In Jupiter and Callisto by François Boucher, Jupiter/Zeus takes the form of Diana/Artemis (Pushkin Museum, Moscow)

This article is about the mythological figure. For other meanings, see Callisto.

In Greek mythology, Callisto ("most beautiful") was a nymph of Artemis. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2024x2736, 574 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Callisto (mythology) Lesbianism in erotica ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2024x2736, 574 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Callisto (mythology) Lesbianism in erotica ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... The Toilet of Venus (1751) typifies the superficially pleasing elegance of Bouchers mature style. ... The Statue of Zeus at Olympia Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall statue of Zeus at Olympia about 435 BC. The statue was perhaps the most famous sculpture in Ancient Greece, imagined here in a 16th century engraving Zeus (in Greek: nominative: Zeús, genitive: Diós), is... The Diana of Versailles, a Roman copy of a sculpture by Leochares (Louvre Museum) Artemis (Greek: nominative , genitive ) in Greek mythology the daughter of Zeus and of Leto and the twin sister of Apollo was one of the most widely venerated of the gods and manifestly one of the oldest... Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev (1847-1913) The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Russian: Музей изобразительных искусств им. А.С. Пушкина) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in the Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2007)    - Density 10,469,000   9684. ... Callisto, the mythological figure Callisto, the moon of Jupiter Callisto, the content management system Callisto, a recurring character in Xena: Warrior Princess; although set in the ancient Greek world there is no connection to the attributes of the mythological character. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the telling of stories created by the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and their own cult and ritual practices. ... In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess. ... The Diana of Versailles, a Roman copy of a sculpture by Leochares (Louvre Museum) Artemis (Greek: nominative , genitive ) in Greek mythology the daughter of Zeus and of Leto and the twin sister of Apollo was one of the most widely venerated of the gods and manifestly one of the oldest...

Myth

As a follower of Artemis, Callisto, whom Hesiod said^[1] was the daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia, took a vow to remain a virgin, as did all the nymphs of Artemis. But to have her, Zeus disguised himself, some say as Apollo some as Artemis herself, in order to lure her into his embrace. Callisto was then turned into a bear, as Hesiod had told it: The Diana of Versailles, a Roman copy of a sculpture by Leochares (Louvre Museum) Artemis (Greek: nominative , genitive ) in Greek mythology the daughter of Zeus and of Leto and the twin sister of Apollo was one of the most widely venerated of the gods and manifestly one of the oldest... Roman bronze bust, the so-called Pseudo-Seneca, now identified by some as possibly Hesiod Hesiod (Hesiodos, ) was an early Greek poet and rhapsode, who presumably lived around 700 BC. Hesiod and Homer, with whom Hesiod is often paired, have been considered the earliest Greek poets whose work has survived... Lycaon, in Greek mythology, was a son of Priam and Laothoe. ... Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. ... In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Ancient Greek , Apóllōn; or , Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros (a beardless youth), was the god of music, medicine, death dealing, and archery and also a brother of Artemis. ... Genera Ailuropoda Helarctos Melursus Ursus Tremarctos Arctodus (extinct) A bear is a small mammal in the family Ursidae of the order Carnivora. ...

"but afterwards, when she was already with child, was seen by her bathing and so discovered. Upon this, the goddess was enraged and changed her into a beast. Thus she became a bear and gave birth to a son called Arcas." Later, Arcas, the eponym of Arcadia, nearly killed his mother in a hunt but Zeus placed them both in the sky as the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor."

Zeus took the form of Artemis, according to Ovid's telling.^[2] Her pregnant condition was detected while bathing with Artemis and the other nymphs. Upon this, the goddess was enraged and changed her into a bear, in which form she gave birth to Arcas. Some goat-herds captured her and the cub and presented them to Lycaon. "Some while after, she thought fit to go into the forbidden precinct of Zeus, not knowing the law, and being pursued by her own son and the Arcadians, was about to be killed... but Zeus delivered her because of her connection with him and put her among the stars."^[3] In another variant, Callisto's son, Arcas, nearly killed his mother while hunting, but Zeus or Artemis stopped him and placed them both in the sky as Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. In Greek mythology, Arcas (Αρκάς) was the son of Zeus and of the nymph Callisto, whom Hera turned into a bear. ... Arcadia or Arkadía (Greek Αρκαδία; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is a region of Greece in the Peloponnesus. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Ursa Major (IPA: ) is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. ... Ursa Minor (IPA: ) is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Smaller Bear in Latin. ... Engraved frontispiece of George Sandyss 1632 London edition of Publius Ovidius Naso (Sulmona, March 20, 43 BC – Tomis, now ConstanÅ£a AD 17), a Roman poet known to the English-speaking world as Ovid, wrote on topics of love, abandoned women and mythological transformations. ... In Greek mythology, Arcas (Αρκάς) was the son of Zeus and of the nymph Callisto, whom Hera turned into a bear. ... Lycaon, in Greek mythology, was a son of Priam and Laothoe. ... Greek Temenos ([1], from the Greek verb to cut) (plural = temene) is a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official domain, especially to kings and chiefs, or a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, a sanctuary, holy grove or holy... Ursa Major (IPA: ) is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. ... Ursa Minor (IPA: ) is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Smaller Bear in Latin. ...

