Ancient Roman goddess of hunting Diana the ancient Greeks called Artemis. The meaning of this name has not yet been precisely determined, some argue that it translates as "bear's paw", others explain the meaning as "mistress", there are those who consider her "killer". Artemis is a goddess who was born simultaneously with her twin brother, the golden-haired Apollo, from the supreme god Zeus and the Titanides Leto. 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 binds brother and sister throughout their lives, they deeply revere and love their mother.
Lifestyle
Eternally young, virginal and charming - this is exactly how Artemis appears before us. The goddess loves to hunt very much, so she constantly rushes through the forests in a light fluttering 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 his daughter so that she would not be bored while hunting, and another twenty looked after her dogs and shoes. The barking of the pack, screams and merry laughter emitted bynoisy crowd, were heard far in the mountains, and echoed loudly.
Artemis is the goddess of hunting, she is brave, fast and shoots beautifully, she simply has no equal in accuracy. No one can hide from her arrows, which do not know a miss: neither a timid doe, nor a shy deer, nor a huge angry boar. Tired of hunting, Artemis loved to rest in solitude under the vaults of a cool grotto, twined with greenery, near ringing streams and far from the curious eyes of mortals. And woe to the one who dared to disturb her peace.
The cruel goddess Artemis
The pictures described in the myths clearly show her impudent character. One day, near the grotto in which Artemis was resting, a young hunter Actaeon happened to be. Seeing the goddess bathing, he was so struck by her beauty that he could not move. It should be noted that Artemis is a goddess who has never been distinguished by girlish softness, pity and compassion, on the contrary, she had an aggressive and decisive character. 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 Artemis bathing. In the next moment, Actaeon felt the horns on his head, and running to the river, he saw in the reflection that his face had turned into the muzzle of a deer, his legs and arms were stretched out, and hooves were formed instead of fingers.
Seriously frightened, he rushed to look for his comrades to tell them about what had happened, but nothe hunters, nor their own dogs, recognized him in his new image. Deadly arrows were fired. Satisfied with the successful hunt, the comrades hoisted the bloody deer body on their shoulders and went home, not even suspecting that they were carrying their own friend.
Defender and Avenger
Artemis - 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 grasses. People asked Artemis for blessings for the birth of a child and a happy marriage. Nevertheless, her main features were inflexibility and ruthlessness, 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.
