Fiamma
February 21st, 2008, 04:48 AM
Also, if you wouldn't mind, could you post more about Leto, Apollo and Artemis being worshipped together.
Sorry it took me a few days to get it together and do this, but here we are.
Leto is a Greek Titan goddess. Mother of twins Apollo and Artemis, sister of Asteria (who became the island of Delos where Leto is said to have given birth to Apollo).
Leto is strictly a mother goddess, she has no mythology independent of Artemis and Apollo. She was a widely-worshipped goddess in Anatolia, where her sanctuary, the Letoon, was a major cult center. Apollo and Artemis were also worshiped at the Letoon.
http://www.lycianturkey.com/cults_of_lycia_deities.htm
In Lycia, Leto, Apollo and Artemis were worshiped above all other deities and by far the most important religious sanctuary in Lycia was dedicated to Leto, called Letoon, in the Xanthos valley. It was the sacred cultic center of Lycia and Leto was the prime deity worshiped there, but in later dates her two twin children Apollo and Artemis were given equal importance. Letoon is undoubtedly of great antiquity and may go back to the 7th century B.C. Three temples stand here dedicated to Leto and her two children - the national deities of Lycia, as well as a nympahaeum, theatre, and a more recent Byzantine church. As the national sanctuary of Lycia, national festivals were held here and the sanctuary’s priests were the highest priests of the Lycian Union. Other Lycian shrines to Leto exist in Calinda and Psychus (northwest Lycia) but neither of them were as famous or important as that of Letoon which was well-known in the ancient world.
From various ancient sources (found at http://www.theoi.com/Cult/LetoCult.html) (To compare, there are a few mentions of theworship of Leto without Artemis and Apollo on that page, but...thy are few. )
ZOSTER: Village in Attika
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 31. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"At Zoster [in Attika] is an altar . . . to Apollon, to Artemis and to Leto. The story is that Leto did not give birth to her children here, but loosened her girdle with a view to her delivery, and place received its name from this incident."
MEGARA Chief City of Megaris
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 44. 2 :
"[In the sanctuary of Apollon at Megara] is a noteworthy Apollon, Artemis also, and Leto, and other statues made by Praxiteles."
ARGOS Chief City of Argolis
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 21. 9 :
"[At Argos] is the sanctuary of Leto; the image is the work of Praxiteles. The statue of the maiden beside the goddess they call Khloris (Pale), saying that she was a daughter of Niobe, and that she was called Meliboia at the first. When the children of Amphion were destroyed by Apollon and Artemis, she alone of her sisters, along with Amyklas escaped; their escape was due to their prayers to Leto. Meliboia was struck so pale by her fright, not only at the time but also for the rest of her life, that even her name was changed Meliboia to Khloris. Now the Argives say that these two built originally the temple to Leto, but I think that none of Niobe’s children survived."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 34. 5 :
"[Near Argos] is built a sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, and there have been made white-marble images of Apollon, Leto and Artemis, which they say are works of Polykleitos."
SPARTA Chief City of Lakedaimonia
Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 11. 9 :
"On their market-place the Spartans have images of Apollon Pythaios, of Artemis and of Leto."
MANTINEIA Town in Arkadia
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 9. 1 :
"The Mantineans [of Mantineia, Arkadia] possess a temple composed of two parts, being divided almost exactly down the middle by a wall. In one part of the temple is an image of Asklepios . . . the other part is a sanctuary of Leto and her children, and their images were made by Praxiteles."
TANAGRA Village in Boiotia
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 20. 1 :
"[At Tanagra, Boiotia] are images of Artemis and Leto."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 22. 1 :
"[At Tanagra, Boiotia] are three temples, one of Themis, another of Aphrodite, and the third of Apollon; with Apollon are joined Artemis and Leto."
