CLA204H1 Lecture : Artemis
Document Summary
The homeric hymn to artemis draws the essential features of her character and appearance: beautiful, chaste, virgin of the hunt, armed with bows and arrows. The shorter version dwells upon the closeness of artemis and apollo and their cult places in asia minor. Smyrna, where there was a temple of artemis; and claros was the site of a temple and oracle of. The goddess leto mated with zeus and bore the twins deities artemis and apollo. Artemis is born first and is able to help with the delivery of her brother. Her birth on mt. cynthus in delos gave her the cult title of cynthia. According to ovid, after the birth of artemis and apollo, leto was forced by the anger of hera to wander carrying her two babies. She came to lycia where the people refused to let her drink the water so she turned them into frogs. On other occasions, artemis is closely linked with apollo.
