ULL -- ARTEMIS

ULL
Ull is the goddess of archery and the hunt and according to some
she is also the patron goddess of skiers and the snowshoe.
Her weapon is a longbow made out of yew. She lived in Ydal (Yew Dales.)
She was called upon for help in duels. She was the daughter (or step-daughter)
of Thor and Sif (or Ovandrill, depending on the source).
Her name, which means glorious, is a part of many place names, therefore,
she is considered to be an ancient goddess who was widely worshipped.
It is believed that at one time she was one of the highest gods.

ARTEMIS

Artemis is the goddess of the hunt and childbirth.

She is the twin sister of Apollo.
She is the daughter of the Titan, Leto, and Zeus.
Artemis, like her brother Apollo, possessed a wide range of divine attributes.
She was a virgin and very protective of her chastity. She was also famous for her
wrath.
This was usually displayed when someone tried to seduce her.
Artemis is also known as the goddess of the moon, as her brother is the god of the
sun.

DIRECT COMPARISON

Artemis is the goddess of the moon, and of the hunt.

Ull is also identified with hunting, but not the moon. Both mythologies,
interestingly enough, identified females for the deity associated with hunting.
But again, Ull is not a major player in the Norse myths, especially in comparison
with Artemis, who had a fairly lage role.
Ull is not known as being a virgin, but she is known for her vengeful thoughts.
This is displayed in her constant hatred for Loki,
for killing her father even after they had made a truce.
This is in many ways a lot like Artemis and her wrath.
She would not forgive anyone that tried to seduce her.

Both of these goddesses were symbolized by a longbow.

Ull was also known for skiing and snowshoeing.
It is not a surprise that Artemis was not identified with these,
as there just isn't a lot of snow in Greece.

The important fact is that it seems that both are powerful women characters.
This is especially important in the case of Ull because of the usual lesser
status of female figures women in Norse myths.
However, to reinforce the dominance of males, in some of the sources,
Ull was displayed as being male. It may have been too problematical for the Norse
to have a deity that was both powerful and female.