Artemis and the Deer Hunter

Artemis and the Deer Hunter

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a famous hunter. His name was Actaeon. One day, Actaeon and his dogs were in the woods. The dogs perked up their ears. They heard something. Laughter. Coming from a stream nearby.

Actaeon quietly crept up on the steam to see who was laughing. Imagine his amazement to discover it was the goddess Artemis, along with some of her attendants, splashing in the stream. He should have left immediately. He, like everyone else in the ancient Greek world, was very aware that Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon, demanded privacy. But he was young, and foolish, and arrogant. Instead of leaving, he moved out onto the bank, and boldly stared at Artemis.

Artemis was furious. She splashed him with water. Magically, he changed into a deer. His dogs leaped on him, as he had trained them to do when they spotted any deer. Artemis never thought of him again.

Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon

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