Why is Artemis concidered the goddess of the moon?
The identification of Artemis with the moon is a later invention which probably coincides with the introduction of the Thracian goddess Bendis into Greek culture. Bendis was a foreign goddess of the moon, magic and wild animals – it’s around this time that we see the Greeks merging Artemis (the huntress), Hecate (goddess of magic) and Selene (goddess of the moon). There’s also the fact that Apollo, Artemis’ twin brother, is a god of light and commonly associated with the sun-god Helios. Perhaps in part because of this, people began to associate his twin with the moon-goddess Selene. The Romans particularly came to associate Artemis (who they called Diana) with the moon – she eventually supplanted Luna (Selene) as the moon-goddess.
