Artemis

Artemis was the daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. She was the virgin huntress - the goddess of hunting and chastity. She spent her whole life hunting deer, boars, and other wild animals, with her bow and arrows. These were her symbols. They can be seen in the statues to the left and right.

Myths

When Actaeon saw Artemis bathing nude in a spring, she turned him into a stag and set his won pack of hounds against him. Not recognising their master they tore him apart.

When the giant, Orion, tried to take her by force, he was stung on the heel by one of her scorpions and killed. Both Orion and the scorpion were transformed into constellations, with Scorpio always seeming to chase after Orion.

Temples

The temple of Artemis at Ephesos was one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. Unfortunately, like all the rest (except the Great Pyramid) it is now destroyed. The temple of Artemis at Brauron (near Athens) is shown left.

Moon

Artemis was also considered goddess of the crescent moon, and this is another of her symbols. In the statue below she has a moon crescent on top of her head.