Callimachus’ Hymn to Artemis

            In Callimachus’ Hymn to Artemis, the poet represents the goddess as aloof from humanity, yet still having some momentous interactions from afar.  Artemis’ lack of certain human traits distances her from the world.  She particularly delights in doing whatever she desires, without fear of consequence.  This is evidenced by her capturing four of the five golden-antlered Parrhasian deer to draw her chariot.

            Callimachus starts the hymn with an abbreviated invocation “Of Artemis we sing (it is no light matter for singers to leave her out) to whom the bow shot and the hare hit and the chorus thronged and sporting in the mountains are a delight:” (Lines 1-4)[1], and ends with one sentence: “And do welcome my song!” (373). These two quotes are less of a tribute than he gives to the gods in other hymns and much less than is customary in classical hymns.  However, the entire poem can still be seen as a tribute to Artemis and her powers, starting from the time of her childhood when she decides that she will remain a virgin and become a huntress.

            Even as a child Artemis is depicted as very forceful in her desires:

“’Daddy, let me stay a virgin for ever and let me be very famous, more than Phoibos, and give me a bow and arrows—no, wait, Father, I won’t ask you for a quiver and a big bow: the Kyklopes will make them for me, right away . . .” (7-12).

She does not depend on the munificence of Zeus to grant her what she wants, but instead goes and gets it on her own. 

Like the other gods that Callimachus writes hymns to, Artemis is less driven by a pre-ordained destiny than by her own will.  It is her actions and choices which drive her life and its outcomes.  Callimachus gives credence to the idea of choice in the Hymn to Zeus as well, writing that as the conqueror of Kronos, it is Zeus’ right to be the king of all gods.  “It was not chance that made you King of Gods, but the deeds of your hands, the might, the power you stationed by your throne.” (86-89).  Looking at both of these hymns showing choice rather than fate determining outcomes, parallels can be drawn to the Egyptian leadership Callimachus’ time.  Ptolemy I had taken the initiative after the death of Alexander the Great to secure Egypt for himself.  In what was a brilliant strategic move, he focused on Egypt and opted not to fight over any of the other spoils of Alexander’s empire.  Ptolemy’s foresight and diplomacy led to a relatively peaceful and prosperous Egypt and allowed for the creation of Alexandria as a city of scholarship and literature.  This included providing for the welfare of poets, philosophers and scholars like Callimachus which Ptolemy II continued to patronize. 

Callimachus’ depiction of the gods cannot be seen as a direct commentary on his patron mainly because of the gods’ limited interaction with the human world.  Although the Ptolemaic rulers were notorious for never actually learning Egyptian, they still had far more contact with their subjects, even if it was only second or third-hand through advisors.  This comparison becomes most troublesome when looking at lines such as: 

“You shot first at an elm tree, second at an old oak, third at an animal, and fourth at no animal: a city of criminals was your target now, people guilty, over and over, of sins against each other, sins against strangers.  Fools, they have your wrath to contend with now, a bitter dough to swallow.  Pestilence feeds on their livestock, frost nips at their crops, their old men shear their hair in grief for sons dead, their women die blasted in childbirth or, escaping, bear not one child able to stand up straight.  Not so the ones on whom you smile and show your favour, whose fields bring forth abundant grain, whose cattle multiply, whose homes flourish.  Only bodies full of years are carried to their funerals.  Strife that tears to pieces even the well-run household leaves their families untouched.  Around a single table loaded with offerings, wives of brothers and husbands of sisters take their seats.”  (162-184).

Such statements would not be well received by the royal patrons.  Instead this passage illustrates how Artemis is involved in the human world, although not directly.  Instead of being more direct with the humans who are displeasing her, she sends plagues and sows discord.  Throughout time, people blamed natural disasters on the wrath of the gods.  However, in earlier times, the gods warned the offending people through an oracle or a prophet.  Callimachus does not seem to allow people the opportunity to change their ways to please Artemis.  This was a common philosophy among many of the scholars of the time.  The gods were no longer as involved in everyday life, and seemed more detached.  Epicurious wrote that while the gods did exist, they were not concerned with the day to day living of humans and should therefore be honored, but not counted on for divine intervention.

