Throughout history stories of myth and legend have been told and retold through generations of oral and visual customs. Keeping up this very ancient tradition in a very modern way, today's version of these tales are told through technology. Television, motion pictures and the internet are the new vehicles for expressing these classic tales. The value of ancient myth and legend is still apparent in society despite the very radical changes in the way they are expressed. An example of such transformation of story telling and the portrayal of classic literature and myth is the influence of the Greek goddess Artemis on the character of the popular comic book and television hero Wonder Woman.
             Born of an affair between Zeus and Leto, Artemis is one of three maiden goddesses in Olympus. She is known as the lady of wild things and was greatly worshipped throughout the land.
             Morford and Lenardon's book, Classic Mythology, describes Artemis as a beautiful, chaste virgin of the hunt. (141). Artemis, the lover of wilderness and wild things, protector of the young and goddess of child birth is the twin sister of Apollo. Like Apollo, she hunts with a silver bow and arrow. Artemis is also known as the protecting deity of the Amazons.
             It is believed that both Apollo and Artemis were born on the unpopulated floating island of Delos (Morford & Lenardon, 143). This was to protect them from Hera's wrath. Poems and ancient text indicate that Artemis shared a great bond with her brother. In Downings text, The Goddess, she is believed to reject all males except her brother, Apollo, and a few companions like Herakles and Orion (78).
             While she is predominantly associated as being the goddess of wilderness and the hunt, she is also associated with the moon goddess and child birth. Selene, the moon goddess and Artemis are closely associated with fertility.( Morford & Lenardon 169). This developed a close association between th...