#sosipolis

I took my insperation for Ilithyia & her son Sosipolis from ur art of Zeus, Hera & their children. Ilithyia has Hera's facial features, and red eyes. Her completion is similar to Ares, and considering how messy and dangerious childbirth can be, she can often be seen with blood on her clothes like her brother. She has Zeus' tall build, and dark curly hair. Often seen sporting a messy bun and dark eye bags like her bro Hesphaestus. Her son Sosipolis takes after his Auntie Hebe with golden hair and eyes, with completion similar to his Pappous (grandpa) Zeus'.

Sosipolis is doesn't have and named parent, but considering Ilithyia grew up seeing how messy her own parents marriage is, I headcanon she just wanted a baby but didn't want to deal with having a husband. Zeus and Hera were probably not thrilled about about one of their daughters willingly choosing to be an unmarried single mom, but Ilithyia made it clear if they can't handle that, she can just move to Crete and they don't get to see their grandson. A bit harsh but considering all the, baby mama/who's the father drama, Ilithyia had to witness from her parents over the centuries seems fair. The story of Sosipolis becoming the god and protector of the city state Elis is hilarious too. Elis was being invaded by the Arcadians, so Ilithyia shows up, tits out breastfeeding a baby, tells them my kid is going to be ur champion, and they're just alraight. So they put baby Sosipolis on the front lines, and when the Arcadian army attacked, he turned into a gaint snake and scared them away. Pretty wild but also on brand for Zeus and Hera's grand kid.

I picture Ilithyia being a middle child, often overlooked and ignored, unless needed for something.Very tired, and overworked similar to an exausted med student, or OBGYN intern.Just 100% done with her familes' BS. Ilithyia does love babies and kids she tends to be more patient and kind with them, and expecting parents. She is not as indulgent with others, unless u r in labor, an infant,or a first time parent she doesn't have the energy or time to deal with u! Now let her take a damn smoke break and nap, unless u want to know what giving birth to a 10lbs breech baby feels like?!

OH YOU COOKED WITH THIS ONE !

Ilithyia (or Eileithyia) is the Greek goddess of childbirth and midwives, along with her son, Sosipolis. Their visual desgine are inspired by @messymoonmad Olympians. I gave my Ilithya similar facail features to her mother, Hera, red eyes and darker complextion like her brother Ares. She also has Zeus' dark curly hair, and tall stature. Her son Sosipolis has a similar complextion to his grandfather Zeus, and golden hair and eyes like Hebe.

She's a bit of a less well known goddess, one of Zeus and Hera's daughters, since childbirth is also domains held by Hera and Artemis (and considering how many kids the Olympians have, makes sense they'd need more than one midwife to keep up). Then I realized she's the goddess of painless child birth and it made more sense. Even nowadays with modern medicen giving birth is still painful and riskey. Being able to remove labour pains without drugs or getting a huge needle injected in ur spine is a big deal!

Her son Sosipolis isn't mentioned to have another parent, which isn't surprising considering the how messy Zeus and Hera's marriage is, I could see her not wanting to bother with a husband just to have a child. Sosipolis is the god and savior of the city state Elis. The city of Elis was being invaded by the Arcadians Ilithyia showed up with her son at her breast, told them her son is now their champion. They put the baby infront of their ranks, and when the Arcadians attacked Sosipolis turned into a serpent and scared them off. Which is wild but surprisingly fitting considering the stuff Ilithyia's other family pulled. Showing up tits out, while breastfeeding a baby, telling folks her kid is going to save them, then the baby turns into a big snake and scares off the other army. Seems typical for one of Zeus' kids.

“Savior of the City”

This God or Daimon of Elis protected them from an invasion of Arcadians. During the night a nursing mother had a dream that her newborn child would fight on the side of the Elians, and she gave the child to the generals. The child was set at the battlefront, and the moment that the Arcadian hoplites charged, he became a large snake. The men of Arcadia immediately routed at the sight. The snake-child disappeared into the earth when the danger had passed.

As a result, the people of Elis established a sanctuary to him on the spot. The nursing mother was named Eileithyia, and so was the Goddess of Childbirth, and his sanctuary was dedicated in Her name. Sosipolis had a chamber within her sanctuary, where he was honored. The two of them were honored with rites and with songs of birth and life. The cultus focused on protecting the land of Elis, and on the safety of the community as a whole. Versnel says His cultus also included Tyche. Together, they bring forth all abundance. Versnel also believes that the Elian Sosipolis was sometimes depicted as an adult man as well as a child, calling him a “year-god”(Versnel 295).

There is also Zeus Sosipolis in Magnesia, where the epiphany comes in the form of an adult man, rather than as a separate force from Zeus. The overlap between the Elian savior and Zeus here has given some scholars the thought that Elian Sosipolis is a Zeus-like God, presented as a child, and being God of Prosperity. He received a sacrificed bull at his annual festival, perhaps at the beginning of the agricultural year. We also know that Zeus Sosipolis could receive a ram as sacrifice. Strabo says that Sosipolis is truly the child Zeus before he brought Kronos low.

Jane Ellen Harrison saw Eileithyia as a name for Ge, Rhea, or Demeter, and compared Sosipolis to Erichthonios. She describes coins from Magnesia that show Sosipolis with a throne with legs in a thunderbolt pattern and attended by the Kouretes. She says that when the bull was sacrificed to Sosipolis, it became the Savior of the City himself. Harrison conflated Sosipolis with Ploutos and believed Tyche to be Eirene.

Sosipolis is one of those Beings who can flow between being a Hero, a God, and a beloved Ancestor, depending on which region you are studying. Harrison mentions that His name could also be an epithet for Herakles.

The main sanctuary to Eileithyia and Sosipolis was a small structure at Olympos on the same row as the treasuries, where an elderly priestess veiled in white bathed the infant god and offered barley and honey cakes for the serpent. This priestess was the only one who was able to enter the naos, and other women attended from outside, with song and incense, and never offering wine. Oaths were sworn locally at this sanctuary, when the moment was one of import.

Sources:

Harrison, Jane Ellen. Themis: a Study of the Social Origins of Greek Religion, Cambridge, 2010.

Lawson, John Cuthbert. Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion: a Study in Survivals, Cambridge, 2012.

Ogden, Daniel. Drakon: Dragon Myth and Serpent Cult in the Greek and Roman Worlds, Oxford, 2013.

Ransome, Hilda M. The Sacred Bee in Ancient Times and Folklore, Courier, 2012.

Sommerstein, Alan H. and Andrew James Bayliss. Oath and State in Ancient Greece, de Gruyter, 2013.

Stehle, Eva. Performance and Gender in Ancient Greece: Nondramatic Poetry in its Setting, Princeton, 2014.

Versnel, H.S. Triumphus: an Inquiry into the Origin, Development and Meaning of the Roman Triumph, Brill, 1970.

Images:

Berchem, Nicolaes Pieterszoon. “The Infancy of Zeus,” 1648, oil on canvas, now in the Royal Picture Gallery in Mauritshuis, the Hague. Via wikicommons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_infancy_of_Zeus.jpg