            Throughout the Hymn, Artemis does not have direct involvement with any humans, unlike the Hymns to Athena or Demeter.  There is indirect involvement, such as in the quote above, but she socializes exclusively with other divine creatures.  When telling Zeus what she wants to do, she requests:

“. . . sixty Oceanids, all nine-year-olds, all still girls too young for marriage, to be my dancing partners, and give me twenty nymphs to go with me, daughter of Amnisos, who will tend to my hunting boots and mind my swift hounds . . . whatever city you want me to have is fine with me: it won’t be often Artemis comes to town.” (17-27)

Artemis has little intention of mingling among the humans.  The hymn mainly mentions humans in the capacity of those who worship Artemis such as the Amazons.  One scene takes place on Mount Olympus shows the Anvil of Tiryns waiting on Artemis and giving her advice to only kill animals that annoy humans:

“’Keep on shooting at beasts that do harm, so mortals may call you saviour, as they call me.  Let deer and rabbits graze the hillsides.  What harm are deer and rabbits capable of?  It’s boars, boars that savage crops and saplings.  And oxen also do a lot of damage: shoot at them too.’” (207-214).

Anvil of Tiryns advises Artemis to help humans, but again in an indirect way.

            Much of what Artemis does is outside of human concern.  Other gods have more of a daily impact, such as Apollo driving the sun across the sky each day.  The only direct impact that she has is being goddess of child labor, besides being goddess of the hunt.  Childbearing is important for women, but not a daily occurrence for any of them.  She states that this alone will draw her from her mountain hunts: “’I’ll haunt the mountains and visit the cities of men only when I hear women in the throes of labour crying for my help . . .’” (27-30). 

Callimachus argues that Artemis stays out of the lives of men.  There is a well-known myth of Artemis killing Aktaion, who sees her in the nude, which could have been told in this hymn as well.  By choosing to not include the myth in his hymn, Callimachus emphasizes her distance from humanity.  Callimachus deliberately omits the story of Aktaion’s death since the myth is referenced in the poem to Athena, Bath of Pallas: “How many burnt offerings will the daughter of Kadmos and Aristaios make, praying one day to see their only son, the young Aktaion,” (132-134).

Although Artemis is so aloof when it comes to humans, Callimachus shows her as popular and well-liked among the other gods.  Zeus clearly adores her, willing to fulfill her every whim: “’What do I care for Hera’s jealousy when goddesses bear me a child like you!  Have all that you want so badly, my girl, and other presents bigger still your father will give you . . .’” (41-45).  The Kyklopes, also did as she wished, although the rest of her entourage of nymphs and maidens were terrified of the one-eyed monsters.

“ . . . even at the age of three when Leto came carrying you in her arms to get your presents from Hephaistos, and massive Brontes dandled you in his lap: you grasped the shags of hair sprouting from his breast and plucked them out with all your might, and to this day the whole mid-region of his chest is hairless, like the temples of a man when mange has settled in and ravaged them.  So now you were anything but shy at speaking to them: ‘Come, Kyklopes, make me too a Kydonian bow, and arrows, and a hollow case to hold the shafts, for I too am a child of Leto’s, like Apollo.  And if I take a deadly wild beast or savage brute in the hunt, you Kyklopes will have something to eat.’  You asked, they obliged . . .” (99-115).

When she was older and would come to dine on Mount Olympus, there were men waiting to take her weapons and any animal killed for dining.  “You yourself enter the house of your father, and all the gods clamour for you to sit beside them, but it’s by Apollo that you take your place.” (227-230)  This statement alludes not only to Artemis’ popularity, but also her choice of virginity.  By choosing to sit next to her brother, she was avoiding romantic entanglement with the other gods.

            Artemis is very careful to stay mainly in the company of females at all times.  Callimachus does not explain why Artemis chooses to remain a virgin, but illustrates how she maintains her resolution.  As noted above, she does her best to avoid humans, minimizing man’s contact with her.  The males that she associates with tend to be divine, most of which are her relatives such as her father and brothers (not that the relations always make a difference in mythology or contemporary events, but here they do), or creatures such as the Kyklopes, who are usually not depicted as sexual beings.  In general she is not portrayed as a champion of women, but only as the goddess of child labor who protects women from the consequences of having lain with a man.  The poem states this is because her mother suffered no pain delivering her. 

            Callimachus writes the Hymn to Artemis in a very traditional style, both giving homage to the goddess and portraying her as strong and desirable.  He also depicts her as a detached deity.  For him the gods are not necessarily entities to be encountered while out for a stroll around town, but maintain their distance high on Mount Olympus, or in the scantily populated countryside.  Artemis interacts with humans mainly to punish them, or in her capacity of helping women give birth.  There are no stories told of direct involvement with any individual humans.  For Artemis, she would rather be out hunting or dancing with her immortal companions.

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