Leto’s Family Tree

About Leto →

Family

• Coeus(parent),Phoebe(parent),Asteria(sibling)— Marriage

  Coeus and Phoebe, both children of Gaia and Uranus, produced the Titanesses Leto and Asteria. Through Leto, Coeus became grandfather of Apollo and Artemis.

• Jupiter(spouse, Roman),Apollo(child, Roman),Diana(child, Roman)— Consort

  Jupiter fathered Diana and Apollo with Leto (Latona), the Greek Titaness. Persecuted by Juno during her pregnancy, Leto wandered the earth before finding refuge to give birth to the twin deities of the hunt and prophecy.

• Zeus(spouse),Apollo(child),Artemis(child)— Consort

  Zeus and Leto's union produced the divine twins Apollo and Artemis, born on the island of Delos after Hera pursued Leto across the earth.

Enemy of

• Hera

  Hera persecuted the Titaness Leto for bearing Zeus's children, forbidding every land from sheltering her during labor until the floating island of Delos received her.

• Niobe

  Niobe stood before Leto's altar and declared herself the greater mother — fourteen children to Leto's two. Leto, burning with the insult, loosed Apollo and Artemis upon Niobe's sons and daughters until none remained.

• Python

  Hera sent Python to pursue the pregnant Leto across the earth, preventing her from finding a place to give birth to Apollo and Artemis. Leto finally found refuge on the floating island of Delos.

Associated with

• Eileithyia

  Hera detained Eileithyia on Olympus for nine days while Leto labored to deliver Apollo and Artemis on Delos. The other goddesses bribed Eileithyia with a golden necklace to come and release Leto from her suffering.

• Phoebe

  Through her daughter Leto, Phoebe became grandmother of Apollo and Artemis. Leto's divine parentage from the Titans Coeus and Phoebe was essential to establishing her children's status among the Olympians.