Why Artemis Demanded Iphigenia's Sacrifice at Aulis
The tale of Princess Iphigenia's sacrifice at Aulis, rooted in Greek mythology, stems from King Agamemnon's arrogance after he slays a sacred stag and boasts about his prowess in hunting. To calm the winds that trap the Greek fleet, Artemis demands the sacrifice of Agamemnon's daughter, as revealed by the seer Calchas. This narrative is found in various ancient texts, including the lost epic Cypria, Sophocles' Electra, Pseudo-Apollodorus' Bibliotheca, and Hyginus's Fabulae. Aeschylus's Agamemnon indicates that two eagles anger Artemis, while Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis depicts Agamemnon deceiving Iphigenia. In Aeschylus, she is sacrificed, but Euripides replaces her with a deer. The consequences include Clytemnestra killing Agamemnon and Orestes committing matricide, with Iphigenia's saga continuing in Euripides' Iphigenia in Tauris.
Key facts
- Artemis demanded Iphigenia's sacrifice because Agamemnon killed a sacred stag and boasted of his hunting prowess.
- Artemis calmed the winds at Aulis, stranding the Greek fleet.
- The seer Calchas declared that only Iphigenia's sacrifice could appease Artemis.
- The story appears in the Cypria, Sophocles' Electra, Pseudo-Apollodorus' Bibliotheca, and Hyginus's Fabulae.
- Aeschylus's Agamemnon presents an alternative version involving two eagles and a pregnant hare.
- Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulis offers a version where Agamemnon had vowed to sacrifice the year's most beautiful thing.
- In Euripides, Artemis saves Iphigenia and replaces her with a deer.
- Iphigenia becomes a priestess in Tauris, and later is granted immortality by Artemis.
- The aftermath includes Clytemnestra's murder of Agamemnon and Orestes' matricide and trial.
- Hesiod suggests Iphigenia became Hecate; another myth says she married Achilles' resurrected soul.
Entities
Artists
- Artemis
- Agamemnon
- Iphigenia
- Calchas
- Menelaus
- Paris of Troy
- Helen
- Achilles
- Clytemnestra
- Orestes
- Aegisthus
- Apollo
- Athena
- Zeus
- Actaeon
- Odysseus
- Hesiod
- Sophocles
- Aeschylus
- Euripides
- Proclus
- Pseudo-Apollodorus
- Hyginus
- King Thoas
- Hecate
Institutions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Louvre
- Leiden Collection
- Museo del Prado
- Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University
- British Museum
- Chrysler Museum of Art
- Wikimedia Commons
- Arthive
Locations
- Aulis
- Boeotia
- Argos
- Troy
- Sparta
- Tauris
- Crimea
- Athens
- Delphi
- White Island
- Black Sea
- Pompeii
- Durham
- Greece