10: Artemis Flashcards
Origin of Artemis (name and connections)
- Non-Hellenic name: Asia minor connections
- Fertility deity (Magma Mater?) that was multi-mammary and multi-testicular
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, 1 of 7 wonders of ancient world
- Diana of Ephesians coin
Artemis from the Homeric Poems
- Potnia Theron: “Mistress of Animals” –> connection with Cybele?
- Originally fertility deity:Magna Mater
- Ephesian Artemis: Kourotrophos = “Nurturer of the Young”
- Goddess of childbirth and protector of all young creatures
Classical Artemis and what is she depicted as
- The Eternal Virgin
- Not manly like Athena and not asexual like Hestia
- Dangerously seductive
- Nymph in original sense: G. Nymphe: “Bride”
- Depicted as a huntress with a bow and arrow and hunting dogs
Story of Artemis’ Birth and resulting epithet
- From Homeric Hymn to Apollo
- Zeus and Leto have twins: Apollo and Artemis. Artemis was the first born
Leto the titan becomes pregnant from Zeus. Hera gets angry and doesn’t allow her to give Birth on Earth. Leto gives birth on the island of Ortygia (quail island, possibly Delos), on Mt. Cynthus, which is where he got the epitheth: Cynthia. After she was born she assited in the birth of her brother Apollo. Where she got Goddess of childbirth.
Story of Niobe
- from Ovid’s Metamorphoses
- Niobe: Queen of Thebes who boasted that she is more deserving of honor than Leto because she had 7 sons and 7 daghters called Niobids
- Apollo kills her sons and Artemis kills her daughters
- Niobe gets tranasformed into a crag: rock face, in Phyrgia. Tears stream down from rock face
Latin name of Artemis
Diana
Story of Diana and Actaeon
- From Ovid’s Metamorphoses
- Actaeon stumbles upon Diana naked on Mt. Cithaeron while hunting with his hounds. Diana is shielded by nymphs and she transforms him into a stag. His own hounds kill him. Could be related to hunting ritual and human sacrifice.
Who is Callisto
- Devoted to Diana and one of Diana’s favourites
- Kalliste: means “most beautiful”, is also an epithet of Diana
Story of Callisto and Jupiter
- from Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Jupiter (G. Zeus) falls for Callisto. He disguises himself as Diana to try and seduce Callisto. He impregnates her and she gives birth to a child named Arcas.
Story of Callisto and Diana
Diana finds out about Callisto’s pregnancy and banishes her.
Ursification
Callisto is transformed into a bear and Arcas becomes a hunter. Callisto tries to give Arcas a hug and Arcas tries to kill her.
- Callisto: Ursa Major (Great bear, big dipper) or Hamaxa: “the Wain:
- Arcas: Ursa Minor or The “Bear Warden”: Arctophylax/Arcturus/Bootes
Story of Orion
- Hunter and worshipper of Artemis
- Connection with island Chios, known for wine
- Orio pursues Oenopion’s (means wine face) daughter, Meripe
- Oenopion gets Orion drunk and blinds him
- Orion heads East and regains sight thanks to Helius
- Orion attempts to rape Artemis and she has scorpion sting and kill him
- Catasterism: transformation into star or constellation
–> Orion, his dog (Sirius), and the scorpion (Scorpius)
Triune Deity
- Triune Deity: 3 faces that includes Selene, Hecate, and Artemis
- Epithet of Artemis is Phoebe, meaning “Bright” and “Shining”
- Identified with:
–> Selene: cold, white, chaste
–> Hecate: Chthonian deity and descendant of titans. Goddess of crossroads and associated with ghosts, underworld, and black magic
Story of Hippolytus
The Hippolytus of Euripides
Hippolytus was a chaste (no sex) young man who was devoted to Artemis and despised Aphordite. So Aphrodite causes his step mother, Phaedra, to fall for him. Phaedra fights it but nurse gets her to reveal her feelings to Hippolytus. Hippolyrus rejects Phaedra and she commits suicide. She leaves a note with flase claim of rape –> Potiphar’s Wife motif.
Hippolytus’ father, Theseus, curses him and kills him by having Poseidon (his father) send a sea monster: “bull from the sea”
Artemis appeaers and makes a cult in his honor where virgins will cut hair and lament his death and dedicate their chastity to him.
Lesbianism and Misandry
- Lesbianism: latent (hidden) motif. Close knit female companions who practiced chastity (no men)
- Misandry: hatred of men. Men were excluded. Legends of Theseus and Heracles attacking Amazons (race of women warriors)
