The ancient Roman goddess of hunting Diana, the ancient Greeks called Artemis. The meaning of this name is still not precisely defined, some argue that it translates as “bear paw”, others explain the meaning as “mistress”, there are those who consider her a “killer”. Artemis is a goddess born at the same time as her twin brother, the golden-haired Apollo, from the supreme god Zeus and the Titanide Summer. Apollo is beautiful and bright, he is like the sun. Artemis, like the moon, is mysterious and beautiful. A very close friendship and the most sincere love connects brother and sister throughout life, they deeply honor and love their mother.
Lifestyle
Forever young, virgin and charming - this is exactly what Artemis appears to us. The goddess loves to hunt, so she constantly rushes through the forests in a light waving tunic, surrounded by her retinue with a bow in her hands and a quiver of arrows over her shoulders. Sixty beautiful nymphs were presented by Zeus to her daughter so that she would not be bored during the hunt, and twenty more looked after her dogs and shoes. Barks, screams and cheerful laughter emitted by a noisy crowd were heard far in the mountains, and an echo echoed loudly to them.
Artemis is the goddess of hunting, she is brave, fast and shoots perfectly, in accuracy she simply has no equal. No one can hide from her arrows, which do not know the slip: neither a timid fallow deer, nor a shy deer, nor a huge furious boar. Tired of hunting, Artemis loved to relax in solitude under the arches of a cool grotto entwined with greenery, near ringing streams and far from the prying eyes of mortals. And woe to those who dare to disturb her peace.
Cruel goddess Artemis
Pictures described in myths quite clearly show her impudent character. Once, near the grotto in which Artemis rested, the young hunter Acteon accidentally happened to be. Seeing the bathing goddess, he was so struck by her beauty that he could not budge. It should be noted that Artemis is a goddess who was never distinguished by girlish gentleness, compassion and compassion, on the contrary, was aggressive and decisive. Seeing the hunter, she was seriously angry and splashed a handful of water in his face, and then said that he could go and, if he could, let everyone boast that he had seen bathing Artemis. The next instant, Actaeon felt the horns on his head, and running up to the river, he saw in reflection that his face had turned into the face of a deer, his legs and arms were extended, and instead of fingers, hooves formed.
Frightened, he rushed to look for his comrades to tell them what had happened, but neither the hunters nor their own dogs recognized him in a new image. Deadly arrows were fired. Satisfied with a successful hunt, the comrades planted a bloodied deer body on their shoulders and headed home, not even suspecting that they were carrying their own friend.
Defender and Avenger
Artemis is the goddess of wild forests and predators, the patroness of hunters. She takes care of all people living on earth, wild animals and livestock, causes the growth of trees, flowers and herbs. People asked Artemis for the blessings of having a baby and a happy marriage. Nevertheless, her main features were adamant and merciless, blood and torment gave her a certain pleasure. Arrows of Artemis often served as an instrument of punishment for those who violated the customs and established rules of the plant and animal worlds.