Leto — Mother of the Twins

I. Who Was Leto?

Leto was a second-generation Titaness, daughter of Coeus and Phoebe, and one of Zeus's earliest consorts. She is best known as the mother of two of the most important Olympian gods: Apollo (god of the sun, music, and prophecy) and Artemis (goddess of the hunt and the moon). Her story is defined by persecution, endurance, and the fierce devotion of a mother who would endure anything for her children.

When Hera discovered that Leto was pregnant with Zeus's children, she unleashed her full wrath. She forbade every land on earth — every island, every continent — from giving Leto shelter to give birth. She also sent the serpent Python to pursue Leto across the world. Exhausted and desperate, Leto finally found refuge on the tiny, barren, floating island of Delos — which, not being fixed to the earth, was technically not bound by Hera's decree.

On Delos, Leto endured nine days of agonizing labor. Hera had also forbidden Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, from attending. The other goddesses finally bribed Hera's daughter with a golden necklace, and Eileithyia came to Delos. Artemis was born first and immediately helped her mother deliver Apollo. When Apollo was born, the barren island burst into golden light and flowers — and Delos became one of the holiest sites in the Greek world.

Leto was worshipped as a goddess of motherhood and protectiveness. She was gentle and beloved — but fiercely dangerous when her children were threatened. When the mortal queen Niobe boasted of having more children than Leto, Apollo and Artemis killed all fourteen of Niobe's children with arrows in a single day.