Leto

‘Leto,’ the Mother Goddess of Anatolia in Lycia, or ‘Latone’ in Latin; in Greek mythology, she is recognized as a Titan and is the mother of the twin deities Goddess Artemis and God Apollo.

The Mother Goddess has various names in mythology. For example, she is referred to as Kubaba on the Kültepe tablets. In Lydia, she is known as Kybebe, in Phrygia as Kybele. In Hittite sources, she is named Hepat, Kupapa, Kubaba, or Arinna. In Komana Pontika (Gümenek in the Tokat region) and the city of Komana Kappadokika (Kemer), located in Kayseri, she is known by an ancient Anatolian name, Mâ. Additionally, she is known as Mâ or Marienna in Sumer, Isis in Egypt, Lat from Syria to Arabia, Rhea in Girit, Venus in the Nemi lake region in Italy, Artemis in Ephesus, Leto in Lycia, Leda, or Lat in various other places.

Leto gave birth to her children, Artemis (Diana) and her twin brother Apollo, in Delos. According to mythology, in addition to her other qualities, her daughter Artemis, who is also regarded as the protector of childbirth, helped her mother give birth to her son. As a result, it is believed that women in labor called upon Artemis as the ‘Goddess of Childbirth’ both for this reason and because she herself was born without pain.

When Hera, Zeus’s wife, learned that Leto was pregnant with Zeus’s children, she sent a massive serpent called Python to chase Leto. Leto managed to escape the serpent, but when the time for childbirth came, she had difficulty finding a place that would open its doors to her. Everyone was afraid of incurring Hera’s wrath.

Unable to find a peaceful place to live in any city or country, Leto wandered from one place to another in fear and sorrow. She traveled from Girit to Athens, from Athens to Ægiaea, from Ægiaea to the peaks of Pelion and Athos. She visited all the islands of the Aegean Sea, including Skyros, Imbros, Lemnos, and Chios, but no mountain, island, or city took her in because of their fear of Hera. She was only welcomed when she reached Delos (modern-day Quail Island).

As a matter of fact, according to one version of the myth, Leto left Delos to escape Hera’s wrath as soon as she gave birth to her twins. In another version, her exile finally ended in Patara, where she gave birth alone. After giving birth, she ascended the mountains to protect herself from Hera’s persecution. She was driven away by the shepherds, fearing Hera.

As archaeological research in Lycia continues to confirm, the Letoon sanctuary, which is increasingly revealing many of its monuments, proves that Leto, Apollo, and Diana-Artemis held a significant place in the region. This highlights how deeply rooted the origins of these three Olympic gods are in Anatolian lands.

In Greek mythology, the two archer gods born of Leto, Artemis and Apollo, appear together in many legends. It is said that as the subject of their birth, shortly after their birth, they avenged their mother’s honor by striking the giant Tityus, who had tried to rape Leto before their own birth.

In the western part of Letoon, there are three temples, the first of which belongs to the Mother Goddess Leto. And the Letoon Temple’s lower end is the source that gives the Letoon Sanctuary its name. The easternmost temple is dedicated to God Apollo, while the smaller temple in the middle belongs to Artemis. It is mentioned that the temple for Leto was built in the 4th to 5th centuries BC and is better preserved than the others. And it is estimated that this temple was rebuilt in the 150s BC in the Ionian order. Nevertheless, it is seriously discussed that the cult in the region was Hellenized as a result of Arbinas’ decision and organization.

References:

Jacques des Courtils; Guide to Xanthos and Letoon – Cities of World Cultural Heritage; Ancient Anatolian Cities Series; Ege Publishing: 130-133, 154, 168.

Barış Doğru, Likya Yolu from Fethiye to Antalya, Reader Us Publication Travel 01, Garanti Bank A.Ş., Mikado Printing, Istanbul, 2006.

Hesiod, Theogony – Works and Days, 12th Edition, Translated by Sabahattin Eyüboğlu and Azra Erhat, İş Bankası Culture Publications – Hasan Ali Yücel Classics Series, Editor: Hande Koçak, Istanbul, 2022: 7.

Philip Wilkinson and Georgie Carroll, Mythology Book, Translated by Abdullah Yılmaz, Alfa Publications, China, 2018: 47-48, 59-60.

George W. Cox, Greek Myths, Mythological Stories Series 5, Translator: Elif Nihan Akbaş, Maya Kitap, Istanbul, 2020: 7-8.

Stephen P. Kershaw, Greek Mythology Guide Book: Origins of Gods, Monsters, Heroes, and Legends, 4th Edition, Translator: Şefik Turan, Solon Publications, Istanbul, 2019: 70-72, 246, 346.

Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras, Mythology Tales & Legends of the Gods, Fandex Family Field Guides, Workman Publishing, Mexico, 1998: 13-14.

Pierre Grimal, The Concise Dictionary of Classical Mythology, Editor: Stephen Kershaw, Translator: A.R. Maxwell-Hyslop, Basil Blackwell, Great Britain, 1990: