Page 19 - Sarpedon’dan Keykubad’a Bir Zamanlar Antalya

The City of Leto - The Letoon
Lycia is the land of the Titan god, the beautiful-haired goddess
Leto. Because she is the mother of Apollo and his twin Artemis,
who will shape much of the story that the hero Tremiles began.
One day Zeus wants to be with the beautiful goddess Leto. Leto
falls in love with the power of the chief god and soon surrenders
herself to Zeus. From that moment on, a new story begins for the
Termilai in far away lands. The beautiful goddess becomes preg-
nant. However, Hera, who learns of this situation, becomes crazy
with jealousy. Hera was so jealous that she does her utmost to
prevent it from taking place anywhere the sun rises in whole world.
With the help of his sister Artemis’ pregnant mother, Leto, who
was in pain, Apollo was born in the country of Delos, which accept-
ed them. But then, with Hera coming after them, they flee from one
country to another. However, this escape will end in another realm,
and the god will be reborn and for ever after be referred to as the
ruler of the country where he was born, that is, the chief god.
The safest country for Leto is Tremili. The goddess comes to
her country without thinking and gives birth to her hunter child
Artemis in a wooded place in pain, while she was writhing for 9
months in labor pain, water gushed from the soil, which helped
her to relieve her pain. Here was born Apollo, the head of Lycia,
like a light that rises at the same time.
With the birth of the god, the gushing waters suddenly be-

Fig.7: Ancient city of Letoon. Leto Temple. Photo by S. Pamuk

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