Leto

In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Leto (; ) is a childhood goddess, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe, the sister of Asteria, and the mother of Apollo and Artemis.

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Leto is a goddess from ancient Greek mythology who was the daughter of two Titans and is best known as the mother of Apollo and Artemis, two of the most important deities in the Greek pantheon. She matters as a figure in understanding Greek religious beliefs and the family relationships among their gods, particularly as the mother of two major Olympian deities.

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Key facts

Deity.type: Greek
Deity.name: Leto
Deity.image: Tityos Leto Louvre G42.jpg
Deity.caption: The Rape of Leto by Tityos (c. 515 BC): Apollo (left), tries to grasp Tityos, Leto (middle) pushes him and Artemis (right), ready to stop him. Attic red-figure amphora from Vulci. c. 510–520 BCE, by Phintias Painter. Louvre, Paris
Deity.god_of: Childhood goddess
Deity.abode: Delos, Olympus
Deity.animals: Rooster, Ichneumon
Deity.birth_place: Kos or Hyperborea
Deity.consort: Zeus
Deity.parents: Coeus and Phoebe
Deity.siblings: Asteria
Deity.offspring: Apollo and Artemis
Deity.Roman_equivalent: Latona
Deity.equivalent2_type: Egyptian
Deity.equivalent2: Wadjet

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image: Latona with Her Children Apollo and Diana LACMA M.78.86.jpg

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Commons category: Leto
name in native language: Λητώ
Commons gallery: Leto

Sources (2)

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~43 min read

Article

28 sections

Contents

Etymology
Origins
Family and attributes
Mythology
Birth of Artemis and Apollo
Earlier accounts
Later accounts
Chthonic assailants
Involvement in wars
Favour myths
Wrath myths
Other works
Worship
Lycian Letoon and wider Asia Minor
Mainland Greece
Aegean Islands
Epithets
Art
Legacy
Gallery
Genealogy
See also
Footnotes
Notes
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Secondary Sources
External links

In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Leto (; ) is a childhood goddess, the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe, the sister of Asteria, and the mother of Apollo and Artemis.

In the Olympian scheme, the king of gods Zeus is the father of her twins, Apollo and Artemis, whom Leto conceived after her hidden beauty accidentally caught the eye of Zeus. During her pregnancy, Leto sought for a place where she could give birth to Apollo and Artemis, since Hera, the wife of Zeus, in her jealousy, ordered all lands to shun her and deny her shelter. Hera is also the one to have sent the monstrous serpent Python and the giant Tityos against Leto to pursue and harm her. Leto eventually found an island, Delos, that was not joined to the mainland or attached to the ocean floor, therefore it was not considered land or island and she could give birth. In some stories, Hera further tormented Leto by delaying her labour, leaving Leto in agony for days before she could deliver the twins, who proceed to slay her assailants.