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Iphigenia is usually called the daughter of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon. Agamemnon had angered the goddess Artemis. In order to propitiate the goddess, Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia at Aulis where the Achaean fleet was impatiently waiting for a wind to cross over to Troy. In order to trick Iphigenia into coming, Agamemnon sent word to Clytemnestra that Iphigenia was to marry Achilles, so Clytemnestra willingly brought her daughter to the wedding/sacrifice. Iphigenia, sometimes portrayed as brave enough to impress Achilles, realized her self-sacrifice was what the Greeks needed.

In some versions of the story, Artemis saves Iphigenia at the last minute.

In revenge for the trickery and killing of their daughter Iphigenia, Clytemnestra killed her husband when he returned from the Trojan War.

Artemis and her brother were passionate. And one person they both loved dearly, beyond each other (for their bond was almost comletely unbreakable), was their mother Leto. The twins loved and defended their mother with a passion unparalleled, and woe to the god or mortal who offended her. One such woman was named Niobe. Now, I have little pity for Niobe, because she was just stupid. She had the gall to complain loudly that people paid too much respect to Leto. She cried that Leto had only two children, where she had seven boys and seven girls. Hmmmm. Not for long, smartgirl. Once the twins heard they came to her house and Apollo shot everyone of the boys with his golden arrows of extreme pain. Artemis shot the girls with her painless silver arrows, and they all lay down on their beds and died. Some stories say that the youngest girl, Chloris, was spared, but it is unclear why. Niobe wept uncontrollably, and I think some kind god turned her into a rock.