CALLISTO Callisto was another maiden who excited the jealousy of Juno, and the goddess changed her into a bear. Callisto (Kallisto in the Greek) was an Arcadian nymph, whose name literally means “most beautiful.” Her father was the infamous and cruel Lycaon, whom Jupiter changed into a wolf as punishment for his savage and “wolfish” behavior. According to Hesiod,[4] she was seduced by Zeus, and of the consequences that followed: [Callisto] chose to occupy herself with wild-beasts in the mountains together with Artemis, and, when she was seduced by Zeus, continued some time undetected by the goddess, but afterwards, when she was already with child, was seen by her bathing and so discovered. The bearlike character of … The stars of Ursa Major were all circumpolar in Athens of 400 BCE, and all but the stars in the Great Bear's left foot were circumpolar in Ovid's Rome, in the first century CE. Trust us, all those TV shows everyone's addicted to don't even hold a candle to this drama. ZEUS LOVES CALLISTO is brings to life one of the many Zeus transformation myths of seduction that populate Greek mythology. The name Kalliste (Καλλίστη), "most beautiful", may be recognized as an epithet of the goddess herself, though none of the inscriptions at Athens that record priests of Artemis Kalliste (Ἄρτεμις Καλλίστη), date before the third century BCE. The name was suggested by Simon Marius soon after Callisto's discovery. [19] Here, as in most subsequent depictions, Diana points angrily, as Callisto is held by two nymphs, who may be pulling off what little clothing remains on her. After Zeus had seduced Kallisto, Lykaon, pretending not to know of the matter, entertained Zeus, as Hesiod says, and set before him on the table the babe [Arkas] which he had cut up.[15]. The Story of Callisto Begins. Knowing how powerful her mortal enemy was, and having nothing else to live for, Callisto learned everything she could about the Warrior Princess.Callisto was an exceptionally skilled martial combatant, though she tended to favor the sword or hand-to-hand combat. The real tragedy of this whole situation is the fact that Callisto was the one who suffered for it, ultimately paying with her life. Callisto being seduced by Zeus/Jupiter in disguise was also a popular subject, usually called "Jupiter and Callisto"; it was the clearest common subject with lesbian lovers from classical mythology. Callisto was one of the goddess Artemis’ huntress companions and swore to remain unwed. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Book II, Arcas was transformed into the brilliant star Arcturus just as he was about to kill his mother during a hunt; he was the eponymous hero of Arcadia. In versions before about 1700 Callisto may show some doubt about what is going on, as in the versions by Rubens. W. S. Ferguson suggested that Artemis Soteira and Artemis Kalliste were joined in a common cult administered by a single priest. The story of Callisto in Hesiod 123 tions, but they can best be met by a proposal put forward at one time by Carl Roben but not, so far as I know, defended by hirn in detail: the story of Callisto was told in two places in the Hesiodic corpus5). [7] Callisto's subsequent pregnancy was discovered several months later while she was bathing with Diana and her fellow nymphs. [17] From the Renaissance on a series of major history paintings as well as many smaller cabinet paintings and book illustrations, usually called "Diana and Callisto", depicted the traumatic moment of discovery of the pregnancy, as the goddess and her nymphs bathed in a pool, following Ovid's account. Titian's Diana and Callisto (1556-1559), was the greatest (though not the first) of these, quickly disseminated by a print by Cornelius Cort. The Catalogue, in my opinion, is likely enough to have been one of these places, the other is uncertain. [16], Callisto's story was sometimes depicted in classical art, where the moment of transformation into a bear was the most popular. However, being a follower of Diana she should be a virgin. She was With the Visitation in religious art, this was the leading recurring subject in history painting that required showing pregnancy in art, which Early Modern painters still approached with some caution. In Callisto’s case, the story is set in motion by Jupiter’s actions, but Callisto pays for his crime at the hands of three major figures. Other writers gave her a mortal genealogy as the daughter of one or the other of Lycaon's sons: Pseudo-Apollodorus, This was the version current in Greece when Pausanias visited in the second century CE (, Daniel J. Geagan. The violent rape described by Ovid as following Callisto's realization of what is going on is rarely shown. Carlo Ridolfi said there was a version by Giorgione, who died in 1510, though his many attributions to Giorgione of paintings that are now lost are treated with suspicion by scholars. As a mortal, Callisto had dedicated her life to becoming a strong enough warrior to eventually face Xena. You've got sneaky seduction, horrible shame, shocking transformations, brushes with death, and ultimate redemption—all rolled up into one jaw-dropping package. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The story of Callisto has enough steamy drama to make any soap opera blush. Callisto is not only Jupiter’s second largest moon, but it’s also the third largest moon altogether. She accompanied her on the hunt and attended her at her bath after the hunt. Callisto would come to prominence as part of the retinue of the goddess Artermis, and Callisto would be one of the female huntresses who … Either Artemis "slew Kallisto with a shot of her silver bow,"[8] perhaps urged by the wrath of Juno (Hera)[9] or later Arcas, the eponym of Arcadia, nearly killed his bear-mother, when she had wandered into the forbidden precinct of Zeus. From fruits to winged sandals, test your knowledge in this study of Greek and Roman mythology. The day Callisto turned thirteen years old was a very special one. 459 talking about this. