| The Birth of Apollon and Artemis |
| Leto and Niobe |
| Leto and Tityos |
| Leto and Orion |
| Leto in The Iliad (reference) |
| Leto in The Odyssey (reference) |
Leto is the beautiful daughter of the Titans, Koios (Coeus) and Phoibe (Phoebe). From the beginning, Leto was the most kind and gentle of the Immortals on Mount Olympos (Olympus) ... not only considerate of the Immortals but to mere mortals too. Leto was one of the many consorts of Zeus and proudly bore him two children: Apollon and Artemis. (Theogony, lines 17, 406 and 918)
When she became pregnant, Leto traveled far and wide to find a suitable birthplace for her children. The various islands and provinces were reluctant to be the home of Leto’s twins because they knew that Hera was angry at Zeus for his indiscretion and many were afraid that Hera would vent her wrath on anyone who assisted Leto.
Leto finally came to the rocky island of Delos and knew that this would be the birthplace of glorious Apollon. The goddess, Delos, made Leto swear a great oath on the river Styx that her new child would not abandon his birthplace. Delos was afraid that after his birth, Apollon would abandon her island and she knew that the wrath of Hera was not something she would willingly endure if she was to be used and then discarded. Leto swore the sacred oath and Apollon was soon to be born. (Hymn to Apollon)
Leto was in labor for nine days and nights ... she was attended by Rheia (Rhea), Dione, Themis and Aphrodite (goddess of Love) but the goddess of Childbirth, Eileithyia (Eilithyia), was deliberately distracted by Hera so that she could not know of Leto’s needs. Finally, the goddesses in attendance sent Iris to Mount Olympos to fetch Eileithyia. Iris drew Eileithyia aside so that Hera would not interfere and told her Leto’s plight. Eileithyia immediately went to Leto ... Apollon was born without further delay. Hera did not prevent the birth of Apollon but she managed to make Leto suffer needlessly as punishment for her role in Zeus’ infidelity.
The birth of Artemis was not as fraught with drama as that of Apollon ... she was born without incident in Ortygia. Apollon took up the bow and lyre but is often called Apollon if the Golden Sword ... Artemis became the huntress with the golden arrows and the clamorous protector of all wild and innocent things. (Hymn to Apollon, lines 89-114)
It’s mentioned in The Iliad that Leto was insulted by a woman, Niobe, who had once been her friend. Niobe likened herself to Leto and bragged that she had twelve children, and Leto only had two. To avenge the insult against their mother, Apollon killed Niobe’s six sons and Artemis, with silver arrows, killed her six daughters. (Iliad, book 24, line 607)
The punishment inflicted on an Immortal for disabusing Leto is worse than death ... it is eternal torture. When Odysseus was in the Underworld, he saw Tityos, the once glorious son of Gaia (Earth), being mauled by vultures because he had once tried to manhandle Leto as she traveled in Panopeus. (Odyssey, book 11, line 575)
The hunter Orion encountered Leto and Artemis on the island of Crete ... he had been recently punished with blindness and then healed but he learned nothing from the ordeal ... his vanity and brutality remained his trademark. While hunting with Leto and Artemis, Orion threatened to kill every wild beast on the earth. Gaia (Earth) was so annoyed at Orion that she sent a giant scorpion to sting and kill him. Leto and Artemis prayed to Zeus that Orion be put in the heavens as a major constellation to honor his manliness and there he remains today with the scorpion beside him. (Astronomy, fragment 4)
The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Wyatt translations of The Iliad. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Lattimore (ISBN 0226469409); A.T. Murray/William F. Wyatt Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995791 and 0674995805); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374529051); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140275363)
The line numbers listed here correspond fairly well with the Lattimore and Murray/Dimock translations of The Odyssey. Other translations (Fitzgerald, Fagles et al) do not correspond as well but, with a small amount of effort, you should be able to find the reference you need regardless of the translation you use. Richmond Lattimore (ISBN 0060931957); A.T. Murray/George E. Dimock Vol. I & II (ISBN 0674995619 and 0674995627); Robert Fitzgerald (ISBN 0374525749); Robert Fagles (ISBN 0140268863)
