Artemis, << AHR tuh mihs, >> was a goddess in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Zeus, the king of the gods, and the goddess Leto. The god Apollo was her twin. Artemis was sometimes identified with the moon goddess Selene. The Roman fertility goddess Diana closely resembled her.
Artemis was the goddess of childbirth and female maturation. Young girls about to be married prayed to her and sometimes dedicated their dolls or a lock of hair to her. But Artemis could be cruel and destructive. She and Apollo killed the children of Niobe, queen of Thebes, after Niobe boasted that she had more children than Leto. The Greeks often blamed Artemis for the sudden death of women.
Artemis was a virgin goddess who demanded that her followers dedicate themselves to lives of purity. According to one myth, Artemis shot one of her followers, the nymph Callisto, with an arrow after Callisto became pregnant by Zeus. Other sources say she transformed her into a bear. Several myths tell of attempts to rape Artemis and of her successful defense.
Artemis was the goddess of wild animals and hunting. Artists showed her as a beautiful young huntress carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows, often with a deer at her side.
