Callisto’s Family Tree

About Callisto →

Family

• Zeus(spouse),Arcas(child)— Consort

  Zeus seduced Callisto by disguising himself as Artemis, fathering Arcas, the eponymous ancestor of the Arcadians and future king of Arcadia.

• Lycaon(parent)

  Callisto was the daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia, according to the most common tradition in Apollodorus, Ovid, and Pausanias.

Enemy of

• Hera

  Hera transformed the nymph Callisto into a bear as punishment for her affair with Zeus, and would have had her killed had Zeus not placed her among the stars as Ursa Major.

Associated with

• Oceanus,Tethys

  After Callisto was catasterized as Ursa Major, Hera appealed to Oceanus and Tethys never to let the Bear bathe in their waters, explaining why the constellation never sets below the horizon.

• Arcas

  When Arcas encountered his bear-transformed mother Callisto while hunting and nearly killed her, Zeus intervened at the last moment and placed them both among the stars as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

• Artemis

  When Artemis discovered that her nymph Callisto was pregnant by Zeus, she punished her for breaking the vow of chastity by transforming her into a bear and driving her from her band.

• Maia

  After Callisto's transformation into a bear, Hermes brought the infant Arcas to Maia's cave on Mount Cyllene. Maia raised Arcas as his foster mother until he became king of Arcadia.