Io

Family: Argive · Role: priestess · First appears: Apollodorus, Library 2.1

🌐 Also appears in: The Metamorphoses of Ovid (as Io) · Greek Tragedy — The Same Myth, Three Voices (as Io)

Io, an Argive priestess, is given different parentages: Iasus is named as her father, while other accounts call her a daughter of Inachus or Piren. While she held the priesthood of Hera, Zeus seduced her; after Hera discovered them, Zeus transformed Io into a white cow and swore he had not known her: “Zeus seduced her while she held the priesthood of Hera, but being detected by Hera he by a touch turned Io into a white cow and swore that he had not known her;”

Hera requested the cow from Zeus and set Argus to guard it. Io eventually reached Egypt, recovered her original form, and gave birth to Epaphus beside the Nile: “until at last she came to Egypt , where she recovered her original form and gave birth to a son Epaphus beside the river Nile .” After finding Epaphus, she married Telegonus, who reigned over the Egyptians.

Relationship record

Life events

• Zeus transformed Io into a white cow after Hera discovered their affair.(Apollodorus, Library 2.1)
  • With: Zeus Hera
  • “Zeus seduced her while she held the priesthood of Hera, but being detected by Hera he by a touch turned Io into a white cow and swore that he had not known her;”
• Io recovered her original form in Egypt and gave birth to Epaphus beside the Nile.(Apollodorus, Library 2.1 · 📍 Nile)
  • With: Epaphus
  • “until at last she came to Egypt , where she recovered her original form and gave birth to a son Epaphus beside the river Nile .”

Apollodorus, Library 2.1

• parent: Iasus “Argus and Ismene, daughter of Asopus, had a son Iasus, who is said to have been the father of Io.”
• parent: Inachus “many of the tragedians allege that Io was a daughter of Inachus”
• parent: Piren “Hesiod and Acusilaus say that she was a daughter of Piren.”
• courtship with Zeus “Zeus seduced her while she held the priesthood of Hera”
• with Hera (interaction) “he by a touch turned Io into a white cow”
• child: Epaphus “where she recovered her original form and gave birth to a son Epaphus beside the river Nile.”
• married with Telegonus “having found Epaphus she came to Egypt and was married to Telegonus, who then reigned over the Egyptians.”
• enemies with Hera “But Hera requested the cow from Zeus for herself and set Argus the All-seeing to guard it.”
• with Zeus (Zeus seduced Io.) “Zeus seduced her while she held the priesthood of Hera”
• guardian: Hera “Hera ... set Argus the All-seeing to guard it.”

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Extracted from the original text of Greek Mythology. Made with Rho MD.