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Post by Tyrant Cecelia on Oct 11, 2006 11:58:54 GMT -5
In Greek mythology, Eileithyia was the goddess of childbirth. According to the poet Hesiod, she was the daughter of two Olympians - Hera and Zeus. Eileithyia was therefore also the sister of the god Ares and the goddess Hebe. Eileithyia is often associated with the goddesses Hera and Artemis. Since her primary function was assisting with the birth of children, it is understandable that the ancient Greeks would make a connection between Eileithyia and Artemis, because Artemis was likewise occasionally involved with childbirth. And in myth, Eileithyia is sometimes depicted serving Hera (the goddess of marriage). Indeed, two tales tell of how Eileithyia was ordered by Hera to prevent a mistress of Zeus from giving birth.
Eileithyia makes a brief but important appearance in the stories of a pair of significant mythological figures - Alcmene and Leto. And in both cases, Eileithyia was involved with thwarting the expectant mothers. However, although she painfully delayed the process, both Alcmene and Leto eventually had their children (in case you are wondering - Alcmene gave birth to Herakles, and Leto was the mother to the twin deities Artemis and Apollo).
An alternate spelling of Eileithyia's name is Ilithyia. The Romans named this goddess Lucina.
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