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Goddesses of Ancient Greece - L
Lachesis
("allotter") The Disposer, the second of the three Fates, daughter
of Zeus out of Themis. She is sometimes pictured as a matronly woman holding
a length of thread. Her office it is to measure out, either long or short,
the length of a person's life thread. See also Atropos and Klotho.
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Lamia
The ancient Greeks believed that the Lamia was a vampire who stole little
children to drink their blood. She was portrayed as a snake-like creature
with a female head and breasts. Usually female, but sometimes referred
to as a male or a hermaphrodite. According to legend, she was once a Libyan
queen (or princess) who fell in love with Zeus. Zeus' jealous wife Hera
deformed her into a monster and murdered their offspring. She also made
Lamia unable to close her eyes, so that she couldn't find any rest from
the obsessing image of her dead children. When Zeus saw what had be done
to Lamia, he felt pity for her and gave his former lover a gift: she could
remove her eyes, and then put them in again. This way, though sleepless,
she could rest from her misfortune.
Lamia was envious of mothers; and took her vengeance by stealing their
children and devouring them. In Lamia and other Poems (1820), the English
poet John Keats writes about the Lamia. Based on the information he found
in Anatomy of Melancholy of the 1600s, Keats writes that the Lamia has
the ability to change herself into a beautiful young woman to win a man's
love.
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Lampetia
The daughter of Helios. Together with Phaetusa she guarded her father's
oxen on the island of Thrinacia. When Odysseus' companions slaughtered
some of them, she informed her father about this. Odyssey XII, 375.
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Laodice
A nymph, occasionally mentioned as the mother of Niobe. The daughter of
Priam and Hecuba.
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Larissa
In Greek mythology, a daughter of Pelasgus, whom the fortress near Argos
and two cities (in Thessaly and in Peneus) are named after.
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Leda
Leda was the daughter of Thestius and the wife of Tyndareus. She has been
known as the Queen of Sparta. Zeus seduced Leda when he came to her in
the form of a swan. Leda gave birth to an egg. From it hatched the Dioscuri,
the twins Castor and Pollux. With Zeus she also had Helen and with Tyndareus
she had Clytemnestra.
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Lethe
("forgetfulness") A Daughter of Eris, She is the presiding Spirit
of Amnesia and mindlessness. |
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Leto
One of the Titans, daughter of Koeus and Phoebe. By Zeus, she is the mother
of Apollo and Artemis. She also seems to have some function as a fertility
Deity, and an epithet of hers, "Kourotrophos", rearer of youths,
hints at further associations. Known as the hidden one and bright one,
her name came to be used for the moon Selene.
Hera was jealous of Leto because Zeus, the husband of Hera, had fallen
in love with her. From their union Leto bore the divine twins, Artemis
and Apollo. Leto found this to be an arduous task, as Hera had refused
Leto to give birth on either terra firma or on an island out at sea. The
only place safe enough to give birth was Delos because Delos was a floating
island. Therefore, Leto did not refute the wishes of Hera. In some versions,
other vicinities refused Leto because they feared the great power of the
god she would bear. To show her gratitude, Leto anchored Delos to the
bottom of the Aegean with four columns, to aid its stability. A conflict
of legends arises when in one version it says that Artemis was born one
day before Apollo, and the birth took place on the island of Ortygia.
Then the next day, Artemis helped Leto to cross to the island of Delos,
and aided Leto with the delivery of Apollo.
Leto was worshiped throughout Greece, but principally in Lycia (Asia Minor).
In Delos and Athens, there were temples dedicated to her, although in
most regions she was worshiped in conjunction with her children, Artemis
and Apollo. In Egypt there is the Temple of Leto (Wadjet) at Buto, which
was described by Herodotus as being connected to an island, which floated.
On this island (Khemmis) stood a temple to Apollo, but Herodotus dismissed
the claim that it floated as merely the legend of Delos brought to Egypt
from Greek tradition. The Romans called Leto "Latona".
Leucippe
A Greek nymph who accompanied Persephone when she was abducted by Hades.
Leucothea
"The White Goddess", the name of Ino as a marine deity, which
she became when she threw herself into the sea with her son Melicertes.
However, Dionysus would not let her die, and she was transformed into
Leucothea.
Leucothoe
The daughter of the Greek king Orchamus. She was loved by Apollo, and
he assumed the shape of her mother to gain entrance to her. When her father
learned of Apollo's visit, he became so enraged that he buried his daughter
alive. Apollo changed the girl into a incense plant.
Libya
The daughter of Epaphus and Memphis, beloved by Poseidon. She gave her
name to that part of the world. |
Limos
The daughter of Eris, she is the Spirit of Hunger. |
Litai
The sisters of the Greek goddess Ate. They follow her wherever she goes
and try to repair the damage she has wrought to mortals.
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Lotis
A nymph, a daughter of Poseidon. She was pursued by Priapus and in order
to escape him was changed into the lotus tree.
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Lycorias
A sea nymph, a daughter of Nereus and Doris. |
Lysithea
A daughter of Oceanus and one of Zeus' many lovers.
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