Callisto

  
By: Ashley Campbell

         
Callisto was said to be the most charming of all of the nymphs who were followers of Artemis. It just so happens that the name Callisto means "most beautiful," also. Callisto was a great hunter, and she spent most of her times in the woods. Early in her life, Callisto made a promise to herself and to Artemis that she would remain a virgin. She was very strong-willed and it seemed as if she would keep her promise. However, even the greatest plans fail when they are introduced to deceit.

            Callisto's beauty caught the eye of a very powerful god, Zeus. Zeus was aware of the vow she had taken, but he always finds a way to get what he wants. Just when you thought Zeus couldn't sink any lower, he did. Zeus decided that he was going to disguise himself in order to get closer to Callisto. Zeus most often appeared to Callisto as Apollo, the archer-god who was Artemis' sister, but he used the identity of Artemis to get what he actually wanted. When Zeus presented himself as Artemis, Callisto let her guard down. Zeus seized the opportunity and raped her.

            Callisto became pregnant with Zeus' child. Since she had taken the vow and told Artemis that she would remain a virgin, she was forced to hide her pregnancy. Like what happens when women are expecting, Callisto's pregnant belly soon began to grow. One afternoon, when all of the nymphs were bathing, Artemis caught a glimpse of Callisto. Artemis felt deceived, so she banished Callisto from her group of followers and sent her on her way to have the child alone.

            Callisto's pregnancy enraged Hera, Zeus' wife. This was just another of Zeus' many affairs, and once again she sought revenge. She pushed Callisto to the ground and transformed her into a bear. Since Callisto was known to be a hunter, she would now become the hunted. Zeus ordered Maia, who was the mother of zeus' child hermes, to take care of his and Callisto's child. Maia named the little boy Arcas which means "bear" in Greek.

            As the story goes, Arcas grew up to be a great hunter. One day while he was hunting in the woods, he came across a bear. Coincidently, the bear was Callisto, his own mother. When Arcas took aim at the bear, Zeus intervened. Even though it was Zeus’ fault that Callisto was in the situation that she was, he took pity on her. Zeus then placed Callisto in the sky as Ursa Major or "Big bear", and then he placed Arcas in the sky as Ursa Minor or "Little bear."

 

 

Author's Note: The story of Callisto is a very hard one to tell. There are many different versions and endings to the story. I kept the story basically the same, and I added just a few extra details. Some versions of the story leave out the part of Zeus seducing Callisto in the form of Artemis, but I chose to leave that part in because I think it makes more sense.

 Some Extra Information: As the story continues on, Hera was still displeased with the placement of Callisto and Arcas in the sky. She cursed the two constellations so that they would never dip below the horizons. Since they are constantly in the sky, they are never allowed a drink of water or a bath. This explains why the two constellations are circumpolar and visible all year round.

 

 Coverpage

Story Link: Callisto (Encyclopedia Mythica) & Callisto (Mythnography)

 Image Information: Ursa Major , Ursa Major, Great Bear