Britomartis
| Britomartis | |
|---|---|
Goddess of mountains, fishing nets, and hunting | |
The Drowning of Britomartis tapestry, probably designed by Jean Cousin the Elder | |
| Other names | Dictynna, Dictymna, Dicte |
| Major cult centre | Crete |
| Symbols | Mountains, fishing nets, the moon |
| Temple | Diktynnaion |
| Festivals | Britomarpeia |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Equivalents | |
| Aeginian | Aphaea |
| Greek deities series |
|---|
| Nymphs |
Britomartis (/brɪtoʊˈmɑːrtɪs/;Ancient Greek: Βριτόμαρτις) was a Greek goddess of mountains, nets, and hunting who was primarily worshipped on the island of Crete. She was sometimes described as a nymph, but she was more commonly conflated or syncretized with the goddesses Artemis, Athena, and Aphaea. She is also known as Dictynna, Dicte, Dictymna, or as a daughter of Dictynna (Δίκτυννα).
In the 16th century, Edmund Spencer named a character identified with English military prowess as "Britomart" in his knightly epic The Faerie Queene. This subsequently led to a number of appearances of "Britomart" figures in British art and literature.