This was only the beginning of her punishment, sadly. Gazing upon the shape of her body, they could tell she was pregnant, “Begone!” Diana cried “You shall not stain My stream!”Ĭallisto, pregnant with Zeus’ child was exiled from Artemis’ cult and everything she valued and worked for was taken from her. The only one not to enter was Callisto who could no longer hide her look of shame, when she was stripped her secret was revealed. When they reached the spring and nymphs and confirmed there were no prying eyes, they undressed and entered the water. She was invited to bathe in one of Artemis’ secret springs known for their purity. Wandering through the forest, Callisto came across Artemis once again, though this time she was hesitant, was this another of Zeus’s tricks.įollowed by her nymphs and other followers, Callisto recognised her patron Goddess. Zeus’ plan to have this affair disguised as Artemis was unsuccessful as Hera has watched the entire thing. Once he was done, he retired to the heavens, leaving Callisto to wonder the forest distraught at having broken her vow of chastity.

When Zeus made his advances, his true appearance was revealed to Callisto, and she tried to fend him off but was unsuccessful. Normally, Zeus would take great offence to a statement like this but in this case, he was very pleased that he chose the right form to seduce Callisto. When Callisto saw her queen before her, she elated, “Hail my Queen” “Greater than Jove I say thou Jove should hear.” Assuming his wife Juno or Hera would never find out of this prank as Ovid refers to it, Zeus appeared to Calisto, but not as himself. When Callisto found a place to rest in the forest, she put down her bow and her spear. The values of this cult were nature, hunting and chaste given Artemis was a virgin goddess. In the woods, his attention is caught by a beautiful huntress, Calisto the daughter of King Lycaon.Ĭallisto is described as a warrior of Diana, which means she was a devout follower of Artemis or part of the cult of Artemis. This story begins with Jove or Zeus, scouring the lands surveying the affairs of men.

The first story is the tragic tale of Callisto. As with all these stories I will mention then Roman names of the deities but for the most part to make it easier for everyone including myself I’ll be referring to them by the Greek names. Today we will be looking at 5 stories, some of which are well known and others less so. Many of these myths are very similar to their Greek counterparts and others have slight changes. In between, there are around 250 myths, based on the theme of Metamorphosis being transformed into something else. Metamorphoses, which means Books of Transformations, details the history of the world from its creation all the way until the death of Julius Caesar.

Metamorfosi by Ovid