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Who led the Argonauts in search of the Golden Fleece? Updates? According to Ovid,[6] it was Jupiter who took the form of Diana so that he might evade his wife Juno's detection, forcing himself upon Callisto while she was separated from Diana and the other nymphs. Callisto has a radius of 1498 miles (2,410.3km), as similar size to the dwarf planet, Pluto. Callisto later gave birth to Arcas. Callisto was one of the goddess Artemis ’ huntress companions and swore to remain unwed. Callisto is a nymph whose form is pretty. Now, Lycaon hadn't told either Nonacris or Callisto of his promise to the goddess of the moon, so they did not know of what was to come. The story of Callisto is one of the fantastic stories featured in ancient mythology and legends. Brigstocke, Hugh; Italian and Spanish Paintings in the National Gallery of Scotland, 2nd Edn, 1993, National Galleries of Scotland, "Gods": Aghion I., Barbillon C., Lissarrague, F., "Callisto", in, This page was last edited on 6 May 2021, at 20:41. Callisto, in Greek mythology, a nymph, or else a daughter of either Lycaon of Arcadia or of Nycteus or Ceteus. She was transformed into a bear and turned into a constellation. Callisto is named after one of Zeus 's many lovers in Greek mythology. As Callisto spoke, her fingers turned to claws, shaggy hair covered her limbs, her lips grew into a long snout and she dropped onto all fours. Marius attributed the suggestion to Johannes Kepler. In every case, Zeus placed them both in the sky as the constellations Ursa Major, called Arktos (αρκτος), the "Bear", by Greeks, and Ursa Minor. [21] Other, less dramatic, treatments before Titian established his composition are by Palma Vecchio and Dosso Dossi. In Greek Mythology, Callisto was a nymph in close association with Artemis, goddess of the hunt.. Callisto was Artemis's favorite of her attendents. He then placed Callisto among the stars as the constellation Ursa Major (Great Bear). The story of Callisto is one which was told and retold over many hundreds of years, and as a result there are various versions of the myth, but commonly, Callisto was said to be the daughter of the impious King Lycaon and the Naiad Nonacris. Artemis Kalliste was worshiped in Athens in a shrine which lay outside the Dipylon gate, by the side of the road to the Academy. It was especially popular in the 18th century, when depictions were increasingly erotic; François Boucher painted several versions. Callisto was a river goddess, descended from the river god Inachus. The myth in Catasterismi 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. [10] Artemis Kalliste was worshiped in Athens in a shrine which lay outside the Dipylon gate, by the side of the road to the Academy. In nine months, Diana discovers Callisto’s condition and exiles her. As a follower of Artemis, Callisto, who Hesiod said[2] was the daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia,[3] took a vow to remain a virgin, as did all the nymphs of Artemis. Callisto spends most of her days hunting and frolicking in the woods with Artemis and all the goddess's other nymph followers. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Omissions? The god Jupiter went to woods and fields in Arcadia, the land of the goddess, he saw the form of the beautiful nymph and loved her instantly. It was the day she was to become a hunter. The Story of Callisto Callisto is a nymph who has been raped by Jupiter and is now pregnant. She longs to reach out to her son, but he sees her as … [11] W. S. Ferguson suggested[12] that Artemis Soteira and Artemis Kalliste were joined in a common cult administered by a single priest. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Upon this, the goddess was enraged and changed her into a beast. The Story of Callisto and Arcus Avery Watts and Savanna Fred There was a very beautiful forest maiden named Callisto, who fell in love with the god Jupiter, and the two had a son named Arcus. Zeus sweeps in, has his way, and leaves the woman to deal with the consequences on her own. Although Ovid places the discovery in the ninth month of Callisto's pregnancy, in paintings she is generally shown with a rather modest bump for late pregnancy. Furious over her husband’s exploits, Juno turns Callisto into a bear. The beautiful nymph, Callisto, is living the good life in the forests of Arcadia. Annibale Carracci's The Loves of the Gods includes an image of Juno urging Diana to shoot Callisto in ursine form. On the eve of Callisto's thirteenth birthday, Artemis knocked on the door of Lycaon's palace. Callisto was then killed during the chase by Artemis, who, owing to the machinations of the jealous Hera, mistook Callisto for a real bear. Juno then took the opportunity to avenge her wounded pride and transformed the nymph into a bear. Juno, enraged that her attempt at revenge had been frustrated, appealed to Tethys that the two might never meet her waters, thus providing a poetic explanation for their circumpolar positions in ancient times. Of these four, Callisto’s story is the least well known, but maybe the most fascinating. While hunting with Artemis, Callisto caught the eye of Zeus, chief of the Olympian gods.Zeus resorted to trickery to win her, knowing that she had taken a vow of chastity.He came to her, disguised as Artemis. Only Ganymede and Saturn’s moon Titan are bigger. And this is also pretty typical of these kinds of affairs. (Just FYI: Some versions of the myth say she was a human princess, daughter of the Arcadian king, Lycaon.) The two lovers are usually shown happily embracing in a bower. She became pregnant and when this was eventually discovered, she was expelled from Artemis's group, after which a furious Hera, the wife of Zeus, transformed her into a bear. Diana became enraged when she saw that Callisto was pregnant and expelled her from the group. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Callisto began to tell the story of Zeus' chase, but Hera would not listen to her words. Who is the Roman equivalent of the Greek god Ares? Sixteen years later Callisto, still a bear, encountered her son Arcas hunting in the forest. According to Julien d'Huy, who used phylogenetic and statistical tools, the story could be a recent transformation of a Palaeolithic myth. The other nymphs reveal the pregnant belly to the virgin-goddess, who then orders Callisto into exile. 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