Artemis

(Greek) An Olympian goddess in Greek religion and mythology, daughter of Zeus and Leto and twin sister of Apollo. Artemis' early worship, especially at Ephesus, identified her as an earth goddess, similar to Astarte. In Classical Greek literature she was portrayed as a deliberate and unshakable virgin, a symbol of having perfect chastity; she punished anyone who attempted to violate this state and required all of her attendents to maintain their chastity as well. She defended chastity among men and women. In later legend, however, she was primarily a virgin huntress, goddess of wildlife and patroness of hunters. As the complement to Apollo, she was often considered a moon goddess and as such was identified with Selene and Hecate; the confusion with Hecate arose because Artemis was considered the bringer of death to women, while her twin brother Apollo brought death to men. In ancient Greece, the worship of Artemis was widespread. The Romans identified her with Diana. She is mentioned in the biblical book of The Acts of the Apostles.