Io (mythology)

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Io

Io in Greek mythology, daughter of Inachus, king of Argos. She was loved by Zeus, who, to protect her from Hera's jealousy, changed her into a white heifer. Hera, however, was not deceived; she claimed the heifer and sent Argus to guard it. When Hermes killed Argus, Hera tormented Io with a gadfly which drove her across Europe and through Asia, until she was finally allowed to rest in Egypt. There Zeus returned her to human form, and she bore his child Epaphus. Io has been identified with the Egyptian goddess Isis.

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Io

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Â© The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable 2006, originally published by Oxford University Press 2006. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Io in Greek mythology, a priestess of Hera who was loved by Zeus. Trying to protect her from the jealousy of Hera, Zeus turned Io into a heifer. Hera sent a gadfly to torture the heifer, which then fled across the world and finally reached Egypt, where Zeus turned her back into human form.

The Bosporus (‘cow's passage’) and the Ionian Sea are reputed to have been crossed by Io, and derive their names from her story.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Io." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 23 Dec. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Io." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (December 23, 2009). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Io.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Io." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press. 2006. Retrieved December 23, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Io.html

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