Mar 8, 2023 · Eileithyia, daughter of Zeus and Hera, was the Greek goddess of childbirth. She was worshiped throughout the Greek world but had especially strong ties to Crete, where her cult most likely originated.

Apr 7, 2023 · Hera bore several children to her husband Zeus, including Ares, the god of war; Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth; and Hebe, the goddess of youth. The smith god Hephaestus was also Hera’s son, though ancient sources disagreed on his exact paternity: some traditions made him the son of both Hera and Zeus, while others made him the son of ...

Mar 8, 2023 · She also featured in some of the Homeric Hymns (mostly seventh–fifth century BCE): in the second Hymn (the Hymn to Demeter), Iris is sent by Zeus to bring Demeter back to Olympus (314–24), while in the third Hymn (the Hymn to Apollo), she fetches Eileithyia to help Leto give birth to Apollo and Artemis (102–14).

Dec 7, 2022 · Leto then began her long and painful labor. According to the third Homeric Hymn, the labor lasted nine days and nights because Hera, still not satisfied, had prevented Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, from assisting. Eventually, Leto sent the winged goddess Iris to bribe Eileithyia for her help.

Sep 20, 2023 · By Hera, his queen, Zeus fathered several important children, including the war god Ares, the childbirth goddess Eileithyia, and (at least in some traditions) the smith god Hephaestus. But Zeus also had children by other marriages, including the Muses by Mnemosyne and Persephone by Demeter.

Mar 9, 2023 · But in one tradition, recorded by Antoninus Liberalis, Hera sent the Moirae to help Eileithyia (with whom they were often associated in antiquity). Together, Eileithyia and the Moirae managed to delay the birth of Heracles until they were deceived by one of Alcmene’s handmaids (whom they promptly transformed into a weasel for her troubles).

TO DELIAN APOLLO (1–18) I will remember and not be unmindful of Apollo who shoots afar. As he goes through the house of Zeus, the gods tremble before him and all spring up from their seats when he draws near, as he bends his bright bow.

Sep 25, 2023 · Alcmene was the daughter of Electryon, the king of Mycenae (or Tiryns) in the Argolid. She gave birth to two sons: Heracles (by her lover Zeus) and Iphicles (by her husband Amphitryon). Alcmene was venerated as a heroine throughout ancient Greece.

Apr 13, 2023 · For mothers, she was a symbol of fecundity and health, as well as a midwife to their babies (just like Eileithyia, with whom she was sometimes conflated). Artemis also presided over initiation rites and the passage of females (but also males) from one life stage to another (childhood to adulthood, virginity to marriage, marriage to parenthood ...

Mar 9, 2023 · Eileithyia and the Moirae, caught off guard, released their hold on Alcmene’s womb, allowing Heracles to be born. As punishment for tricking the gods, Galinthias was turned into a polecat. But Hecate took pity on her and made her into her sacred attendant.