Artemis, The Virgin Goddess
Goddess of: The Hunt, Wilderness, Wild Animals; fertility (which is weird since she's a virgin goddess), virginity, young (virgin) girls, archery
Job: Hunter, helps protect the wild
Characteristics: Dislikes men.
Appearance: Young woman with knee length tunic (I know that's conflicting with the picture here, but she's supposed to wear it because it's be easier to hunt) and silver crescent headband (see picture).
Symbols/Sacred Objects: Deer, bow and arrows, the moon
Roman Name: Diana
Other Names: Artemis of the Wildland, Mistress of Animals
Parents: Zeus and Leto
Married to: No one (See Cool Fact #1)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Cool Facts:
#1 One of the three major virgin goddesses (Athena, Artemis, Hestia)
#2 Twin sister of Apollo (she's older than him by a day)
#3 One of the twin archers (the other being Apollo, obviously)
Job: Hunter, helps protect the wild
Characteristics: Dislikes men.
Appearance: Young woman with knee length tunic (I know that's conflicting with the picture here, but she's supposed to wear it because it's be easier to hunt) and silver crescent headband (see picture).
Symbols/Sacred Objects: Deer, bow and arrows, the moon
Roman Name: Diana
Other Names: Artemis of the Wildland, Mistress of Animals
Parents: Zeus and Leto
Married to: No one (See Cool Fact #1)
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Cool Facts:
#1 One of the three major virgin goddesses (Athena, Artemis, Hestia)
#2 Twin sister of Apollo (she's older than him by a day)
#3 One of the twin archers (the other being Apollo, obviously)
Orion the Hunter
Orion the Hunter is most well-known these days as a constellation in the sky.
Actaeon
Callisto
Atalanta
Niobe
Queen Niobe was the wife of Amphion, King of Thebes. She had seven daughters and seven sons (known as the Niobids), and bragged that she was superior to Leto (titaness of fertility), who only had one daughter and one son (Artemis and Apollo).
It was on occasion of the annual celebration in honor of Latona and her offspring, Apollo and Diana, when the people of Thebes were assembled, their brows crowned with laurel, bearing frankincense to the altars and paying their vows, that Niobe appeared among the crowd. Her attire was splendid with gold and gems, and her face as beautiful as the face of an angry woman can be. She stood and surveyed the people with haughty looks. "What folly," said she, "is this! To prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! Why should Latona be honored with worship rather than I? My father was Tantalus, who was received as a guest at the table of the gods; my mother was a goddess. My husband built and rules this city, Thebes; and Phrygia is my paternal inheritance. Wherever I turn my eyes I survey the elements of my power; nor is my form and presence unworthy of a goddess. To all this let me add, I have seven sons and seven daughters, and look for sons-in-law and daughters-in-law of pretensions worthy of my alliance. Have I not cause for pride. Will you prefer to me this Latona, the Titan's daughter, with her two children? I have seven times as many. Fortunate indeed am I, and fortunate I shall remain! Will any one deny this?"
Apollo and Artemis will deny this. It's very insulting and rude to compare yourself favourably to an Titaness when you're just a lowly mortal, it's absolutely unnacceptable to do so at a festival honouring the very same one! When the twins heard this, they were very very offended, and decided to punish her by killing all her kids. And they did, by shooting them with poisoned arrows. Apollo killed all the boys and Artemis killed all the girls (some say that two kids were spared). After this, Niobe started crying non-stop (serves her right), and finally the gods took pity on her and turned her into a rock. But out of the rock water continued to flow. It became associated with the Weeping Rock, which can still be found on Mount Sipylus (in Turkey).
It was on occasion of the annual celebration in honor of Latona and her offspring, Apollo and Diana, when the people of Thebes were assembled, their brows crowned with laurel, bearing frankincense to the altars and paying their vows, that Niobe appeared among the crowd. Her attire was splendid with gold and gems, and her face as beautiful as the face of an angry woman can be. She stood and surveyed the people with haughty looks. "What folly," said she, "is this! To prefer beings whom you never saw to those who stand before your eyes! Why should Latona be honored with worship rather than I? My father was Tantalus, who was received as a guest at the table of the gods; my mother was a goddess. My husband built and rules this city, Thebes; and Phrygia is my paternal inheritance. Wherever I turn my eyes I survey the elements of my power; nor is my form and presence unworthy of a goddess. To all this let me add, I have seven sons and seven daughters, and look for sons-in-law and daughters-in-law of pretensions worthy of my alliance. Have I not cause for pride. Will you prefer to me this Latona, the Titan's daughter, with her two children? I have seven times as many. Fortunate indeed am I, and fortunate I shall remain! Will any one deny this?"
Apollo and Artemis will deny this. It's very insulting and rude to compare yourself favourably to an Titaness when you're just a lowly mortal, it's absolutely unnacceptable to do so at a festival honouring the very same one! When the twins heard this, they were very very offended, and decided to punish her by killing all her kids. And they did, by shooting them with poisoned arrows. Apollo killed all the boys and Artemis killed all the girls (some say that two kids were spared). After this, Niobe started crying non-stop (serves her right), and finally the gods took pity on her and turned her into a rock. But out of the rock water continued to flow. It became associated with the Weeping Rock, which can still be found on Mount Sipylus (in Turkey).