Artemides

See also: Artémides

English

Etymology

From Ancient Greek Ἀρτέμιδες (Artémides), plural of Ἄρτεμις (Ártemis, Artemis).

Proper noun

the Artemides pl (plural only)

  1. The seven daughters of the Semitic goddess Astarte as mentioned by Eusebius (quoting Philo of Byblos) in the Praeparatio evangelica, understood as midwives, with their name echoing Artemis's role as a goddess of childbirth.
    • 1730, The Scripture Chronology, page 264:
      And therefore it is more likely, that he was the Son of Phut, or Apollo, by one of the Artemides, whom they call the Nymph Coronis, as ſhe is commonly reputed to be.
    • 1885, Dissertations on the philosophy of the Creation and the first chapters of Genesis allegorized in mythology, page 99:
      Kronos by Astarte had seven Titanides or Artemides. The Artemides represent what was done to the earth or what was created on each period or day of the Creation week.
    • 2024, David Toshio Tsumura, Was There a Cult of El in Ancient Canaan?, page 147:
      The motif of “seven deities” can be seen also in the Akkadian šassurātum “(divine) midwives (lit. ‘wombs’),” who are a group of “twice-seven birth-goddesses” in the Atrahasis epic (S:9F). The Artemides mentioned by Philo of Byblius[sic] were also seven divine midwives, as were the seven Hathors, the Egyptian divine patronesses of childbirth.

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