ABSTRACT
In the modern literature the goddess is frequently referred to as kourotrophos, nurturer of children. However, as the evidence below indicates, there is some ambiguity regarding this aspect of the goddess. They say that Artemis discovered the proper care of infants and the nourishment appropriate for their nature, and for this reason she is called kourotrophos. Artemis is the Kourotrophos par excellence. The inverse of young women inadvertently losing their virginity and being punished by Artemis in myth is young women not losing their virginity soon enough and being punished by their own bodies and being saved by Artemis in real life. If Artemis' rapport with small children is more ambiguous than commonly assumed, her role in the lives of adolescents is on much firmer ground. Specifically, the dancing grounds of the chorus, where Artemis herself enjoyed the song and dance, and where humans entertained the goddess with their own lithe steps.
