Artemis, the Goddess of Childbirth

Fr. 79a Harder (= Diegesis I 27-36; 1.87 Pf.) P.Mil.Vogl. I 18 col. I 27-36 [image], Trismegistos 59371

     Τεῦ δὲ χάρον.ο.[                                  κικλήσ-]

          κουσιν     ἑξῆ[ς] φ[ησι γυναῖκας δ]υσ-

          τοκούσας τὴν Ἄρτε[μιν καίπερ ο]ὗ-

          σαν παρθένον ἐπ[ικαλεῖν, ὃτι. .]. .             

5         τη ἀπεκυήθη, ἢ ὃτι δ[ιὰ ἐφημοσ]ύ-

          νην τοῦ Διὸς ἡ Εἰλείθυια [αὐτὴν] τοῦ-

          τ'ἔχειν ἔδωκεν ἐξ[α]ίρετον, ἢ δι-

          ότι τὴν ἑαυτῆς μητ[έρα ἐ]λύσατο 

          τῶν ὠδίνων ὅτε ἐπέτικτεν

10      τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα.

Why do they call. . .

     Next he says that women suffering in

     childbirth invoke Artemis although

     she is a virgin either because

     she was born, or that on account of an order 5

     from Zeus Eileithya gave her

     this honor to hold,

     or because she relieved her own mother's

     pain when she was giving birth to

    Apollo.10