ABSTRACT
The one goddess who could break this unspoken rule was Artemis. Apparently her close ties with youth in general, and her own perpetual adolescence allowed for a rendering of the goddess in childhood guise that did not diminish her glory. One of the most important aspects of Artemis' persona was her perpetual virginity. Her lack of sexual initiation was atypical in ancient Greek ideology, where the choice to remain celibate was rarely offered amongst mortals, and exceptionally rare amongst the deities. Artemis' virginity also established her position in the divine hierarchy. One might argue that Artemis could not engage in intercourse because, as the goddess of the wilds and wild animals, she herself could not be tamed by sex, as other females in the Greek literature, and especially brides. Artemis' role as she who helps children make the transition to adulthood comes across most clearly when that transition fails, most notably in the case of Hippolytos.
