"Ilithyia" redirects here. For the former snout moth genus, see Aphomia.
Not to be confused with Aletheia.
Eileithyia
Goddess of childbirth
The birth of Athena from the head of Zeus, with Eileithyia on the right.
Abode
Mount Olympus
Personal information
Parents
Zeus and Hera
Siblings
Aeacus, Angelos, Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Dionysus, Enyo, Eris, Ersa, Hebe, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Heracles, Hermes, Minos, Pandia, Persephone, Perseus, Pollux, Rhadamanthus, the Graces, the Horae, the Litae, the Muses, the Moirai
Children
Sosipolis
Equivalents
Roman equivalent
Lucina
Egyptian equivalent
Taweret
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Eileithyia or Ilithyia (/ɪlɪˈθaɪ.ə/;[1] Greek: Εἰλείθυια; Ἐλεύθυια (Eleuthyia) in Crete, also Ἐλευθία (Eleuthia) or Ἐλυσία (Elysia) in Laconia and Messene, and Ἐλευθώ (Eleuthō) in literature)[2] was the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery,[3] and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. In the cave of Amnisos (Crete) she was related with the annual birth of the divine child, and her cult is connected with Enesidaon (the earth shaker), who was the chthonic aspect of the god Poseidon. It is possible that her cult is related with the cult of Eleusis.[4] In his Seventh Nemean Ode, Pindar refers to her as the maid to or seated beside the Moirai (Fates) and responsible for the creation of offspring. Her son was Sosipolis, who was worshiped at Elis.[5]
^Joseph Emerson Worcester, A comprehensive dictionary of the English language, Boston, 1871, p. 480, rule 3, where he notes the word has four syllables as in Greek and Latin, "not I-lith-y-i'-a as in Walker" (e.g. Walker and Trollope, A key to the classical pronunciation etc., London, 1830, p. 123).
^Nilsson Vol I, p. 313
^Gantz, pp. 82–83.
^F.Schachermeyer(1967).Die Minoische Kultur des alten Kreta. Kohlhammer Verlag Stuttgart. pp. 141–142
rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols. Eileithyia or Ilithyia (/ɪlɪˈθaɪ.ə/; Greek: Εἰλείθυια; Ἐλεύθυια (Eleuthyia) in Crete...
of liberty. For R. F. Willets, Cretan dialect 'Eleuthia' would connect Eileithyia (or perhaps the goddess "Eleutheria") to Eleusis. The name is probably...
Eileithyia Cave (also the Cave of Eileithyia) was a sacred cave dedicated to the goddess of childbirth, Eileithyia, on the island of Crete, that was used...
might be considered Olympians include the Horae, the Graces, the Muses, Eileithyia, Iris, Dione, and Ganymede. Besides the twelve Olympians, there were many...
of the Greek trio of gods comprising Fate, Birth and Beauty; or Moira, Eileithyia and Kallone respectively. She is described in Plato's Symposium as an...
from Greek panakeia). Mythology portal Ancient Greece portal Apollo Eileithyia List of health deities Emma J. Edelstein; Ludwig Edelstein (1998). Asclepius:...
is married to Hera, by whom he is usually said to have fathered Ares, Eileithyia, Hebe, and Hephaestus. At the oracle of Dodona, his consort was said to...
be pre-Greek, and is likely a counterpart with Elysium and the goddess Eileithyia. Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια) was the name of the...
they are three separate beings. Ancient Greece portal Mythology portal Eileithyia, goddess of childbirth Hera, goddess of marriage and household Hestia...
Alcmene's, as both suffered painful extended labours due to Hera not allowing Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, to help them, and both stories overall are...
Iris to go bring Eileithyia by offering her a necklace of amber 9 yards (8.2 m) long. Iris did accordingly and persuaded Eileithyia to step onto the island...
assistance from Lucina, the goddess of childbirth (that is, the Greek Eileithyia). However, Lucina did not help her due to the wishes of Hera. Instead...
Dioscuri, Pausanias saw the temple of Hecate opposite the sanctuary of Eileithyia; He reported the image to be the work of Scopas, stating further, "This...
as a result of him having swallowed her mother Metis, as he grasps the clothing of Eileithyia on the right; black-figured amphora, 550–525 BC, Louvre....
as one of the primary goddesses of childbirth and midwifery along with Eileithyia and Hera. Artemis was also a patron of healing and disease, particularly...
from the study of the cult of Eileithyia at Crete, and the cult of Despoina. In the cave of Amnisos at Crete, Eileithyia is related with the annual birth...
for her with Eilioneia, meaning the birth goddess Eileithyia. Horace also links her to Eileithyia in carmen saeculare Some modern commentators have elaborated...
called upon Lucina, the goddess of childbirth (the Roman equivalent of Eileithyia). While Lucina did go to Alcmene, she had been previously instructed by...
demi-god of the preparation of meals, specifically the making of bread Eileithyia (Εἰλείθυια), goddess of childbirth Enodia, Thessalian goddess of crossroads...
Herodotus). According to Homeric Hymn II to Delian Apollo, Hera detained Eileithyia to prevent Leto from going into labor with Artemis and Apollo, since the...
information Parents Zeus and Hera, or Hera alone Siblings Ares, Hebe, Eileithyia, and many paternal half-siblings Consort Aphrodite (divorced) Aglaea Children...
from the head of Zeus, who had swallowed her mother Metis, on the right, Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, assists, circa 550–525 BC (Musée du Louvre...