Artemis was also the daughter of Zeus and Leto and was born on Delos with
her brother Apollo. She shared many of Apollo's characteristics, and could
to some extent be described as his female side. She was connected with
the lights in the heavens, the moonlight.
There was a tradition that Artemis had been born before her brother
Apollo and helped Leto brining Apollo into the world, for that reason she
was worshipped as Artemis Lochia, the patron of pregnant women.
Artemis was often worshipped as Kourotrophos because she was
believed to watch over the upbringing of young children. At the time of
difficult transition to adulthood, the greeks used to invoke the support
of Artemis and held special rites dedicated to her. At Brauon, young girls
spend some time in the Goddess's sanctuary, where they learned all they
need to know about womanhood. These young girls were called arctoi (=bears).
In the minds of the greeks, Artemis was pure virgin who had never known
the joys of love and marriage, Artemis' greatest joy was to run through
the dense forests hunting with her silver bow, accompanied by her dogs
and her favorite animal, the deer. The deer was closely associated with
the Goddess, and she had often transformed herself into a deer.
No God or mortal could best her for accuracy in the bow, and those
who dared to compete with her were usually severely punished.
As the Goddess of the hunt, Artemis was closely associated with the
beasts and was worshipped as Potnia theron, that is, as the mistress
and queen of nature and animals. She lived among nature and in the fields,
and also bore close relationship to rivers and lakes, where she would stop
to rest and where she would dance and sing with the Nymphs, the Muses and
the Graces.
"And when Leto wanted to give birth, she couldn't find a place in the
world to do so, for Zeus's wife, Hera, made all the places that are under
the sun vow to her that they will not let Leto give birth on them. Many
days suffered Leto, wandering from place to place, until she came to the
sea. And then her sister, that was a hard rock, came out of the sea and
offered her sister a place to give birth. Being under water, she was not
afraid of Hera's curse. The other Gods wanted to help Leto, and they grew
in one night two Palm trees and an Olive tree.
But still Leto couldn't give birth because Hera gave her doughtier Elethiya
(the Goddess of giving birth), a sleeping potion, and she did not know
someone needed her help. The other Goddesses hurried to help Leto, and
they sent Iris to bring Elethiya. Once Elethiya was there Leto took a deep
breath and gave birth to Artemis. Artemis came out of the womb with a silver
bow and arrows, the Palm trees also became pure silver.
But that wasn't the end, for Leto felt she have another baby inside
of her. Hera was still angry, so she sent a giant dragonet called Delphiny
to harm Leto. Delphiny was half human half snake, and when she reached
the island, shot her Artemis, that was only three days old, a sliver arrow,
and killed her.
Leto held to the Olive tree, and gave birth to a son, it was Apollo,
God of truth and light."
