Eileithyia
Eileithyia or Ilithyiae or Ilithyia (; ; ("Eleuthyia") in Crete, also ("Eleuthia") or ("Elysia") in Laconia and Messene, and ("Eleuthō") in literature) was the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery, and the daughter of Zeus and Hera. In the cave of Amnisos (Crete) she was related with the annual birth of the divine child, and her cult is connected with "Enesidaon" (the earth shaker), who was the chthonic aspect of the god Poseidon. It is possible that her cult is related with the cult of Eleusis. In his "Seventh Nemean Ode", Pindar refers to her as the maid to or seated  beside the Moirai (Fates) and responsible for the creation of offspring. Her son was Sosipolis, who was worshiped at Elis. Etymology. The earliest form of the name is the Mycenaean Greek , "e-re-u-ti-ja", written in the Linear B syllabic script. Ilithyia is the latinisation of "". The etymology of the name is uncertain, but debated among scholars. R. S. P. Beekes suggests a not Indo-European etymology, and Nilsson believes that the name is Pre-Greek. 19th-century scholars suggested that the name is Greek, derived from the verb "eleutho" "()", "to bring", the goddess thus meaning "The Bringer . Walter Burkert believes that Eileithyia" is the Greek goddess of birth and that her name is pure Greek. However, the relation with the Greek prefix ' is uncertain, because the prefix appears in some pre-Greek toponyms like ' (Eleutherna); therefore it is possible that the name is pre-Greek. Her name "" ("Elysia") in Laconia and Messene, probably relates her with the month "Eleusinios" and Eleusis. Nilsson also believes that the name "Eleusis" is pre-Greek. Origins. According to F. Willets, the goddess shows a clear connection to a pre-existing Minoan goddess, as well as an earlier Neolithic concept. Eileithyia's  guidance in childbirth may give influence of the first midwife. To Homer, she is "the goddess of childbirth". The "Iliad" pictures Eileithyia alone, or sometimes multiplied, as the Eileithyiai: Hesiod (c. 700 BC) described Eileithyia as a daughter of Hera by Zeus ("Theogony" 921)—and the "Bibliotheca" (Roman-era) and Diodorus Siculus (c. 90–27 BC) (5.72.5) agreed. Also, a poem at the Greek Anthology Book 6, mention Eileithyia as Hera's daughter. But Pausanias, writing in the 2nd century AD, reported another early source (now lost): "The Lycian Olen, an earlier poet, who composed for the Delians, among other hymns, one  to Eileithyia, styles her as 'the clever spinner', clearly identifying her with the "Fate"s, thus making her older than Cronus." Being the youngest born to Gaia, Cronus was a Titan of the first generation and he was identified as the father of Zeus. Likewise, the meticulously accurate mythographer Pindar (522–443 BC) also makes no mention of Zeus: Later, for the Classical Greeks, "She is closely associated with Artemis and Hera," Burkert asserts, "but develops no character of her own". In the Orphic Hymn to Prothyraeia, virginal Artemis is given an epithet relating to the goddess of childbirth, making the divine  huntress also "she who comes to the aid of women in childbirth," Eileithyia is commonly in classical Greek art most often depicted assisting childbirth. Vase-painters, when illustrating the birth of Athena from Zeus' head, may show two assisting Eileithyiai, with their hands raised in the epiphany gesture.The Beauty of Durrës, a large 4th-century B.C.E. mosaic shows the head figure of a woman, probably portrays the goddess Eileithyia. Cult. As the primary goddess of childbirth along with Artemis, Eileithyia had numerous shrines in many locations in Greece dating from Neolithic to Roman times, indicating that she was extremely  important to pregnant women and their families. People would pray for and leave offerings for aid in fertility, safe childbirth, or give appreciation for a successful birth. Archaeological evidence of terracotta votive figurines depict children found at shines, and holy sites dedicated to Eileithyia suggest that she was a kourotrophic divinity, whom parents would have prayed to for protection and care of their children. Midwives had an essential role in ancient Greek society, with women of all classes participating in the profession - many being slaves with only empirical training or some theoretical training in obstetrics and gynecology. More highly educated  midwives, typically from higher classes, were referred to as "iatrenes" or doctors of women's diseases and would be respected as physicians. She was invoked by women in labour, to ease the pain of labour, and to further the birth. Callimachus recorded the hymn: Her Egyptian