Kallisto, also known as Callisto, was the daughter of King Lykaon of Arkadia and a hunting companion of the goddess Artemis. While there are different versions of her story, ancient writers generally agreed on certain key details. According to these accounts, Kallisto’s fate took a dramatic turn when she caught the eye of the mighty god Zeus.
Seduced by the king of the gods, Kallisto found herself transformed into a bear. In this unlikely form, she wandered the wilderness, facing the challenges of survival while harboring within her the seed of Zeus. Eventually, Kallisto gave birth to a son named Arkas, the product of her union with the divine ruler of Olympus.
However, her journey took a tragic turn when Artemis, the very goddess she had once accompanied on hunts, discovered Kallisto’s fate. Enraged by the violation of her companion, Artemis unleashed her wrath, leading to a relentless pursuit. Kallisto, now a beast in the eyes of others, became the hunted.
The chase through the dense forests and rugged landscapes came to a somber conclusion as Kallisto, exhausted and defenseless, was overtaken. In the end, Artemis, in her role as the huntress, delivered a final blow. Kallisto’s life as a bear came to an end, but her story did not conclude in tragedy.
As a celestial consolation, Kallisto was immortalized in the night sky as the constellation Ursa Major, a testament to the enduring tales of gods and mortals woven into the fabric of the cosmos. Her form, forever frozen among the stars, served as a reminder of the capricious nature of divine affairs and the enduring legacy of those touched by the hand of the gods.
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In an alternate version of the story, Kallisto pledged to remain a virgin as long as she stayed in the company of Artemis. However, she yielded to the seduction of Zeus and concealed their affair. The revelation of her pregnancy occurred during a bath with Artemis, who, upon discovering the truth, became furious and transformed Kallisto into a bear. Subsequently, hunters captured her and her son, Arkas, delivering them to King Lykaon.
As Arkas matured, Kallisto unwittingly entered the sanctuary of Zeus Lykaios. Unaware of her true identity as a bear, Arkas, considering it sacrilege, attempted to kill her. Zeus intervened, sparing both Kallisto and Arkas by transforming them into stars, an eternal celestial tableau that would forever narrate their intertwined tale in the vast cosmic tapestry.
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