Lysithea (mythology)

Lysithea or Lysithoe (Greek Λυσιθέα or Λυσιθόη ) In Greek mythology, the daughter of Oceanus and a lover of Zeus.

As Lysithea of Zeus was pregnant, she wanted to keep her pregnancy secret from him. They therefore asked a plant, an animal, and a stone to help her. Plant and animal refused her help, but she closed the stone, until she gave birth. During this time Lysithea wept tears over her fate, which she then gave the stone and which led to emergence of rock crystal.

Some authors give Lysithea as another name for Semele, which is also known as mother of Dionysus. She was later to Olympus, where she lives under the name Thyone among the gods.

In 1938, discovered by Seth Barnes Nicholson Jupiter Moon Lysithea was ( which was initially designated as Jupiter X) named after her.

Historical sources to Lysithea are the Roman politician and writer Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC - 43 BC ) and the Byzantine officials and writer John Lydos (about 490-565 ). Cicero mentions Lysithoe in his work " On the Nature of the Gods" ( De natura deorum ) as the mother of Heracles, which she is also the lover of Zeus. The exact original spelling of the name as a whole is, however, not been preserved and in later copies of the root word of Lysith by Friedrich Creuzer been added to Lysithoe. In John Lydos be found in his work "On the months " ( De mensibus ) also genealogical notes to figures of Greek mythology. In Chapter IV there seven different lineages for Heracles to specify a call from these Zeus and Lysithoe, daughter of Okeanos, as parents. In Chapter VII Dionysos is then referred to as the son of Zeus and Lysithea .. Whether one can equate Lysithoe and Lysithea may or must be regarded in principle as different characters is disputed.

See also: Semele ( mythology), Thyone ( mythology)