Leto

(Λητώ), in Latin Latona, according to Hesiod (Hes. Th. 406, 921), a daughter of the Titan Coeus and Phoebe, a sister of Asteria, and the mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus, to whom she was married before Hera. Homer, who likewise calls her the mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus (Il. 1.9, 14.327, 21.499, Od. 11.318, 580), mentions her as the friend of the Trojans in the war with the Greeks, and in the story of' Niobe, who paid so dearly for her conduct towards Leto. (Il. 5.447, 20.40, 72, 24.607; comp. 21.502, Od. 11.580, Hymn. in Apoll. 45, &c., 89, &c.) In later writers these elements of her story are variously worked out and embellished, for they do not describe her as the lawful wife of Zeus, but merely as a concubine, who was persecuted during her pregnancy by Hera. (Apollod. 1.4.1; Callim. Hymn. in Del. 61, &c.; Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 232, &c.; Hyg. Fab. 140.) All the world being afraid of receiving her on account of Hera, she wandered about till she came to the island of Delos, which was then a floating island, and bore the name Asteria (Callim. Hymn. in Dian. 35, 37, 191); but when Leto touched it, it suddenly stood still upon four pillars. (Pind. Fragm. 38; Strab. xi. p.485.) According to Hyginus (Hyg. Fab. 93,140), Delos was previously called Ortygia, while Stephanus Byzantinus (s. v. Κορισσός) mentions a tradition, according to which Artemis was not born in Delos, but at Corissus. Servius (Serv. ad Aen. 3.72) relates the following legends: Zeus changed Leto into a quail (ὄρτυξ), and in this state she arrived in the floating island, which was hence called Ortygia; or, Zeus was enamoured with Asteria, but she being metamorphosed, through her prayers, into a bird, flew across the sea; she was then changed into a rock, which, for a long time, lay under the surface of the sea; but, at the request of Leto, it rose and received Leto, who was pursued by Python. Leto then gave birth to Apollo, who slew Python. (Comp. Ant. Lib. 35; Ov. Met. 6.370; Aristot. HA 6.35; Ath. 15.701; Apollon. 2.707; Iamblich. Vit. Pyth. 10; Strab. xiv. p.639: in each of these passages we find the tradition modified in a particular way.) But notwithstanding the many discrepancies, especially in regard to the place where Leto gave birth to her children, most traditions agree in describing Delos as the place. (Callim. Hymn. in Apoll. init. 59, in Del. 206, 261; Aeschyl. Eum. 9; Hdt. 2.170.) After the birth of Apollo, his mother not being able to nurse him, Themis gave him nectar and ambrosia; and by his birth the island of Delos became sacred, so that henceforth it was not lawful for any human being to be born or to die on the island; and every pregnant woman was conveyed to the neighbouring island of Rheneia, in order not to pollute Delos. (Strab. x. p.486.)

We shall pass over the various speculations of modern writers respecting the origin and nature of this divinity, and shall mention only the most probable, according to which Leto is " the obscure " or " concealed," not as a physical power, but as a divinity yet quiescent and invisible, from whom is issued the visible divinity with all his splendour and brilliancy. This view is supported by the account of her genealogy given by Hesiod; and her whole legend seems to indicate nothing else but the issuing from darkness to light, and a return from the latter to the former. Leto was generally worshipped only in conjunction with her children, as at Megara (Paus. 1.44.2), at Argos (2.21.10), at Amphigeneia (Strab. viii. p.349), in Lycia (ibid. xiv. p. 665), near Lete in Macedonia (Steph. Byz. s. v. Λήτη), in a grove near Calynda in Caria (Strab. xiv. p.651), and other places. (Comp. Hirt. Mythol. Bilderb. Tab. 5.4.) [L.S]

(Λητώ), called by the Romans Latōna. According to Hesiod, a daughter of the Titan Coeus and Phoebé, a sister of Asteria. She was the mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus, to whom she was married before Heré. Homer likewise calls her the mother of Apollo and Artemis by Zeus; he mentions her in the story of Niobé, who paid so dearly for her conduct towards Leto, and he also describes her as the friend of the Trojans in the war with the Greeks. In later writers these elements of her story are variously embellished, for they do not describe her as the lawful wife of Zeus, but merely as his mistress, who was persecuted by Heré during her pregnancy. All the world being afraid of receiving Leto on account of their dread of Heré, she wandered about till she came to Delos, which was then a floating island, and bore the name of Asteria or Ortygia. When Leto arrived there, Zeus fastened it by adamantine chains to the bottom of the sea, that it might be a secure resting-place for his beloved, and here she gave birth to Apollo and Artemis. The tradition is also related with various other modifications. Some said that Zeus changed Leto into a quail (ὄρτυξ), and that in this state she arrived in the floating island, which was hence called Ortygia. Others related that Zeus was enamoured of Asteria, but that she, being metamorphosed into a bird, flew across the sea; that she was then changed into a rock, which, for a long time, lay under the surface of the sea; and that this rock arose from the waters and received Leto when she was pursued by Python. Leto was generally worshipped only in conjunction with her children. Delos was the chief seat of her worship, and in the sanctuary devoted to her honour she was represented by a shapeless wooden image. See Apollo; daedala.

It is probable that the name of Leto belongs to the same class of words as the Greek λήθη and the lateo, as typifying night. Leto would therefore signify “the obscure” or “concealed,” not as a physical power, but as a divinity yet quiescent and invisible, from whom issued the visible divinity with all his splendour and brilliancy. This view is supported by the account of her genealogy given by Hesiod. (See Preller, Röm. Myth. i. 190; Lang, Myth, Ritual, etc., ii. 199.) From their mother Apollo is frequently Letoïus or Latoïus, and Artemis (Diana), Letoïa, Letoïs, Latoïs, or Latoë.

• Apollod. 1.2.2; Paus. 4.33.6
• her intrigue with Zeus: Apollod. 1.3.6
• hunted by Hera over the whole earth: Apollod. 1.3.6; Paus. 8.53.1
• loosens her girdle at Zoster: Paus. 1.31.1
• on Taygetus: Paus. 3.20.5
• comes to Delos and gives birth to Apollo and Artemis with help of Ilithyia: Paus. 1.18.5; Apollod. 1.3.6
• attempt of Tityus on: Apollod. 1.4.1
• instigates Artemis and Apollo against the children of Niobe: Apollod. 3.5.6
• two of Niobe's children spared because they prayed to: Paus. 2.21.9
• neglect of L. avenged by Apollo and Artemis: Paus. 8.53.1
• intercedes with Zeus for Apollo: Apollod. 3.10.4
• altar of L. and other deities: Paus. 1.31.1
• temples and sanctuaries: Paus. 2.21.8, Paus. 2.22.1, Paus. 8.9.1, Paus. 9.22.1, Paus. 10.37.8
• images and other representations in art: Paus. 1.44.2, Paus. 2.21.8, Paus. 2.22.1, Paus. 2.24.5, Paus. 3.11.9, Paus. 5.17.3, Paus. 8.9.1, Paus. 9.20.1, Paus. 10.11.1, Paus. 10.13.7, Paus. 10.19.4, Paus. 10.35.4, Paus. 10.37.8
• identified with the Egyptian Uat; her oracular shrine at Buto: Hdt. 2.59, Hdt. 2.152, Hdt. 2.155