Maiden
What you need to sow
Keep going until you find welcome.
Lycian / Turkey
Leto
Mother of the Letoon
Lycian sanctuary of the Letoon, from 7th century BCE
✦
Her story
Historical context
goddess · Lycian sanctuary of the Letoon, from 7th century BCE
Leto, mother of Artemis and Apollo, was the chief goddess of Lycia on Turkey's southwest coast, honoured at the Letoon sanctuary near Xanthos.
Mythology & traditions
Greek myth says jealous Hera prevents Leto from giving birth on firm land until Delos receives her; beneath a palm she bears Artemis and Apollo. A Lycian story tells how hostile herders muddy a spring, so she turns them into frogs, while wolves guide her to the river Xanthos. At the Letoon, Leto, Artemis and Apollo formed a divine family central to Lycian public identity.
Domains
- motherhood
- perseverance
- refuge
- protection
Symbols
- palm tree
- veil
- wolves
In the oracle
Her guidance
Mother
What you need to grow
Grow refuge for others who wander.
Crone
What you need to know
Know that endurance births light.
Her tradition
Turkish & Lycian Tradition
Turkic white mother and the Lycian mother goddess.
Explore these figures