Artemis is the firstborn of Leto, a Titanide, with Zeus, the king of gods. After a painless delivery of her firstborn, Leto soon struggled with excruciating labor to the twin of Artemis, Apollo.
Hera hunted Leto down all over the world. She banned her to give birth on any solid land or any place the sun touches. No one dared accept the pregnant goddess except for the floating barren island of Delos. Surrounded by swans, Leto balanced herself on an olive branch.
Unsparing Zeus’s infidelity, Hera also seized Eithleithyia, the goddess of childbirth and labor which sanctioned Leto’s painful childbirth.
Leto suffered for nine days in delivering the twin of Artemis due to Hera’s intervention. Fortunately, Artemis learned midwifery and aided her mother in delivering her twin brother, Apollo.
How Were Apollo and Artemis Different?
People anticipate resemblances between twin siblings. However, it doesn’t work that way with the children of Leto. Instead, Artemis and Apollo grew polar archetypes with low-set similarities.
One thing they agree with is keeping their mother’s safety and dignity. When Hera sent a great snake Python to chase Leto throughout the land, Artemis and Apollo worked together to kill it.
Moreover, with their whetted arrows and remarkable shooting skills, they shot down Tityos, a giant who tried to rape their mother.
Lastly, they killed all Queen Niobe’s children as punishment for her insults towards Leto’s motherhood.
They shared great teamwork to aid their mother. But other than that, Artemis and Apollo always depicted a counterbalance.
What Were Artemis and Apollos Characteristics?

Artemis’s Greek name alone translates to “pure” and she protects the young and innocent such as the children. She is the goddess of Hunt and carries the title, “She of the Wild”. With her prominent hunting skills, she also gained the epithets “deer-shooting”, and “arrow-pouring”. As a moon goddess who pulls the moon and sheds light, she’s also called the “torch-bringer”.
While Artemis is the moon, Apollo is the Greek god of sun and light. Most worshippers of Apollo call him Phoebus which also means “bright” and “shiny”.
What Were Artemis and Apollos Roles?
As 2 of the 12 powerful Olympian gods, Artemis and Apollo fill compelling roles in the ancient Greek legends.
As per Artemis’s wish, Zeus bestowed her the gift of chastity and bound her to never marry. In addition, Artemis also became a wilful protector of the young and innocent. But although Artemis deters evil, she can be ruthless and unbending as regards the disobedience from her priestesses.
Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, the moon, animals, vegetation, child labor, and chastity. She dwells with nature and is loved by the rural society.
On the contrary, Apollo is the god of music, dance, poetry, beauty, order, archery, prophecy, healing, plague, truth, sun, and light. Although Apollo can bring about plagues to cities that anger him, he also reigns as the chief god of healing. He’s revered in lands such as Delphi and Delos – two of the most sacred Greek religious sanctuaries.
Also, as the god of poetry and music, Apollo becomes a patron to a more urban populace.
How Were Artemis and Apollo Depicted?
Artemis is depicted as a young, beautiful, and dynamic maiden.
As a moon goddess, she wears a long robe and a crown with a symbolic crescent moon. But being a huntress at the same time, she also wears a knee-length tunic for hunting and a Cyclopes-made bow and arrow she requested from her father. She also keeps doe, stag, and hunting dogs as company.
Apollo is depicted as a beardless, eternally handsome man with flowing long hair. He has an athletic build, props a lyre, wears a laurel crown carries a quiver of bows and arrows.
Which Animals Were Associated with Artemis and Apollo?
Being the goddess of the wild, Artemis is accompanied by animals such as stags, does, and hunting dogs. Her sacred animals are the deer and the bear. Meanwhile, the twin of Artemis, Apollo, is associated with wolves, pythons, mice, deer, swans, and dolphins.
Their Love Affairs with Mortals

Artemis and Orion
Artemis is the goddess of chastity. However, love dominates even a goddess who vowed to never marry. Incidentally, Artemis fell in love with a mere mortal.
As Artemis guides the winged horses that carry the moon, Artemis squints on a deserted land where Orion, a handsome hunter, dwells. It took a few trips and frequent glimpses until Artemis gives in to temptation.
She approached Orion. They grew accustomed and fell into a forbidden love affair between a god and a mortal.
Apollo, the twin of Artemis, reported the affair to Zeus. Some say Apollo wanted to stop her sister with her unlawful act, while others remark how Apollo was only jealous.
Zeus brewed an unfavorable response. The king of gods ordered Apollo to send a giant Scorpion to kill Orion and so he delivered. Orion fought for his life against the monstrous scorpion but was beaten and eventually died.
Apollo and Adonis
Meanwhile, the death of Adonis, a mortal Apollo loved, was the handiwork of Artemis, too. Both immortals adored Adonis’s remarkable beauty. Aside from Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty, Apollo also finds Adonis’ womanly attributes entrancing.
However, legends say that Artemis was jealous of the mortal’s hunting skills. That said, when Adonis roamed within her domain, she took the chance to send a wild boar to gouge on Adonis.
Unfortunately, he died in Aphrodite’s arms and the goddess of beauty wept.
How Many Siblings Did Artemis Have?
Artemis and Apollo were the only children of Leto. However, Zeus married 7 of his lovers, namely, Metis, Themis, Mnemosyne, Eurynome, Demeter, Leto, and Hera. With 7 marriages and multiple affairs, taking account of all his offspring makes a long list.
Artemis possibly has hundreds of siblings in the account of his father. Nevertheless, here are 26 popularly known siblings of Artemis:
- Apollo, the twin of Artemis, son of Leto
- Aeacus, son of Aegina
- Angelos or Angelia, daughter of Hera
- Aphrodite, daughter of Dione
- Ares, son of Hera
- Athena, daughter of Metis
- Dionysus, son of Semele
- Eileithyia, daughter of Hera
- Enyo, daughter of Hera
- Eris, daughter of Hera
- Ersa, daughter of Moon (Selene)
- Hebe, daughter of Hera
- Helen of Troy, daughter of Zeda
- Hephaestus, son of Hera
- Heracles, son of Alcmene
- Hermes, son of Maia
- Minos, son of Europa
- Pandia, daughter of Selene
- Persephone, daughter of Demeter
- Perseus, son of Danaë
- Rhadamanthus, son of Europa
- The Graces
- The Horae
- The Litae
- The Moirai
What Was Artemis’s Nickname?
Artemis, like any other gods, also carry a myriad of names. One of her nicknames is Cynthia which roots from her birthplace in Mount Cynthus on Delos. Also, some people of the modern-day honor Artemis in their Amarynthia Temple in Euboea, and call her Amarynthia in the virtue of festivities.
In addition, a more popular nickname for Artemis is Phoebe. It means “bright”, a feminine counterpart to Apollo’s appellation, Phoebus.