Goddesses of Ancient Greece ~ I

Iambe
The daughter of Pan and Echo. She was full of life and had a friendly nature. When Demeter was lamenting over the loss of her daughter, Iambe managed to cheer her up. She became the first priestess of the goddess.

Iaso
A Greek goddess of healing, daughter of Asclepius.

Idaea
An epithet of Cybele, referring to her connection with Mount Ida in Asia Minor, which was an ancient seat of her worship. A Greek nymph, with Scamander the mother of Troy's first king: Teucer.

Ilithyia
An ancient Greek goddess, protectress of midwives, and who assisted during birth. Later identified with Hera or Artemis. The Romans called her Juno Lucina.

Ino
Ino is the daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia. She was the sister of Agave, Semele, and Autonoe. This is important because all of Cadmus and Haromonia's children have some kind of tragedy to happen to them. Semele, Dionysus' mother, was killed when a thunderbolt from Zeus burned her to ashes; Agave killed her son Pentheus when she was afflicted with Dionysic madness; and Acteon, Autonoe's son, was killed by his own hunting dogs when he accidentally saw Artemis naked. Greece

Io
Io was an Argive princess and the daughter of Inachus, an ancient hero or river god of Argos. She also had the misfortune to be subjected to the lust of Zeus. Zeus, in an attempt to avoid the rage and jealousy of Hera, his wife, transformed Io into a handsome white heifer. Hera, who knew Zeus was up to no good, asked for the heifer as a present. Zeus could not refuse. Hera deposited Io in the safe keeping of Argus, the watchman with a hundred eyes. She was eventually rescued by Hermes, though Hera still dogged her by sending a gadfly to sting her wherever she went. This tale she eventually ended up telling to Prometheus, while he was bound to his rock. Prometheus, though he couldn't provide direct comfort, told her that, though her future would be fraught with hardship and toil, she would, upon reaching Egypt and the Nile, be restored by Zeus and bore him a son, Epaphus. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, she is the progenitor, thought removed by many generations, of Hercules, greatest of heroes, to whom Prometheus himself would owe his freedom. Io, and the myth surrounding her, is important in several respects. First of all, her descendant Hercules plays such a major role in Greek mythology. Second, a number of real place names and objects are directly named for her or connected with her story. First of all Ionia, or the western coast of Asia Minor, is named after her because she reputedly ran down this coastline while she was being pursued by Hera's gadfly. Also, the Bosphorus, or Ford of the Cow, is named in memory of her passing. When Hermes rescued Io, he killed Argus, whose eyes became the tail of the peacock, a bird associated with Hera. Finally, there are a number of common literary and mythological motifs that surround Io. First of all, Zeus' infidelity is seen here, as well as Hera's jealousy. We also find one of Zeus' most common techniques for hiding his exploits from Hera, the Long Night. While he was seducing Io, Zeus threw a cloud over the earth to hide them from Hera.

Irene
(Peace)Daughter of Zeus and Themis, one of the Horae. Goddess of concord and unity, Her spirit was invoked in works of pacification and diplomacy. Irene was portrayed as a young woman with a cornucopia, scepter, and torch or rhyton. Famous is the marble statue of Cephisodotus (ca. 380 BCE), which shows Irene with Plutus on her arm. Greece

Iris
(Rainbow) Daughter of Thaumas, and Goddess of the rainbow. Like Hermes, she was a messenger and herald, and she served as an oath-taker on solemn occasions among the Gods, bearing a jar containing water from the River Styx, which would render a Divinity comatose for a year should they foreswear themselves. She is regarded as the messenger of the gods to mankind, and particularly of the goddess Hera whose orders she brought to humans. Iris is the daughter of Titan Thaumas and the nymph Electra. She is portrayed as a young woman with wings and her attributes are a herald's staff and a water pitcher. She appears mainly on Greek vases.