Artemis

Bronze Diana, 3rd Century BC

Artemis is the Greek goddess of the Moon, hunting, archery, virginity, wilderness, forests, animals, hills and midwifery. She is one of the members of the Twelve Olympians who ruled the world on top of Mount Olympus. She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto, older twin sister of Apollo. Her Roman equivalent is Diana.

Artemis is generally depicted as a beautiful huntress wearing a sleeveless tunic and carrying a bow and arrow. She is accompanied by a group of nymphs huntresses. Bow, arrow, quiver and knives serves as her symbols. Deers/stags is her sacred animal.

Ancient Greek myths involving Artemis

Birth

Hera, who was Zeus's wife, discovered that Leto was pregnant and became very angry. She banned Leto from giving birth on any mainland or island known.

Leto found the island of Delos, which floated and so was not an island or mainland, and gave birth there. Hera then locked up the goddess of childbirth, Eilethyia, so she could not give birth to the twins. Then, all the other goddesses convinced her to let her free so she could finally give birth. Leto gave birth to Artemis without any problem. However she was in labor with Apollo for nine days. Artemis helped Leto to give birth to Apollo.

Acteon

A mortal hunter named Acteon stumbled upon Artemis while she was bathing. Artemis discovered him and was enraged. She inflicted a punishment upon him for spying on her whilst she was bathing, by transforming him into a stag. She then sent his own hunting dogs to tear him apart.

Hippolytos

Hippolytos, a companion and devotee of Artemis, was slain through the machinations of Aphrodite, as punishment for his scorning of love and neglecting her worship. Artemis avenged the death of Hippolytos by killing Aphrodite's favourite lover, Adonis. She later petitioned Asclepius to bring the boy back to life, and spirited him away to her sacred shrine in Aricia.

Artemis Media

Artémis (Diane), the huntress. Roman copy of a Greek statue, 2nd century. Galleria dei Candelabri - Vatican Museums
Artemis as Mistress of Animals, Parian pottery, 675–600 BCE. Hypothetical restoration (only some parts have been preserved). Archaeological Museum of Mykonos.
Minoan seal from Knossos. A goddess flanked by two lionesses, probably the "Mother of the Mountains", in the presence of her consort or the dedicant.
Artemis pouring a libation. Attic white-ground lekythos, c. 460–450 BCE. From Eretria. c. 460-450 BCE. Attributed to Bowdoin Painter. Louvre, Paris
Scene from sacrifice in honour of Artemis-Diana who is accompanied by a deer. Fresco from the triclinium of the house of Vettii in Pompeii, Italy, between 62 CE and 79 CE (Destruction of Pompeii).
Artemis with bow and arrow in front of an altar. Attic red-figure lekythos, c. 475 BCE, from Selinunte, Sicily. Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum, Palermo
Statue of Artemis, marble. Pergamon Museum, Berlin
Artemis on her two hind-drawn chariot, Boeotian red-figure kylix, 450–425 BCE, by the Painter of Great Athens. Louvre, Paris.