God
Artemis
Goddess of the hunt, wilderness, and the moon in Greek mythology.
Artemis is one of the twelve Olympian gods, daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. She is the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, childbirth, and the moon. Born on the island of Delos moments before her twin brother, she is consistently described as a virgin goddess, one of the three divine virgins alongside Athena and Hestia. Her Roman equivalent is Diana. The Homeric Hymn to Artemis and numerous passages in Homer's Iliad describe her activities and attributes.
Quick facts
- Pantheon
- Greek
- Figure type
- God
- Period
- Attested from the 8th century BCE; possibly of Minoan or Anatolian origin
- Primary sources
- Homeric Hymn 27 (To Artemis); Homer Iliad 21.470–496; Apollodorus Bibliotheca 1.4.1; Callimachus Hymn 3 (To Artemis)
- Related figures
- apollo, zeus, leto, orion, actaeon
- Constellation link
- orion
Goddess of the hunt
Artemis is depicted in ancient art as a young woman carrying a silver bow and quiver of arrows, often accompanied by a deer or hunting dogs. The Homeric Hymn to Artemis (27) describes her as delighting in the hunt on mountain ridges and windy peaks. Her sacred animals were the deer, bear, and boar. Major cult sites included Ephesus, where the Temple of Artemis was counted among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and Brauron in Attica, where girls performed rites to honour her. She was associated with wild, untamed nature and the boundary between civilisation and wilderness.
Artemis and Orion
Various ancient sources record the myth of Artemis and the giant hunter Orion. In one version (Apollodorus 1.4.3–5), Orion attempted to violate Artemis or one of her companions, and she sent a giant scorpion to kill him. In another version (Pindar frg. 72 Snell), Artemis herself slew Orion with an arrow because of his presumption. After his death, Orion was placed among the stars as the constellation Orion (attested by Hesiod Works and Days 618–619). The adjacent constellation Scorpius echoes the myth of the scorpion that killed him.
Sources & further reading (2)
- primary-source — accessed 2026-05-06
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-05-06
Frequently asked questions
What is Artemis the goddess of?
Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, wild animals, wilderness, the moon, and childbirth. She is depicted in ancient sources as an expert archer who roams mountains and forests. Despite her association with childbirth, she herself is a virgin goddess (parthenos). She also held a protective role over young girls until they reached adulthood. Her twin brother Apollo governs many of the same spheres in their complementary roles as divinities of light and the sun.
What was the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus?
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (modern Turkey) was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the largest temple of the ancient world at its peak. The site had been sacred to a mother-goddess since the Bronze Age; the Greek cult of Artemis was overlaid on this older tradition. The temple was rebuilt several times; the most famous version was completed c. 323 BCE. It was destroyed by the Goths in 262 CE and its ruins were excavated beginning in 1869 by the British Museum.