DELPHOI Town & Sanctuary in Phokis
Pindar, Nemean Ode 9. 4 ff (trans. Conway) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"Leto and her twin children, who keep their joint watch over rocky Pytho."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 19. 4 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"The carvings in the pediments [at Delphoi, Phokis] are: Artemis, Leto, Apollon, the Mousai, setting Helios (Sun)."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 35. 4 :
"The images [in the temple of Apollon at Abai, Phokis] are made of bronze, and all alike are standing, Apollon, Leto and Artemis."
II) KIRRHA Village in Phokis
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 37. 8 :
"Its [Kirrha, Phokis] notable sights include a temple of Apollon, Artemis and Leto, with very large images of Attic workmanship."
DELOS Chief Town of Delos
Homeric Hymn 3 to Delian Apollo 158 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :
"The girls of Delos, hand-maidens of Hekatos (the Far-shooter); for when they have praised Apollon first, and also Leto and Artemis who delights in arrows."
Pindar, Paean 4 (trans. Sandys) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"I shall dance, O Delos, in honour of the unshorn god and Artemis, and in honour of Leto."
Strabo, Geography 10. 5. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Now the city which belongs to Delos, as also the temple of Apollon, and the Letoion (Temple of Leto), are situated in a plain; and above the city lies Kynthos, a bare and rugged mountain; and a river named Inopos flows through the island--not a large river, for the island itself is small. From olden times, beginning with the times of the heroes, Delos has been revered because of its gods, for the myth is told that there Leto was delivered of her travail by the birth of Apollon and Artemis . . .
The neighboring islands, called the Kyklades, made it famous, since in its honor they would send at public expense sacred envoys, sacrifices, and choruses composed of virgins, and would celebrate great general festivals there [in honour of Apollon, Artemis and Leto]."
UNKNOWN in Lesbos (perhaps the Hekatonnesoi Isles)
Arctinus of Miletus, The Aethiopis Fragment 1 (from Proclus Chrestomathia 2) (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :
"Akhilleus sails to Lesbos and after sacrificing to Apollon, Artemis, and Leto, is purified by Odysseus from bloodshed [for killing Thersites]."
Sorry it took me a few days to get it together and do this, but here we are.
Leto is a Greek Titan goddess. Mother of twins Apollo and Artemis, sister of Asteria (who became the island of Delos where Leto is said to have given birth to Apollo).
Leto is strictly a mother goddess, she has no mythology independent of Artemis and Apollo. She was a widely-worshipped goddess in Anatolia, where her sanctuary, the Letoon, was a major cult center. Apollo and Artemis were also worshiped at the Letoon.
http://www.lycianturkey.com/cults_of_lycia_deities.htm
In Lycia, Leto, Apollo and Artemis were worshiped above all other deities and by far the most important religious sanctuary in Lycia was dedicated to Leto, called Letoon, in the Xanthos valley. It was the sacred cultic center of Lycia and Leto was the prime deity worshiped there, but in later dates her two twin children Apollo and Artemis were given equal importance. Letoon is undoubtedly of great antiquity and may go back to the 7th century B.C. Three temples stand here dedicated to Leto and her two children - the national deities of Lycia, as well as a nympahaeum, theatre, and a more recent Byzantine church. As the national sanctuary of Lycia, national festivals were held here and the sanctuary’s priests were the highest priests of the Lycian Union. Other Lycian shrines to Leto exist in Calinda and Psychus (northwest Lycia) but neither of them were as famous or important as that of Letoon which was well-known in the ancient world.
From various ancient sources (found at http://www.theoi.com/Cult/LetoCult.html) (To compare, there are a few mentions of theworship of Leto without Artemis and Apollo on that page, but...thy are few. )
ZOSTER: Village in Attika
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 31. 1 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"At Zoster [in Attika] is an altar . . . to Apollon, to Artemis and to Leto. The story is that Leto did not give birth to her children here, but loosened her girdle with a view to her delivery, and place received its name from this incident."
MEGARA Chief City of Megaris
Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 44. 2 :
"[In the sanctuary of Apollon at Megara] is a noteworthy Apollon, Artemis also, and Leto, and other statues made by Praxiteles."
