io, princess and cow shaped lover (asteroid 85)
paid reading options: astrology menu & cartomancy menu
enjoy my work? help me continue creating by tipping on ko-fi or paypal. your support keeps the magic alive!
Io was the daughter of the river god Inachus and the oceanid Melia. Io captured Zeus's attention - immediately Zeus became infatuated with her and covered the world in a blanket of storm clouds so Hera wouldn't see his pursuit of Io. His goal in this was to protect Io from Hera. To do so Zeus turned Io into a white cow; Hera then asked for the cow and had Argus (the creature with one hundred eyes) watch over her. Zeus knowing that Hera was on to him sent Hermes to Argus asking that Hermes get rid of Argus. When Argus fell asleep because of a pan flute, Hermes killed him and Io ran away. Hera was irate and sent gadflies after Io - after that the myth splits into a few different endings. Io has a child, Ceroessa, in some versions. In other versions, she keels over in Egypt near the Nile - with pity, Hera turns Io back into a human. Io is found by Telegonus, she marries him, and she has a child named Epaphus. Sometimes both children are born. IN MY OPINION Io in your chart can represent a) where you create strain in a relationship, b) where you are both something wonderful and something to be kept hidden, c) where you are tormented by other people's lack of control, and/or d) where you find yourself changed and forced to run away from a situation.
i encourage you to look into the aspects of io along with the sign, degree, and house placement. for the more advanced astrologers, take a look at the persona chart of io AND/OR add the other characters involved to see how they support or impede io!
OTHER RELATED ASTEROIDS: hera (103), hermes (69230), and zeus (5731 / h42)!
have ideas for new content? please use my “suggest a post topic” button!
return to nox’s guide to metaphysics
return to the masterlist of greek myths & legends













