Eileithyia or Ilithyia (;Joseph Emerson Worcester, A comprehensive dictionary of the English language, Boston, 1871, p. 480, rule 3, where he notes the word has four syllables as in Greek and Latin, "not I-lith-y-i'-a as in Walker" (e.g. Walker and Trollope, A key to the classical pronunciation etc., London, 1830, p. 123). , ; (Eleuthyia, ) in Crete, also (Eleuthia, ) or (Elysia, ) in Laconia and Messene, and (Eleuthō) in literature)Nilsson Vol I, p. 313 was the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwifery,Gantz, pp. 82–83. 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.F.Schachermeyer(1967).Die Minoische Kultur des alten Kreta. Kohlhammer Verlag Stuttgart. pp. 141–142 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.Pausanias, Description of Greece, 6.20
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, and debated among scholars. R. S. P. Beekes suggests a non-Indo-European etymology,R. S. P. Beekes, Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009, p. 383. and Nilsson believed that the name is Pre-Greek.Nilsson Vol I, p. 313 19th-century scholars suggested that the name is Greek, derived from the verb eleutho (), "to bring", the goddess thus meaning The Bringer.Max Müller, Contributions to the Science of Mythology, Vol. 2, Kessinger Publishing, 2003 , p. 697 Walter Burkert believed that Eileithyia is the Greek goddess of birth and that her name is pure Greek.Walter Burkert (1985) Greek Religion. Harvard University Press p.171 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.Nilsson, Vol I, p. 312 Her name (Elysia) in Laconia and Messene probably relates her with the month Eleusinios and Eleusis."Cretan dialect 'Eleuthia' would connect Eileithyia (or perhaps the goddess "Eleutheria") to Eleusis". Willets, p. 222.F.Schachermeyer (1967). Die Minoische Kultur des alten Kreta. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer. p. 141 Nilsson also believed that the name "Eleusis" is pre-Greek.Nilsson Vol I, p. 312
Origins According to F. Willets, the goddess shows a clear connection to a preexisting 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".Homer, Iliad 16.187, 19.103. 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)Hesiod, Theogony 912–923.—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.Greek Anthology Book 6, 6.244 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 Fates, thus making her older than Cronus."Pausanias, 6.20. 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 Prothyraia, 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.Bank of Albania. Coin with "The Beauty of Durrës". A fragment by Callimachus has Eileithyia assist her full-sister Hebe in her labour,Callimachus Fr. 524: . presumably when she gave birth to Alexiares and Anicetus, her sons by Heracles.
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 shrines, 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 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:
She was strongly connected with the goddesses Artemis and Hekate, sharing with the latter strong chthonic elements in her cult.
Achaea Pausanias described a sanctuary to the goddess in the city of Aigion, and the cult associated with it: "At Aigion [in Akhaia] is an ancient sanctuary of Eileithyia, and her image is covered from head to foot with finely-woven drapery; it is of wood except the face, hands and feet, which are made of Pentelic marble. One hand is stretched out straight; the other holds up a torch. One might conjecture that torches are an attribute of Eileithyia because the pangs of women are just like fire. The torches might also be explained by the fact that it is Eileithyia who brings children to the light."Pausanias, Description of Greece 7. 23. 5
Aside from the sanctuary in the city of Aigion, Pausanias also noted that there were temples to the goddess in the towns of BouraPausanias, Description of Greece 7. 25. 9 and Pellene in Achaea.Pausanias, Description of Greece 7. 27. 7
Arcadia Pausanias described two sanctuaries to the goddess in Arcadia, one in the town of KleitorPausanias, Description of Greece 8. 21. 3 and the other one in Tegea.Pausanias, Description of Greece 8. 48. 7 In Kleitor, she was worshipped as one of the most important deities, along with Demeter and Asklepios, and her sanctuary the most important one alongside the other two.
Argos Offerings were often given to the goddess Eileithyia within the ten days following a child's birth Pausanias describes a sanctuary to her in the city of Argos, and the myth associated with it: "Near the Lords [sanctuary of the Dioskouroi at Argos] is a sanctuary of Eilethyia, dedicated by Helene when, Theseus having gone away with Peirithous to Thesprotia, Aphidna had been captured by the Dioskouroi and Helen was being brought to Lakedaimon. For it is said that she was with child, was delivered in Argos, and founded the sanctuary of Eilethyia, giving the daughter she bore to Klytaimnestra, who was already wedded to Agamemnon."Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 22. 6 Pausanias noted a shrine to her in Mycenae, and an important shrine in Mases in Argolis: "[At Mases, Argos] there is a sanctuary of Eileithyia within the wall. Every day, both with sacrifices and with incense, they magnificently propitiate the goddess, and, moreover, there is a vast number of votive gifts offered to Eileithyia. But the image no one may see, except, perhaps, the priestesses."Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 35. 11
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 TegeaPausanias, 8.48.7 . 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").
Pausanias noted:
Corinth Pausanias noted a sanctuary in Corinth: "When you have turned from the Akrokorinthos [at Korinthos] into the mountain road you see the Teneatic gate and a sanctuary of Eileithyia."Pausanias, Description of Greece 2. 5. 4
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.Homer, Odyssey 19.189. 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.For the proceedings and findings of the archaeology, see Amnisos. 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.Walter Burkert (1985). Greek Religion. Harvard University Press. p. 26 In the cave of Amnisos (Crete) the god Enesidaon (the "earth shaker", who is the chthonic Poseidon) is related to the cult of Eileithyia.Dietrich, pp. 220–221. She was related with the annual birth of the divine child.Dietrich, p. 109. The goddess of nature and her companion survived in the Eleusinian cult, where the following words were uttered: "Mighty Potnia bore a strong son."Dietrich, p. 167
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