Zeus and Callisto

Introduction

This was the piece I'd originally planned to present at the 2008 Bardic Championships, until I discovered there was a theme...

The Story

My friends, many of you know how the Greeks revered Zeus and Hera as the King and Queen of the gods.

Many of you also know how their marriage was often troubled, for Zeus had a wandering...eye. And Hera would exact terrible retribution upon those who drew the attention of her husband. Zeus turned Io into a heifer to keep her from the eye of Hera, and was forced to keep her in that form for many years, lest his infidelity be revealed to hundred-eyed Argus. Europa was driven into exile in the lands that bear her name. Ganymede was more fortunate, for this young lad could not displace Hera as the Queen of Heaven, so she permitted him to remain in his place of honor on Mount Olympus. But for Callisto, who gave Zeus a son, Hera reserved a most terrible fate.

After Phaethon scorched the Earth in his rash attempt to drive the chariot of the sun, Zeus visited all the lands and seas to ensure their recovery. In his wanderings he came to Arcadia, and encountered Callisto, a huntress of Diana. As one of Diana's companions, she could know no man or god, so Zeus transformed himself into a likeness of Diana, and thereby seduced her. In the fullness of time, she became pregnant, and when this was discovered, her companions banished her. After nine months, she bore a son, which she named Archytas.

When she heard the birthing cries of her rival, Hera prepared a frightful vengeance. First, she went to Arcadia and sought out Callisto. When she found her, Hera flung her to the ground and cried out “Never again shall you tempt the King of Heaven with your charms; hair, voice, form and fair skin all be taken!” And with that she turned Callisto into a bear, her fine hair turned into rough black fur, her honeyed voice to a low growl, and her delicate hands and feet into clumsy paws.

Now, Actaeon was turned into a stag and torn apart by his own hounds; such was the vengeance of Diana and might have been Callisto's fate, had she encountered her one-time companions. But Hera had no intention of letting her rival's suffering be ended by a quick death. For fifteen years Callisto wandered alone in the trackless wastes while Hera prepared the second part of her vengeance, for in that time Archytas had grown to young manhood.

Hera guided both, mother and son, to a clearing in the wilds of Arcadia. When Callisto broke into the meadow, she saw her son and recognized him. Forgetting her form, she ran to embrace him, calling out “Archytas, I am your mother!” Unfortunately, this came out as “RWARRA!” Archytas, seeing a fearsome black bear charging him and bellowing, overcame his fear and drew bolt and bow, intending to slay the beast. This would incur the wrath of the Furies, for no crime is greater than the slaying of a parent by a child. He let fly the arrow, but before it could strike, Zeus transformed all, mother, son, and bolt, into stars and placed them in the heavens: the Greater and Lesser Bears and Sagitta.

Her vengeance thwarted and her rival thus promoted, Hera went to Oceanus and Tethys, who raised her after Cronus had been banished. “At least let my rival and her bastard suffer thus: deny them the comfort of the great ocean and the sweet rivers.” And so, on any clear night, you may look at the stars and see Callisto and Archytas, circling ever above the horizon, never able to dip into the cool waters of the ocean, their eternal suffering a constant warning to those who would incur the wrath of the gods.

Notes

The story is based on that in Metamorphoses. Back in the days when I was a regular attendee at the Carolingian Storyteller's guild, someone noted that I had a marked preference for the origin stories. In retrospect, they were right (see Hermes and Argus for another example of this).

1. Yes, that is a double entendre.
2. This is my invention.