The Story of Leto
Leto was a daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe, and the sister of Asteria. She was known as a gentle and modest goddess, dressed in dark robes. Zeus fell in love with her, and she became pregnant with twins.
When Hera learned of it, she was furious. In the most common telling, she forbade every land on earth to give Leto a place to give birth, and in some versions she also sent the monstrous serpent Python to chase her. The exhausted Leto wandered from place to place, but every land turned her away in fear of Hera's anger.
At last she came to Delos, a small rocky island that floated freely on the sea. Because Delos was not fixed to the earth, Hera's ban did not apply, and the island welcomed her. Leto clung to a palm tree and gave birth there, first to Artemis and then, after nine days of labor, to Apollo.
In some tellings, Hera held back Eileithyia, the goddess of childbirth, until the other goddesses bribed her with a golden necklace. After the birth, Delos was fixed in place with great pillars and became one of the holiest sites in Greece. Leto's journey was not over, though, and in Lycia, peasants muddied a pond to stop her from drinking, so she turned them into frogs.
Her children grew up fiercely loyal. When the giant Tityos tried to assault Leto on her way to Delphi, Apollo and Artemis shot him dead with their arrows. In the Underworld he was stretched across the ground while vultures fed on his liver as punishment.
Queen Niobe of Thebes once boasted that she was greater than Leto, because she had fourteen children while Leto had only two. Leto called on her twins to defend her honor. Apollo and Artemis shot down Niobe's children, and the weeping queen was turned into a rock on Mount Sipylus that still seemed to cry.
Leto was worshipped with her children at Delos, at Delphi and across Asia Minor, where the Letoon in Lycia was her great sanctuary. She was honored as a devoted mother who endured hardship for her children. The Romans called her Latona.
Famous Myths About Leto
The Search for a Birthplace
Pregnant by Zeus and hounded by the jealous Hera, Leto searched for a place to give birth, but every land feared Hera's anger. Only the floating island of Delos took her in, and there she gave birth to Artemis and Apollo.
The Lycian Frogs
Tired and thirsty after giving birth, Leto tried to drink from a pond in Lycia, but local peasants stirred up the mud to stop her. She cursed them to live in the pond forever, and they were turned into frogs.
Niobe's Pride
Queen Niobe of Thebes boasted that her fourteen children made her better than Leto, who had only two. Leto's twins, Apollo and Artemis, killed Niobe's children with arrows, and Niobe wept until she turned to stone.
The Giant Tityos
The giant Tityos tried to assault Leto on her way to Delphi. Her children Apollo and Artemis shot him dead, and in the Underworld he was stretched out while vultures fed on his liver.
Where to See Leto in Greece
Leto's Family Tree
Partners of Leto
Frequently Asked Questions About Leto
Who is Leto in Greek mythology?
Leto is the Titan goddess of motherhood and modesty, best known as the mother of Apollo and Artemis.
Who are Leto's parents?
Leto is the daughter of the Titans Coeus and Phoebe, and the sister of Asteria.
Why could Leto not find a place to give birth?
Hera, jealous that Leto was carrying Zeus's children, forbade every land to shelter her. Only the floating island of Delos welcomed her, and she gave birth there beside a palm tree.
What happened to Niobe?
Niobe boasted that she was better than Leto because she had many more children. Apollo and Artemis avenged their mother by killing Niobe's children.
What is Leto's Roman name?
The Romans called Leto Latona.
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