Artemis

Artemis: Greek Goddess of the Hunt

            Imagine that you’re on a hunt in a sacred grove of the gods. Trees, animals, and hundreds of plants surround you. You see a deer and you go for the kill, one shot, it’s dead. You think to yourself that absolutely no one could have had a better shot than you. You challenge Artemis, Goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and much more. This was the position that Agamemnon found himself in after he challenged Artemis. Greek gods and goddesses have human emotions too; which is why Agamemnon’s challenge to Artemis caused such a big issue.

            Artemis was offended by Agamemnon and his outright pride in his one kill. She wanted to prove him wrong. She was so angry and embarrassed that someone would challenge her that she changed the direction of the wind. Agamemnon’s ships needed this wind as they were preparing to go to war in Troy and had planned to set sail from Aulis after all preparations were complete. They were off to start the Trojan War. This shows that the gods and goddesses too embody human emotions. They express themselves too.

            Agamemnon needed to get those winds going in the right direction, but how? The seer, Calchas, advised Agamemnon that the only way to make Artemis forgive him for his wrong doing, or to make her forget about it, was to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis. Agamemnon did it without a second thought; that was his greed speaking. He wanted so badly to go to this war that he sacrificed his daughter to fix his wrong doing. Artemis made him pay alright. That is another common theme that Artemis shares with Greek mythology. The common theme or motif that Greek gods and goddesses punish pride, arrogance, and disobedience in mortals is one presented here. Artemis was so angry that she showed her jealousy, anger, and stubbornness to be right. These are her human flaws, which is another common theme in Greek mythology.

            In another Greek Myth that Artemis plays a part in there is a princess named Chione. Chione boasts to Artemis that she is prettier than Artemis because she can get Apollo and Hermes to fall in love with her at the same time. This again makes Artemis very angry, jealous, and stubborn. She is so upset that once again her human flaws and emotions show through. With all of the emotions she kills Chione in order to punish her for her boasting and her pride.

            Artemis loves to show her emotions and human flaws. Often she gets so angry that she hurts, or changes someone into an animal or something of the sort. Artemis has human emotion, human flaws, and she punishes mortals for their pride, arrogance, and disobedience. She likes to punish these mortals that do her wrong by doing something to them because they have done something to her. Whatever it is, it probably relates to one of the many common themes and motifs in Greek mythology.