Artemis is Apollo’s twin sister and the goddess of the hunt, the moon, and virginity. Before the Trojan War begins, she’s angry about the upcoming slaughter and maroons the Greek army on Aulis by halting the wind. She then demands that Agamemnon sacrifice a virgin priestess—preferably his daughter, Iphigenia. He does so, and Artemis returns the wind. This incident causes Achilles to distrust and dislike Agamemnon.
Get the entire The Song of Achilles LitChart as a printable PDF.
Artemis Character Timeline in The Song of Achilles
The timeline below shows where the character Artemis appears in The Song of Achilles. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 18
...speaks to the chief priest, a man named Calchas. Calchas says that the army offended Artemis somehow, and they need to make a sacrifice to the goddess in order for the...
(full context)
...his daughter, Iphigenia, be brought to Aulis to help with the ritual—she’s a priestess of Artemis. Agamemnon then summons Achilles to offer his daughter’s hand in marriage to him, a great...
(full context)
Agamemnon calls the entire crowd back, and explains what happened: Artemis was displeased by the upcoming slaughter in Troy and demanded they sacrifice a virgin priestess,...
(full context)
