I need to begin with Wendy Doniger’s observation, “it's impossible to define myth, but cowardly not to try.” So here goes. Not with a definition – but, instead, with an appreciation.

In the pantheon of ancient goddesses, Artemis remains one of the most complex and enduring figures. She traverses the margins of myth and history, sovereignty and service, wilderness and civilization. Her presence in the ancient world was vast, and her mythology and worship rich with complexity, spanning forests, cities, rivers, mountains, and thresholds. Daughter of Leto and Zeus, and twin sister of Apollo, Artemis emerges in Homeric literature as a huntress, roaming the mou