The Greek goddess Artemis of Ephesus has deep chthonic roots that reach far back into time. With the work of Homer—through the Iliad and the Odyssey—two very different strands of Artemis emerged, dating to seven or eight centuries before the Common Era. Homer, as I once remarked in a series of films I made called Don’t Be Such a Homer, was the first to portray Artemis as the sister of Apollo and the daughter of Zeus.
This stands in contrast to the older chthonic Artemis, a goddess beyond time, perhaps even the goddess of creation itself.
These two strands coexisted. It was, however, the Romans who seized upon Homer’s version, gave her the new name Diana, and further amplified her role as the huntress with bow and arrow, stalking and slaying animals. Such an image would have been unthinkable for the Artemis of Ephesus, who was revered as the caretaker and guardian of the animal kingdom.
The Roman stories surrounding Diana are many, and not always noble. Among them is the tale of her killing seven of Niobe’s daughters, while Apollo struck down seven of Niobe’s sons. Again, this belongs entirely to the mythology of Diana and has nothing to do with the ancient Artemis of Ephesus, whose essence was creation, protection, and life itself.