counterpart is Tawaret. She was strongly connected with the goddesses Artemis and Hekate, the latter of whom she shared strong chthonic elements to her cult. Athens. There were ancient icons of Eileithyia at Athens, one said to have been brought from Crete, according to Pausanias, who mentioned shrines to Eileithyia in Tegea and Argos , with an extremely important shrine in Aigion. Eileithyia, along with Artemis and Persephone, is often shown carrying torches to bring children out of darkness and into light: in Roman mythology her counterpart in easing labor is Lucina ("of the light"). Crete. The Cave of Eileithyia near Amnisos, the harbor of Knossos, mentioned in the "Odyssey" (xix.189) in connection with her cult, was accounted the birthplace of Eileithyia. In the river nearby also named Amnisos, lived nymphs that were sacred to Eileithyia named Amnisades and Amnisabes. The Cretan cave has stalactites suggestive of the goddess' double form (Kerenyi 1976 fig. 6 ), of bringing labor on and of delaying it, and votive offerings to her have been found establishing the continuity of her cult from Neolithic times, with a revival as late as the Roman period. Here she was probably being worshipped before Zeus arrived in the Aegean, but certainly in Minoan–Mycenaean times. The goddess is mentioned as Eleuthia in a Linear B fragment from Knossos, where it is stated that her temple is given an amphora of honey. In the cave of Amnisos (Crete) the god "Enesidaon" (the "earth shaker", who is the chthonic Poseidon) is related with the cult  of Eileithyia. She was related with the annual birth of the divine child. The goddess of nature and her companion survived in the Eleusinian cult, where the following words were uttered: "Mighty Potnia bore a strong son." In classical times, there were shrines to Eileithyia in the Cretan cities of Lato and Eleutherna and a sacred cave at Inatos. At a sanctuary in Tsoutsouros Inatos, two small terracotta figures, one breastfeeding and the other pregnant, have been dated to the 7th century. Delos. According to the Homeric Hymn III to Delian Apollo, Hera detained Eileithyia, who was coming from the  Hyperboreans in the far north, to prevent Leto from going into labor with Artemis and Apollo, since the father was her husband Zeus. Hera was jealous of Zeus's affairs and tended to enact revenge upon the women. The other goddesses present at the birthing on Delos had sent Iris to bring Eileithyia forth. As she stepped upon the island, the birth began. This hymn is contradicted by Hesiod's Theogony, where Apollo and Artemis are born before Hera's marriage to Zeus, and therefore neither Hera or Eileithyia are mentioned interfering with the birth of the twins. On Delos , a shrine was dedicated to Eileithyia, and was worshipped in a mid-winter festival the named "Eileithyaea". It was said by Callimachus that the hymn sung during festival was the same as that sung by nymphs at Apollo's birth. This cult likely goes back to the Archaic period, and the cult was associated with other local Delian childbirth deities associated with Artemis, Opis and Arge. Paros. Eileithyia had a cult south of the Mount Kounados on the Cycladic Island of Paros, where a cave with a natural spring functioned as an informal sanctuary. Numerous artifacts have been found, such  as pottery, bronze pieces, and marble plaques, which indicate use of the site from the Geometric period to the Roman period. It has been theorized that the site was used for prayers for both female and male fertility, based on the type of offerings that have been found. Olympia. On the Greek mainland, at Olympia, an archaic shrine with an inner cella sacred to the serpent-savior of the city ("Sosipolis") and to Eileithyia was seen by the traveler Pausanias in the 2nd century AD ("Greece" vi.20.1–3); in it, a virgin-priestess cared for a serpent that was "fed" on  honeyed barley-cakes and water—an offering suited to Demeter. The shrine memorialized the appearance of a crone with a babe in arms, at a crucial moment when Elians were threatened by forces from Arcadia. The child, placed on the ground between the contending forces, changed into a serpent, driving the Arcadians away in flight, before it disappeared into the hill. Sanctuary at Eretriam. Archaeologists uncovered a sanctuary dedicated to Eileithyia at Eretria. The sanctuary had been placed in the northwestern section of a gymnasium. Sparta. There was a sanctuary dedicated to Eileithyia near the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia. Argos . Offerings were often given to the goddess Eileithyia within the ten days following a child's birth