EILEITHYIA
Real Name:
Eileithyia
Occupation:
Goddess of childbirth
Legal Status:
Citizen of Olympus
Identity: The general populace of Earth is unaware of the existence of Eileithyia except as a mythological character.
Other Aliases:
Ilithyia (alternate spelling), Lucina (Roman name),
Place of Birth:
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives:
Zeus
(father), Hera
(mother), Poseidon,
Hades
(uncles), Demeter,
Hestia (aunts), Ares,
Hephaestus
(brothers), Discord, Hebe
(sisters), Hercules,
Apollo, Hermes,
Dionysus (brothers), Artemis,
Athena, Aphrodite,
Helen, Pandia,
Persephone
(half-sisters), Cupid,
Asclepius, Deimos, Phobos (nephews),
Group Affiliations: The Gods of Olympus
Base of Operations:
Olympus
First Appearance: (behind the scenes) Thor #301
History: Eileithyia is the daughter of Zeus, King of the the Olympian Gods, and his wife, Hera, goddess of women and jealousy. She was worshipped by the Ancient Greeks as a goddess of childbirth, but Hera often used her to extract vengeance upon Zeus's children born out of wedlock. During the birth of Apollo and Artemis, Eileithyia, while still a very young and novice goddess, was kept restrained to Olympus and kept from assisting Leto, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, as she went through a very difficult birth. Iris, the rainbow-goddess, meanwhile, secretly spirited Eileithyia from Olympus to the island of Delos to assist in the birth of Leto's children. Several generations earlier, Eileithyia was also encouraged to stall the birth of Zeus's son Hercules so that he could not lay claim to the throne of Mycenae. By sitting upon earth with her legs crossed, Eileithyia mystically prevented the mortal Alcmene from giving birth to Hercules as per the wishes of Hera, but Galanthis, Alcmene's servant, surmised what was stalling the birth and prematurely announced the birth of Hercules. Startled by the announcement, Eileithyia uncrossed her legs and undid her spell as Hercules was finally born. Upset, Eileithyia transformed Galanthis into a weasel for deceiving her.
As an adult goddess, Eileithyia was approached as a mate by Apollo, but Hera warned her against marrying him on grounds he would prove unfaithful. Hera's claims proved accurate because in addition to several wives, Apollo seduced and kept several lovers, both mortal and immortal. Eileithyia was one of several goddess instructed by Hera and Frigga to protect and conceal the Young Gods following the Third Host of the Celestials and encountered the god Thor as he came to Olympus for the energies to restore the Asgardian Gods following the Fourth Host of the Celestials. She has been threatened from Olympus by several foes, including Typhon, a long time foe of the Asgardian Gods, Circe, a mortal sorceress who believes herself to be the mythological Circe, and most recently by Cronus, one of the Titans, and the Dark Gods, an extra-dimensional race of beings foreign to the known pantheons of gods on earth.
Most recently, following the seeming recent destruction of the
Asgardian Gods, the Olympian Gods have invested their interest in mortals from
beyond the earthly facade of a philanthropic organization on Earth. Eileithyia
has appeared posing as a mortal midwife alongside Apollo's son, Asclepius,
posing as a mortal Chicago physician.
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 345 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Strength Level: Eileithyia possesses superhuman strength enabling her to
lift (press) 25 tons under optimal conditions.
Known Superhuman Powers: Eileithyia possesses the conventional physical attributes
of the Olympian gods. Like all Olympians, she is immortal: she has not aged since
reaching adulthood and cannot die by any conventional means. She is immune to all
Earthly diseases and is resistant to conventional injury. If she were somehow
wounded, her godly life force would enable her to recover with superhuman speed. It
would take an injury of such magnitude that it dispersed a major portion of her
bodily molecules to cause her a physical death. Even then, it might be possible for
a god of significant power, such as Zeus, Poseidon and Apollo or for a number of
Olympian gods of equal power working together to revive her. Eileithyia also possesses
superhuman strength and her Olympian metabolism provides her with far greater than
human endurance in all physical activities. (Olympian flesh and bone is about three
times as dense as similar human tissue, contributing to the Olympians' superhuman
strength and weight.)
Eileithyia has several powers mystical in nature such as for
traveling from Earth to Olympus, altering her appearance to disguise herself and
for tossing off minor bursts of energy for defensive purposes. She can also cast
hexes and transform mortals into animals at will. She has some powers limited to
childbirth; she can ease the mortal pains associated with delivery or by forestalling
birth indefinitely, causing great pain and discomfort to the mother involved to
the point of death. To do so, she crosses her legs perhaps symbolically to
exhibit the condition of a woman unable to give birth, but by uncrossing her
legs, she can break her spell and hold over her victims.
Clarifications: Eileithyia is not to be
confused with:
Last updated: 10/12/12