Artemis is Apollo’s twin sister and is known as the Moon Goddess and the Goddess of the hunt. She was born to Zeus and Leto and just like her brother is very protective of her mother.  Artemis is mostly depicted as a woman with brown braided hair, pale skin and silvery eyes. She is also usually draped in a chiton and hunting boots. She arms herself with a bow and a quiver of arrows made by Hephaestus and the Cyclops. The symbols of Artemis include hunting knives, a bow and arrow, and a quiver. She was known as the ‘Master Hunter Artemis’ because of her extra-ordinary skills and precision. She is also known as the virgin Goddess, though she drew the attention and interest of many gods and men. However, it was only her hunting companion, Orion, that won her heart and had her affection. But this love story, had a tragedy where it is believed that Orion was accidentally killed either by Artemis herself or by Gaia, the primordial goddess of the earth. It is also believed that Apollo feared that Artemis would break her vow of celibacy if she decided to marry Orion and hence tricked her into killing Orion. In many Greek texts and stories, Artemis is described as a fierce Goddess who hunted animals as well as protected them and thus had a dual role of being a nurturer as well as an avenger.

Artemis is worshipped by women. Before marriage, girls would give some off their old toys to Artemis and this tradition symbolised the journey from being a child to a woman. The temple of Artemis at Ephesus is her most famous temple of worship. Artemis also represents woman empowerment and independence.

There is another interesting story where once when Artemis was taking bath, she was spotted by a mortal whose name was Sipiotes. This angered her and she turned him into a girl.

According to Greek mythology, when Artemis was 3 years old, she asked Zeus for 6 wishes and he granted them to her.  The wishes were that:

1. to remain unmarried forever
2. to be recognised with more names than her brother Apollo
3. to have a bow and arrows made by the Cyclopes and a knee-length hunting tunic to wear
4. to bring light to the world
5. to have sixty nymphs as friends
6. to have all mountains under her control