Leto

Overview

In Hesiod's Olympian genealogy, Leto bears Apollo and Artemis to Zeus. At the opening of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo she is more than a passive genealogical name. When Apollo enters Zeus's house carrying his bow, the gods rise, Leto removes and settles the weapon, and Zeus offers nectar. She therefore connects the twins' birth with Apollo's reception into the Olympian household, while the fuller Delian birth narrative is cited only where needed.

Key facts

Relationships

• Apollomother of

  Leto bears Apollo to Zeus.

• Artemismother of

  Leto bears Artemis to Zeus.

Story appearances

• Olympian OrderMother of Apollo and Artemis who receives her son as he enters Zeus's house in the hymn.

  Mother of Apollo and Artemis who receives her son as he enters Zeus's house in the hymn.

Ancient sources

MythWeave distinguishes ancient-source evidence from later adaptations and modern interpretation.

• Hesiod, Theogony, Lines 918–929: the families of Leto and Hera and the births of Athena and Hephaestus
• Homeric Hymn tradition, Homeric Hymn to Apollo, Lines 1–15: Apollo enters Zeus's house and Leto receives her son