artemides

name

1. (plural, plural-only)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.

   “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.”

   “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.”

   “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.”