Artemis

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Statue of Artemis Agrotera on Mykonos

Artemis is a Greek goddess of the hunt, wilderness, virginity, and the Moon. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, and the twin sister of Apollo. Her Roman counterpart is Diana.

Artemis is also regarded as one of the Twelve Gods, the major deities of the Greek pantheon.

Biography

Mythology

According to Greek myths, Artemis was born on the Mount Kynthos on the island of Delos along with her brother.

During the 12th century BCE when the Trojan War was starting, Artemis was said to have stopped the wind so that King Agamemnon's ships could not cross the sea from Boeotia to Troy. The Mycenaean king had reportedly angered the goddess, and so she requested that he sacrifice his beloved daughter Iphigenia. However, when Iphigenia's sacrifice was about to happen, the goddess suddenly had a change of heart, pitied the young princess, and replaced her with a doe.

Around the 8th or 9th century BCE, story rose about the Artemis killing the Kretan princess Ariadne for defiling a place sacred to Artemis on Naxos Island.

Artemis was also said to have sent a wild boar to terrorize the region of Kalydon, and that the Hind of Keryneia which Herakles captured was sacred to Artemis. ^{[citation needed]}

Symbols

Her symbols included a golden bow and arrow, the hunting dog, the stag, and the Moon. At least one of these inspired a temple located in Malis.

Influence

By the 5th century BCE, Artemis had a large statue raised on the island of Mykonos, and several temples dedicated to her all around Greece. She had also inspired a cult which begun on Chios, emulating her roles as huntress and protector of the wild, and then spread out into rest of the Greece. In addition, an armor set was attributed to her.

On Delos, the 'sister island' of Mykonos, the northern region was regarded as lands sacred to Artemis. The eastern region of Mykonos was known as Artemis Hills.

The woman-shaped columns of Erechtheion on the Akropolis Sanctuary in Athens were sometimes attributed to Artemis Karyatis.

Behind the scenes

Due to Layla Hassan's Animus modification, a lieutenant named Artemis was available via the Helix Store for the ship Adrestia in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.

The mural depicting Artemis with a bow in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is based on a painting on an amphora from Late Classical period, depicting the Battle of the Giants and Gods. In the same game, the statue of Artemis most commonly seen seems to be based on Diana of Versailles, a Roman marble copy of a lost Greek bronze original. Another sculpture of Artemis, this time holding a fawn, in the same game seems to be based on an early 5th century BCE Boeotian terracotta statuette.

Gallery

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  Statue of Artemis in Sanctuary of Olympia
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  Statue of Artemis in Temple of the Golden-Bowed Goddess, Malis
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  Artemis depicted in a mural in 5th century BCE Greece, with Poseidon on her left, Apollo on her right

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Origins (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (artwork only)