Chapter Eight, Lecture Two Artemis Athena

Artemis The ancient Potnia Therōn? Daughter of Leto Twin sister of Apollo Born on Ortygia Helped with Apollo’s birth?

Artemis Her iconography –Bow and arrows –Hunting attire boots skirt belt

Artemis the Virgin Odd that the mother earth goddess should become the virgin goddess of the hunt Still, there is pregnancy all around her in her stories Artemis the Killer –Shows her dangerous side –Kills women in childbirth arrows of Artemis –Kills in vengeance

Artemis Niobe –Queen of Thebes –Challenged the honor of Leto The goddess had only two children Niobê had 12 –Apollo and Artemis kill all but one of Niobê’s children –Use of myth Niobe’s excessive grief cited as an exemplum by Achilles to get Priam to eat

Artemis Orion –Son of Poseidon and a hunter –Could walk on water –Blinded by Oinopion for raping his daughter, Meropê –With a boy on his shoulders, he walked toward the east, where the sun cured his blindness

Artemis Orion (cont.) –Failed to find Oinopion –Either he tried to rape Artemis or he had an affair with Eos –Artemis put a scorpion on his head that killed him The two constellations: Orion and Scorpio

Artemis Actaeon –Theban prince, out hunting, accidentally saw Artemis bathing –She turned him into a stag –His dogs find him and tear him to pieces –A veiled human sacrifice?

Artemis Callisto –Virgin follower of Artemis, daughter of Lycaeon –Zeus raped her, and she’s now pregnant –Enraged, Artemis turns her into a bear and then kills her –The child, Arcas, survives –The Brauron “little bears”

Artemis Hippolytus –Athenian devotee of Artemis –Aphrodite works a way to destroy him Phaedra, Theseus –Eventually killed by a bull

Athena

Daughter of Zeus and Metis Muscular virgin Goddess of the crafts of civilization (“wisdom”) –Weaving, carpentry, military-industrial complex and strategy, war chariot and warship, warriors Helmet, owl, shield with Gorgon, snake, aigis breastplate

Athena Arachnê –Girl from Lydia who challenged Athena in weaving –Ovid: Athena wove in stories of the fate of mortals who dared to challenge the gods –Archnê wove in stories of the corruption of the gods –Athena beats her with her loom, Arachnê tried to hang herself, and is changed into a spider

End