Leto was one of the second-generation Titans in Greek mythology, the daughter of Coeus and Phoebe. With Zeus, she was the mother of the Olympian gods Apollo and Artemis, which made her an enemy of Zeus’ wife, Hera. She was considered a mother goddess in ancient Lycia, from where she was probably imported to Greece.
Seduction of Leto (or Rape?)
Leto was reportedly a beauty, who caught the ever-wandering eye of Zeus. It is unclear whether Zeus won her affection or just took what he wanted, but she was soon pregnant. Zeus then lost interest and pursued Leto’s sister Asteria, though she did not return his interest.
Pursued by Hera
When Hera learned that Leto was pregnant, her anger knew no bounds and she pursued the titan relentlessly, apparently to prevent her from giving birth. She forbade any land to allow Leto to stop and give birth in their territory. One source suggests that Hera also sent Ares and Iris to prevent her from settling in any place to give birth.
This forced the pregnant titan to wander in search of a place to undergo her labor. Eventually, Delos gave her refuge. The sources suggest that the land was unpopulated, and was only populated when people flocked there to honor Apollo. Other sources suggest that the island was invisible, and Zeus made it visible to help Leto.
Mother of Apollo and Artemis
She labored for nine days and nights with the support of the titans Dione, Rhea, Ichnaea, Themis, and Amphitrite, who also witnessed the legitimacy of the birth, eventually giving birth first to Artemis, who then assisted her mother in the birth of Apollo. Her labor was difficult because the goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, a daughter of Hera, was not present.
Some sources suggest that Leto disguised herself as a she-wolf while she was forced to wander, which would be an interesting parallel with the she-wolf who nursed the twins Romulus and Remus when they were exposed. They would go on to establish the city of Rome.
Pursued by Monsters
Other sources also suggest that Hera sent monsters to hound Leto during her search for a place to give birth. Consequently, these chthonic monsters of the ancient earth would become the enemies of Artemis and Apollo.
The most famous of these monsters was the dragon Python, who hunted Leto, but failed to find her. Sources suggest he wanted to rape her, that he had been in love with her and was angered that she preferred Zeus, or that he heard a prophecy that Leto’s unborn son would kill him. Apollo would later kill Python.
The phallic monster Tityos also tried to hunt and rape Leto. He reportedly grew so fast in his mother’s belly that he split her open, and had to be carried to term by Gaia herself. He eventually caught up with her at Delphi, but this was after she had given birth, and Apollo and Artemis killed him. For his crime, in the underworld he was sentenced to have his liver constantly eaten by two vultures.
Leto continued to wander the earth for some time after giving birth to her children. She was still turned away in many places. For example, the peasants refused to let her drink water from a pond in Lycia, so Leto turned them into frogs.
Niobe and Attributes
Leto is most famous for her role as a mother and was the most famous mother in Greece after Demeter. This is what prompted the Theban queen Niobe to compare herself to Leto, saying that she was an even greater mother, giving birth to seven boys and seven girls compared to Leto’s twins. This caused Apollos and Artemis to seek revenge. First, Apollo killed all the boys, and when Niobe gathered the girls in consolation, Artemis killed each of them in front of her one by one.
She is described by Hesiod as having a mild nature and being caring to all the gods. She is often described as taking pity on characters in Greek myth. She helped place Orion among the stars after he was eaten by a giant Scorpion sent by Gaia. When Apollo decided to slay the family of Clinis, he allowed Leto and Artemis to save some of the female members by turning them into birds.
When a pregnant Galatea was told by her husband Lamprus that he would expose her child if it was a girl, she made sure to give birth while he was not at home. When the baby was indeed a girl, she lied and said it was a boy. But as the baby grew into an exceptional beauty, Galatea and her daughter fled to the temple of Leto, where Galatea prayed to the goddess to turn her child into an actual boy, which Leto did.
But she is also a dark goddess, with a dark gown and veil, complimented by golden hair.
Gigantomachy
Leto seems to have fought on the side of the Olympians during the Gigantomachy, the war during which the giants tried to seize Olympus. When, as part of the war, Typhon attacked Olympus, all the gods transformed into animals and fled to Egypt, explaining to the Greeks the animal gods found there. Leto became associated with Wadjet, a cobra goddess. She may also have been associated with a shrew mouse god; the Egyptians often embalmed shrew mice.
Leto in the Trojan War
Leto also supported the Trojans in the Trojan War, against Hera and with her children Artemis and Apollo. When Apollo saved Aeneas from the battlefield, he brought him to one of his temples on Pergamus, where he was healed by Artemis and Leto.
Leto later watched Hera defeat her daughter Artemis with her own bow, while she stood off against Hermes. Seeing this interaction between Hera and Artemis, Hermes refused to challenge Leto, suggesting that she just tell everyone that she beat him. Leto accepted, taking up her daughter’s bow and arrow and chasing after her.
Leave a Reply