Artio

Artio is a bear goddess in Celtic mythology. She is the goddess of nature, fertility, bears and was worshiped in the region of Gaul. Artio is associated with spring she sleeps during winter and reawakens when the plants and animals wake up. Spring is a time of new life new plants grow and new animals are born.

While Artio is known to take the form of a bear she also has been known to appear as a woman wearing a bear skin cloak. She is the guardian of the cycle of life and death also the cycle of the seasons. Sometimes she ascends into the heavens as a constellation. When the Romans took over Gaul they combined the Gaulish Celtic Myths and gods with their own. They compared the Gaulish deities to their's the Romans compared Artio to Artemis as they both are goddesses of nature and associated with bears.

After Rome's conquer of Gaul Artio had became the Celtic she of the Roman goddess Diana and the Greek goddess Artemis.