IO
One day as Juno was taking a walk through heaven she noticed that the skies were particularly cloudy and dark. Her husband, Jupiter, often produced these skies when he didn’t want his wife to see his doings. Immediately, she brushed away the cloud as if it were a strand of hair and observed her husband lounging near a quiet river with the most beautiful heifer accompanying him. Suspecting the heifer to be some sort of a mortal youthful nymph Juno joined her husband and asked from where it came from. Jupiter exclaimed that the heifer was just created when in reality he had turned the maiden named Io into a cow when his wife was approaching. Juno was of course, perceiving this and requested that her husband give her this heifer as a gift. Could the man deny her of such a trifling gift? Although he was loath to hand over the maiden heifer, he had to comply with his wife’s wish. Juno was not convinced of her husband’s story so she entrusted the heifer to Argus.
Argus was a humongous giant-like man who had a hundred eyes but never rested more than two at a time. Because of this he was able to keep watch over Io every second. Forced to be tied with a painful rope on her neck and feed through the day, Io longed to beg for freedom from Argus but because she was no longer human she had no resources to do so. Once while she was grazing, her father and sisters came up to her and exclaimed over her beauty, patting her back. Oh how she longed to tell them that it was their beloved sister and daughter but she couldn’t, or could she? Io realized that her name was such a simple one that she could simply inscribe it in the sand with her hoof. Once she did so her father was ecstatic and embraced his long lost daughter. Observing this reunion, Argus was infuriated and watched Io even more closely than before.
Meanwhile, Jupiter was immensely troubled at how much Io was suffering and summoned his messenger, Mercury, to formulate a plan to rescue this troubled maiden. Mercury slipped on his winged sandals and flew like the wind down to earth to play out the plan he had contrived. He posed as a Shepherd looking after his herd while keeping his wand as a staff. While tending his flock of sheep, he began to play upon his Syrinx and Argus was delighted with the beautiful music. Inviting him to sit on his rock, Argus was enchanted with the music and stories that Mercury told. One by one the ever-watchful eyes of Argus were lulled into a deep sleep while Mercury continued to drone on with his stories. When at last every eye was in a dreamy slumber, Mercury quickly slit the throat of Argus and rescued the heifer.
Although Mercury’s actions were swift, they were not quick enough, for Juno had observed the slaying of her companion and was enraged. From the mountains of Olympus, Juno sent forth a gadfly which would torment Io. Indeed, Io ran around the world trying to escape this fly but to no avail until at last Jupiter intervened and promised his wife that he would no longer give a second thought to Io if only she was restored to her former beauty. Juno granted her husband’s wish and Io was once again reunited with her family, only this time she was human again. Argus, who had died in service to Juno, his eyes were taken up by Hera and placed in a peacock’s tail, which she took as her bird to remind her of her faithful servant. ~ Greta
One day as Juno was taking a walk through heaven she noticed that the skies were particularly cloudy and dark. Her husband, Jupiter, often produced these skies when he didn’t want his wife to see his doings. Immediately, she brushed away the cloud as if it were a strand of hair and observed her husband lounging near a quiet river with the most beautiful heifer accompanying him. Suspecting the heifer to be some sort of a mortal youthful nymph Juno joined her husband and asked from where it came from. Jupiter exclaimed that the heifer was just created when in reality he had turned the maiden named Io into a cow when his wife was approaching. Juno was of course, perceiving this and requested that her husband give her this heifer as a gift. Could the man deny her of such a trifling gift? Although he was loath to hand over the maiden heifer, he had to comply with his wife’s wish. Juno was not convinced of her husband’s story so she entrusted the heifer to Argus.
Argus was a humongous giant-like man who had a hundred eyes but never rested more than two at a time. Because of this he was able to keep watch over Io every second. Forced to be tied with a painful rope on her neck and feed through the day, Io longed to beg for freedom from Argus but because she was no longer human she had no resources to do so. Once while she was grazing, her father and sisters came up to her and exclaimed over her beauty, patting her back. Oh how she longed to tell them that it was their beloved sister and daughter but she couldn’t, or could she? Io realized that her name was such a simple one that she could simply inscribe it in the sand with her hoof. Once she did so her father was ecstatic and embraced his long lost daughter. Observing this reunion, Argus was infuriated and watched Io even more closely than before.
Meanwhile, Jupiter was immensely troubled at how much Io was suffering and summoned his messenger, Mercury, to formulate a plan to rescue this troubled maiden. Mercury slipped on his winged sandals and flew like the wind down to earth to play out the plan he had contrived. He posed as a Shepherd looking after his herd while keeping his wand as a staff. While tending his flock of sheep, he began to play upon his Syrinx and Argus was delighted with the beautiful music. Inviting him to sit on his rock, Argus was enchanted with the music and stories that Mercury told. One by one the ever-watchful eyes of Argus were lulled into a deep sleep while Mercury continued to drone on with his stories. When at last every eye was in a dreamy slumber, Mercury quickly slit the throat of Argus and rescued the heifer.
Although Mercury’s actions were swift, they were not quick enough, for Juno had observed the slaying of her companion and was enraged. From the mountains of Olympus, Juno sent forth a gadfly which would torment Io. Indeed, Io ran around the world trying to escape this fly but to no avail until at last Jupiter intervened and promised his wife that he would no longer give a second thought to Io if only she was restored to her former beauty. Juno granted her husband’s wish and Io was once again reunited with her family, only this time she was human again. Argus, who had died in service to Juno, his eyes were taken up by Hera and placed in a peacock’s tail, which she took as her bird to remind her of her faithful servant. ~ Greta
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