Artemis: Archetypal Female Characters In Western Mythology

Artemis, the ancient Greek goddess of the moon, childbirth, and, most importantly, the hunt, was one of the first heroines in western mythology. She fits well into the mold for archetypal female characters. To start, her origin story is a strange one by modern standards but is relatively normal as far as the Greeks go. Her mother, Leto, had had an affair with Zeus and been impregnated with the twins, Artemis and Apollo. Leto was constantly on the run from Hera, Zeus’ wife, for obvious reasons, and no city would grant her asylum in fear of Hera’s deadly retribution. After finding a small island, Leto birthed Artemis who then proceeded to act as midwife for the birth of her twin, Apollo. Zeus then granted Artemis’ wishes which were as follows: