked for the Trojan prince's evaluation. Although still regarded as a virgin goddess, the only manner in which this seems to have been reflected in Minerva's worship is that her sacrifices were to be calves that had been neither whipped nor yoked . According to most traditions, Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto , and

1664-512: The Lacedaemonian maidens, that the Greek artists gave the name of Caryatid to the female figures which were employed in architecture instead of pillars. The tale of Vitruvius respecting the origin of these figures, is not entitled to any credit. He relates that Caryae revolted to the Persians after the Battle of Thermopylae ; that it was in consequence destroyed by the allied Greeks, who killed

1728-605: The Mycenean religion. Artemis carries with her certain functions and characteristics of a Minoan form whose history was lost in the myths. According to the beliefs of the first Greeks in Arcadia , Artemis is the first nymph , a divinity of free nature. She was a great goddess and her temples were built near springs marshes and rivers where the nymphs live, and they are appealed by the pregnant women. In Greek religion we must see less tractable elements which have nothing to do with

1792-803: The ancient world. Her great temple at Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World , before it was burnt to the ground. Artemis' symbols included a bow and arrow, a quiver, and hunting knives, and the deer and the cypress were sacred to her. Diana, her Roman equivalent , was especially worshipped on the Aventine Hill in Rome , near Lake Nemi in the Alban Hills , and in Campania . The name "Artemis" ( n. , f. )

1856-438: The antiquity. The great popularity of Artemis corresponds to the Greek belief in freedom and she is mainly the goddess of women and children. The goddess of free nature is independent and celibate. Artemis is frequently depicted carrying a torch and she was occasionally identified with Hecate . Like other Greek deities, she had a number of other names applied to her, reflecting the variety of roles, duties, and aspects ascribed to

1920-531: The bear cult the goddess had in Attica ( Brauronia ) and the Neolithic remains at the Arkoudiotissa Cave , as well as the story of Callisto, which was originally about Artemis ( Arcadian epithet kallisto ); this cult was a survival of very old totemic and shamanistic rituals and formed part of a larger bear cult found further afield in other Indo-European cultures (e.g., Gaulish Artio ). It

1984-471: The beliefs of the first Greeks in Arcadia Artemis is the first nymph , a goddess of free nature. She is an independent free woman, and she does not need any partner. She is hunting surrounded by her nymphs . This idea of freedom and women's skill is expressed in many Greek myths. In Peloponnese the temples of Artemis were built near springs, rivers and marshes. Artemis was closely related to

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2048-453: The calendars of Aetolia , Phocis and Gytheion there was the month Laphrios and in Thebes , Corcyra , and Byzantion the month Eucleios . The goddess was venerated in festivals during spring. In some cults she retains the theriomorphic form of a Pre-Greek goddess who was conceived with the shape of a bear (άρκτος árktos : bear). Kallisto in Arcadia is a hypostasis of Artemis with

2112-422: The city of Antioch, wrote that Ptolemy was smitten by the beauty of (the statue of) Artemis; whereas her mother Leto often took pride in her daughter's beauty. She has several stories surrounding her where men such as Actaeon, Orion, and Alpheus tried to couple with her forcibly, only to be thwarted or killed. Ancient poets note Artemis' height and imposing stature, as she stands taller and more impressive than all

2176-416: The common epithets Orthia , Korythalia and Dereatis . The female dancers wore masks and were famous in antiquity. The goddess of vegetation was also related to the tree-cult with temples near the holy trees and the surnames Apanchomene , Caryatis and Cedreatis . According to Greek beliefs the image of a god or a goddess gave signs or tokens and had divine and magic powers. With these conceptions she

2240-533: The fest. The festival at Patras was introduced from Calydon and this relates Artemis to the Greek heroine Atalanta who symbolizes freedom and independence. Other epithets that relate Artemis to the animals are Amarynthia and Kolainis . In the Homeric poems Artemis is mainly the goddess of hunting, because it was the most important sport in Mycenean Greece . An almost formulaic epithet used in

2304-411: The goddess before a battle. The deer always accompanies the goddess of hunting. Her epithet Agraea is similar with Agrotera . Alphaea , in the district of Elis . The goddess had an annual festival at Olympia and a temple at Letrinoi near the river Alpheus . At the festival of Letrinoi, the girls were dancing wearing masks. In the legend, Alphaea and her nymphs covered their faces with mud and

2368-512: The goddess had the name of an Amazon like Lyceia (with a helmet of a wolf-skin) and Molpadia . The female warriors Amazons embody the idea of freedom and women's independence. In spite of her status as a virgin who avoided potential lovers, there are multiple references to Artemis' beauty and erotic aspect; in the Odyssey , Odysseus compares Nausicaa to Artemis in terms of appearance when trying to win her favor, Libanius , when praising

2432-468: The goddess. Aeginaea , probably huntress of chamois or the wielder of the javelin, at Sparta However the word may mean "from the island Aegina ", that relates Artemis with Aphaia ( Britomartis ). Aetole , of Aetolia at Nafpaktos . A marble statue represented the goddess in the attitude of one hurling a javelin. Agoraea , guardian of popular assemblies in Athens . She was considered to be

