Io
Io was the daughter of Inachus, a river god of Argos. Io was also known as Callythia, a priestess of Hera. Io caught the eye of Zeus, which also sparked the ire of Hera. When Zeus came to Io he conjured a great cloud to hide them, but instead of hiding his infidelity it attracted Hera to the very spot they were at. Trying to fool Hera, Zeus turned Io into a white heifer, but Hera was not decieved. She then told Zeus that she would like the heifer as a tribute, knowing he would not say no. Io was led away with a halter around her neck and tied to an olive tree. Hera then set Argos, a creature with an hundred eyes to watch her.
When Zeus finally decided to help Io he sent Hermes to lull Argos to sleep with his flute and rescue her. Hermes managed to close all of Argos' eyes and put him into a deep sleep, he then cut off his head. However, Hera found out about the plot and as soon as Io was untethered a gadfly viciously attacked her, stinging her repeatedly. Io then wandered the earth, with the gadfly in pursuit, even encountering Prometheus. Io then traveled to Egypt, where she is identified with the goddess Isis. There Zeus restored her to her human form and she bore him a son, Epaphus.
Home Guestbook E-mail Shop Links NMDP Banshee Sitemap
Visitors to www.shrinkingbanshee.com