Wednesday, November 7, 2018

TFBT: Artemis by Sorita D’Este



I recently ran across a copy of “Artemis: Virgin Goddess of the Sun & Moon” by Sorita D’Este. It was a modest paperback with a cover that might lead one to think it was a “New Age” study of “The Goddess”. Rather it is a well written study of the Greek goddess Artemis and heavily referenced.  That is to say, every known reference.  Wow!  A great resource!

D’Este suggests that;

Artemis’ bow was created by the Cyclops; I never thought about that.  Atsma says “Her bow, quiver, and arrows, were made by Hephaestus”

Artemis temple at Brauron was flooded by the River Eurasinos in the 3rd century BB.  Gotta be a story there.

“Knageus was a Spartan hero who was taken prisoner in battle and sold as a slave to the Cretans. He lived in the sanctuary of Artemis there, but ran away with the maiden priestess who took the image of Artemis with her.  They subsequently set up a temple of Artemis Knagia in Sparta.  This tale corresponds closely to the theme of the story of Iphigenia and Orestes.”  She tells several versions of what happen to the siblings and the image of Artemis Tauric, but what came to my mind was Artemis at Nemi, the life’s work of Frazier and “The Golden Bough”; “According to one story the worship of Diana at Nemi was instituted by Orestes, who, after killing Thoas, King of the Tauric Chersonese (the Crimea), fled with his sister to Italy, bringing with him the image of the Tauric Diana hidden in a faggot of sticks. “

“A temple in Hyllos in Megara was dedicated to Artemis Agrotera and Apollo Agrios by Alkathoos after killing the Cithairion Lion.”  Interesting!  But even the source she quotes (Pausanias) says that Alkathoos did not kill the Cithairion Lion.  Most sources say Heracles.

“Four golden hinds pulled Artemis’ chariot. The fifth was captured by Heracles as one of his labors; the capture of the Ceritynaen Hind. The wounded the hind and had do some smooth talking to Artemis to save himself from her wrath.”  Who knew?

“Where has not Artemis danced?”

“A different version of the myth has Artemis killing Koronis as a reprisal for Apollo’s subterfuge in causing the death if Orion”

“After Artemis Apollo and Leto persuaded Zeus to release the Titan Prometheus from his bondage, Heracles was sent to free and bring Prometheus  back.” (Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 4. 60)

D’Este points out that when Artemis fled to her father after being slapped around by Hera on the battlefield before Troy, it was Leto that picked up her bow and quiver full of Arrows.  I recalled that in the HH to Apollo Leto, was handling his weapons too.

Also Artemis asked her father for twenty nymphs who were daughters of the Cretan river-god Amninos”. I can find no reference to Amninos.  According to Atsma “The stream was also known as the Kairatos (Caeratus). “. 



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