2496-402: The hounds, the pure maiden, shooter of stags, who delights in archery, own sister to Apollo with the golden sword. Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks she draws her golden bow, rejoicing in the chase, and sends out grievous shafts. The tops of the high mountains tremble and the tangled wood echoes awesomely with the outcry of beasts: earthquakes and the sea also where fishes shoal. According to

2560-538: The idea of "the free nature" which was introduced by the first Greeks. The Dorians came later in the area, probably from Epirus and the goddess of nature was mostly interpreted as a vegetation goddess who was related to the ecstatic Minoan tree-cult. She was worshipped in orgiastic cults with lascivious and sometimes obscene dances, which have pure Greek elements introduced by the Dorians. The feminine (sometimes male) dancers wore usually masks, and they were famous in

2624-456: The island of Delos gave refuge to Leto, allowing her to give birth to her children. In one account, Artemis is born first and then proceeds to assist Leto in the birth of the second twin, Apollo. Artemis was a kourotrophic (child-nurturing) deity, that is the patron and protector of young children, especially young girls. Artemis was worshipped as one of the primary goddesses of childbirth and midwifery along with Eileithyia and Hera. Artemis

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2688-421: The marriage, and they are appealed by the pregnant women. Artemis became goddess of marriage and childbirth. She was worshipped with the surname Eucleia in several cities. Women consecrated clothes to Artemis for a happy childbirth and she had the epithets Lochia and Lecho . The Dorians interpreted Artemis mainly as goddess of vegetation who was worshipped in an orgiastic cult with lascivious dances, with

2752-410: The men and led the women into captivity; and that to commemorate the disgrace of the latter, representations of them were employed in architecture instead of columns. The exact position of Caryae has given rise to dispute. It is evident from the account of Pausanias , and from the history of more than one campaign that it was situated on the road from Tegea to Sparta. Modern scholars place its site near

2816-461: The modern Karyes , formerly Arachova, but renamed to reflect association with the ancient town. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Smith, William , ed. (1854–1857). "Caryae". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography . London: John Murray. 37°19′51″N 22°26′38″E  /  37.3308°N 22.444°E  / 37.3308; 22.444 This article about

2880-453: The name is also Phrygian and could be "compared with the royal appellation Artemas of Xenophon ". Charles Anthon argued that the primitive root of the name is probably of Persian origin from * arta , * art , * arte , all meaning "great, excellent, holy", thus Artemis "becomes identical with the great mother of Nature, even as she was worshiped at Ephesus". Anton Goebel "suggests the root στρατ or ῥατ , 'to shake', and makes Artemis mean

2944-567: The nymphs accompanying her. Artemis is rooted to the less developed personality of the Mycenean goddess of nature. The goddess of nature was concerned with birth and vegetation and had certain chthonic aspects. The Mycenean goddess was related to the Minoan mistress of the animals, who can be traced later in local cults, however we do not know to what extent we can differentiate the Minoan from

3008-422: The protector of the assemblies of the people in the agora . At Olympia the cult of "Artemis Agoraea" was related to the cult of Despoinai . (The double named goddesses Demeter and Persephone). Agrotera , the huntress of wild wood, in the Iliad and many cults. It was believed that she first hunted at Agrae of Athens after her arrival from Delos . There was a custom of making a "slaughter sacrifice", to

3072-429: The river god Alpheus, who was in love with her, could not distinguish her from the others. This explains, somehow, the clay masks at Sparta. Amarynthia , or Amarysia , with a famous temple at Amarynthus near Eretria . The goddess was related to the animals, however she was also a healer goddess of women. She is identified with Kolainis . Amphipyros , with fire at each end, a rare epithet of Artemis as bearing

3136-454: The sacrifice of Iphigenia was represented in the ritual. Boulaia , of the council, in Athens. Boulephoros , counselling, advising, at Miletus , probably a Greek form of the mother-goddess. Caryatis , the lady of the nut-tree, at Caryae on the borders between Laconia and Arcadia . Artemis was strongly related to the nymphs, and young girls were dancing the dance Caryatis . The dancers of Caryai were famous in antiquity. In

3200-407: The shape of a bear, and her cults at Brauron and at Piraeus ( Munichia ) are remarkable for the arkteia where virgin girls before marriage were disguised as she-bears. The ancient Greeks called potnia theron the representation of the goddess between animals; on a Greek vase from circa 570 BCE, a winged Artemis stands between a spotted panther and a deer. "Potnia theron" is very close to

3264-556: The thrower of the dart or the shooter". Ancient Greek writers, by way of folk etymology , and some modern scholars, have linked Artemis (Doric Artamis ) to ἄρταμος , artamos , i.e. "butcher" or, like Plato did in Cratylus , to ἀρτεμής , artemḗs , i.e. "safe", "unharmed", "uninjured", "pure", "the stainless maiden". A.J. van Windekens tried to explain both ἀρτεμής and Artemis from ἀτρεμής , atremḗs , meaning "unmoved, calm; stable, firm" via metathesis . Artemis