ARGOS Chief City of Argolis
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 21. 9 :
"[At Argos] is the sanctuary of Leto; the image is the work of Praxiteles. The statue of the maiden beside the goddess they call Khloris (Pale), saying that she was a daughter of Niobe, and that she was called Meliboia at the first. When the children of Amphion were destroyed by Apollon and Artemis, she alone of her sisters, along with Amyklas escaped; their escape was due to their prayers to Leto. Meliboia was struck so pale by her fright, not only at the time but also for the rest of her life, that even her name was changed Meliboia to Khloris. Now the Argives say that these two built originally the temple to Leto, but I think that none of Niobe’s children survived."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 34. 5 :
"[Near Argos] is built a sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, and there have been made white-marble images of Apollon, Leto and Artemis, which they say are works of Polykleitos."
SPARTA Chief City of Lakedaimonia
Pausanias, Description of Greece 3. 11. 9 :
"On their market-place the Spartans have images of Apollon Pythaios, of Artemis and of Leto."
MANTINEIA Town in Arkadia
Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 9. 1 :
"The Mantineans [of Mantineia, Arkadia] possess a temple composed of two parts, being divided almost exactly down the middle by a wall. In one part of the temple is an image of Asklepios . . . the other part is a sanctuary of Leto and her children, and their images were made by Praxiteles."
TANAGRA Village in Boiotia
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 20. 1 :
"[At Tanagra, Boiotia] are images of Artemis and Leto."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 22. 1 :
"[At Tanagra, Boiotia] are three temples, one of Themis, another of Aphrodite, and the third of Apollon; with Apollon are joined Artemis and Leto."
DELPHOI Town & Sanctuary in Phokis
Pindar, Nemean Ode 9. 4 ff (trans. Conway) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"Leto and her twin children, who keep their joint watch over rocky Pytho."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 19. 4 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"The carvings in the pediments [at Delphoi, Phokis] are: Artemis, Leto, Apollon, the Mousai, setting Helios (Sun)."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 35. 4 :
"The images [in the temple of Apollon at Abai, Phokis] are made of bronze, and all alike are standing, Apollon, Leto and Artemis."
II) KIRRHA Village in Phokis
Pausanias, Description of Greece 10. 37. 8 :
"Its [Kirrha, Phokis] notable sights include a temple of Apollon, Artemis and Leto, with very large images of Attic workmanship."
DELOS Chief Town of Delos
Homeric Hymn 3 to Delian Apollo 158 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C7th to 4th B.C.) :
"The girls of Delos, hand-maidens of Hekatos (the Far-shooter); for when they have praised Apollon first, and also Leto and Artemis who delights in arrows."
Pindar, Paean 4 (trans. Sandys) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"I shall dance, O Delos, in honour of the unshorn god and Artemis, and in honour of Leto."
Strabo, Geography 10. 5. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek geographer C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"Now the city which belongs to Delos, as also the temple of Apollon, and the Letoion (Temple of Leto), are situated in a plain; and above the city lies Kynthos, a bare and rugged mountain; and a river named Inopos flows through the island--not a large river, for the island itself is small. From olden times, beginning with the times of the heroes, Delos has been revered because of its gods, for the myth is told that there Leto was delivered of her travail by the birth of Apollon and Artemis . . .
The neighboring islands, called the Kyklades, made it famous, since in its honor they would send at public expense sacred envoys, sacrifices, and choruses composed of virgins, and would celebrate great general festivals there [in honour of Apollon, Artemis and Leto]."
UNKNOWN in Lesbos (perhaps the Hekatonnesoi Isles)
Arctinus of Miletus, The Aethiopis Fragment 1 (from Proclus Chrestomathia 2) (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th B.C.) :
"Akhilleus sails to Lesbos and after sacrificing to Apollon, Artemis, and Leto, is purified by Odysseus from bloodshed [for killing Thersites]."