Britomartis
Mythic, worshipped by the Minoans of Crete, circa 2600–1450 B.C.E.
Britomartis, literally “sweet virgin,” was the Minoan goddess of mountains and hunting. A granddaughter of Zeus, she was pursued by the legendary King Minos and threw herself into nets to escape him, earning the name Diktynna, “Lady of the Nets.” Worship of Britomartis was eventually absorbed into the cult of Artemis, the Greek virgin goddess of hunting, who had in fact originally made her a goddess.