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3328-417: The twin sister of Apollo. She was closely associated with her brother, some of whose attributes she shared, and according to one myth was also his wife. However, in all traditions Artemis was a maiden goddess, and fiercely protective of her chastity; her priests and priestesses were similarly expected to lead pure and unblemished lives. In one well-known myth, Artemis transformed the hunter Actaeon into

3392-405: The waters and especially to Poseidon , the god of the waters. Her common epithets are Limnnaia , Limnatis (relation to waters) and Potamia and Alphaea (relation to rivers). In some cults she is the healer goddess of women with the surnames Lousia and Thermia . Artemis is the leader of the nymphs ( Hegemone ) and she is hunting surrounded by them. The nymphs appear during the festival of

3456-544: The way to the academy of Athens and he believes that the names are surnames of the goddess Artemis, who is depicted carrying a torch. Kalliste is not related to Kalliste of Arcadia. Aristobule , the best advisor, at Athens . The politician and general Themistocles built a temple of Artemis Aristobule near his house in the deme of Melite , in which he dedicated his own statue. Astrateia , she that stops an invasion, at Pyrrichos in Laconia . A wooden image (xoanon),

3520-535: Was a goddess of wisdom and war, agriculture, domestic activity, industry, law, and justice. Most traditions make her a virgin goddess, immune to the charms of romantic love or marriage; one of her most common epithets is Parthenos , "the maiden", and her most famous temple from antiquity—still partially extant—is the Parthenon of Athens . In one tradition, Athena repulsed an attempt by Hephaestus to force himself upon her, and sent him fleeing. Callimachus and

3584-407: Was also a patron of healing and disease, particularly among women and children, and believed to send both good health and illness upon women and children. Artemis was one of the three major virgin goddesses , alongside Athena and Hestia . Artemis preferred to remain an unmarried maiden and was one of the three Greek goddesses over whom Aphrodite had no power. In myth and literature, Artemis

3648-529: Was among them. It was considered that the image had divine powers. The Athenians believed that the image became booty to the Persians and was carried from Brauron to Susa . Angelos , messenger, envoy, title of Artemis at Syracuse in Sicily . Apanchomene , the strangled goddess, at Caphyae in Arcadia. She was a vegetation goddess related to the ecstatic tree cult. The Minoan tree goddesses Helene, Dentritis, and Ariadne were also hanged. This epithet

3712-484: Was considered a greater offense than mere dereliction of duty; a Vestal who negligently allowed the sacred flame to be extinguished would be scourged , but one who violated her vow of celibacy would be punished by death, usually by being entombed alive in an underground chamber inside the Colline Gate . Athena was generally regarded as the daughter of Zeus by his first wife, Metis , the goddess of prudence. She

3776-512: Was dedicated to the goddess, because she stopped the invasion of the Amazons in this area. Another xoanon represented "Apollo Amazonios". Basileie , at Thrace and Paeonia . The women offered wheat stalks to the goddess. In this cult, which reached Athens, Artemis is relative to the Thracian goddess Bendis . Brauronia , worshipped at Brauron in Attica . Her cult is remarkable for

3840-405: Was distinguished by a peculiar dance and by a music on the flute. Virgin goddess In Greek and Roman mythology , several goddesses are distinguished by their perpetual virginity . These goddesses included the Greek deities Hestia , Athena , and Artemis , along with their Roman equivalents , Vesta , Minerva , and Diana . In some instances, the inviolability of these goddesses

3904-605: Was regarded as a special patron of the plebeians , and her temple on the Aventine Hill was built by Servius Tullius , the sixth Roman king. Diana was said to spurn all men who sought her hand, that she might remain a virgin forever. Men refrained from entering the temple of Diana that stood in the Vicus Patricius , although according to Plutarch , this was the result of a superstition, rather than any express prohibition; men freely entered other temples consecrated to Diana. In his Roman Questions , Plutarch relates that

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3968-464: Was related with Artemis Tauria (the Tauric Artemis). Her statue was considered the same with the statue that Orestes brought from Tauris. Near the sanctuary of the goddess there was a combat between slaves who had run away from their masters and the prize was the priesthood of Artemis. Ariste , the best, a goddess of the women. Pausanias describes xoana of "Ariste" and "Kalliste" in

4032-402: Was simply a detail of their mythology, while in other cases virginity was also associated with their worship and religious rites. In Greek myth, Hestia was one of the six children of Cronus and Rhea , the first of their three daughters, and thus the eldest of the twelve Olympians . She was the elder sister of Zeus , Poseidon , Hades , Hera , and Demeter , and was revered as goddess of

4096-455: Was worshipped as Tauria (the Tauric , goddess), Aricina ( Italy ) and Anaitis ( Lydia ). In the bucolic ( pastoral ) songs the image of the goddess was discovered in bundles of leaves or dry sticks and she had the surnames Lygodesma and Phakelitis . In the European folklore, a wild hunter is chasing an elfish woman who falls in the water. In the Greek myths the hunter is chasing

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