In another telling, Juno, the wife of Jupiter, does not see Callisto's vain attempts to reject Jupiter's advances. Out of revenge, Juno turns Callisto into a bear. Later, when Arcas unknowingly meets his mother Callisto in the forest, Jupiter prevents Arcas from spearing Callisto and brings both of them into the stars for Callisto to become Ursa Major or the Great Bear and Arcas to become Arcas the Bear Warden, Little Bear, or Ursa Minor. IVNO REGINA (Queen Juno) on a coin celebrating Julia Soaemias. ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ... Ursa Major (IPA: ) is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. ... The term Great Bear can refer to: Ursa Major, the constellation, whose name is the Latin for Great Bear. The Great Bear, an artwork by Simon Patterson based on the London Tube map. ... Ursa Minor is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Small Bear in Latin. ... Ursa Minor (IPA: ) is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Smaller Bear in Latin. ...

Hera was not pleased with the placement of Callisto and Arcas in the sky, so she asked her nurse, Tethys, to help. Tethys, a marine goddess, cursed these constellations to forever circle the sky and never drop below the horizon, hence explaining why they are circumpolar. In Greek mythology, Tethys was a Titaness and sea goddess who was both sister and wife of Oceanus. ...

Titian (1559) has taken the moment when Callisto's pregnancy is discovered (National Gallery of Scotland).

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3176x2926, 704 KB) Description: Title: de: Diana und Kallisto Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 187 × 205 cm Country of origin: de: Italien Current location (city): de: Edinburgh Current location (gallery): de: National Gallery of Scotland Other notes: de: Auftraggeber... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3176x2926, 704 KB) Description: Title: de: Diana und Kallisto Technique: de: Öl auf Leinwand Dimensions: de: 187 × 205 cm Country of origin: de: Italien Current location (city): de: Edinburgh Current location (gallery): de: National Gallery of Scotland Other notes: de: Auftraggeber... Titians self-portrait, 1566. ... The National Gallery of Scotland, viewed from the north The National Gallery of Scotland viewed from the south in front of the Royal Scottish Academy and Princes Street The National Gallery of Scotland is the national art gallery of Scotland, in Edinburgh. ...

Origin of the myth

The myth may be derived from the fact that a set of constellations appear close together in the sky, in and near the Zodiac sign of Libra, namely Ursa Minor, Ursa Major, Boötes, and Virgo. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Ursa Minor (IPA: ) is a constellation in the northern sky, the name of which means Smaller Bear in Latin. ... Ursa Major (IPA: ) is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. ... Boötes (IPA: ), a name deriving from Egypt, is one of the 88 modern constellations and was also one of the 48 constellations listed by Ptolemy. ... Virgo (IPA: , Latin: , symbol , ) is a constellation of the zodiac. ...

Boötes, since it resembles a male stick-figure, is in some versions of the myth explicitly identified as Arcas (untransformed), and was in myths elsewhere said represents a male god. Virgo, since it resembles a female, was usually considered to be a significant female goddess, though not identified as to whom. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The combination of a god and goddess and two bears in the same area of sky may have led to a transformation myth, associating the bears either as the god and goddess transformed, or as some thing they have cast out. The circumpolarity of the bears adding an extra detail to the myth.

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Callisto (mythology)

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References

1. ^ In his lost Astronomy, quoted in Catasterismi
2. ^ In Ovid's Metamorphoses Zeus is rendered as Jupiter and Artemis as Diana.
3. ^ Pseudo-Eratosthenes Catasterismi: fragment of Hesiod's lost Astronomy.

Catasterismi (Greek Katasterismoi, placings among the stars) is an Alexandrian prose retelling of the mythic origins of stars and constellations, as they were interpreted in Hellenistic culture. ... // Cover of George Sandyss 1632 edition of Ovids Metamorphosis Englished The Metamorphoses by the Roman poet Ovid is a poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world in terms according to Greek and Roman points of view. ...

External links

• Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke iii.8.2.
• Hyginus, attrib., Poeticon astronomicon, ii.1: the Great Bear
• Hesiod, Astronomy, quoted by the Pseudo-Eratostenes, Catasterismi: e-text (English)
• Richard Wilson's 'Landscape with Diana and Callisto' at the Lady Lever Art Gallery