Goddesses in the Dust: Eileithyia, The Goddess of Labor

Unearthing the divine feminine, one archetype at a time...

The first time I learned the meaning of this word I lived in Greece.

Eileithyia: It's how you cry for help.

So it wasn't much of a surprise when I found out it also was the name of a Goddess. These Greeks, they have a goddess for everything - and Eileithyia is the goddess of labor and delivery.

Today is Labor Day. What does that really mean? According to the United States Department of Labor (if there ever was a site that would be the authority, this would be it) "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom and leadership - the American worker."

The word labor has several definitions - number one is: Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting work. At the bottom of the list, number seven states: The process by which childbirth occurs, beginning with the contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the fetus or infant and the placenta.

Eileithyia's Roman counterpart was Lucina, or light bringer, and the Italian verb for to give birth is dare alla luce - to give to the light. In ancient Greece, the goddess Eileithyia had a cult center located at Amnisos in Crete; a cave where archaeologists have found figurines of women, animals and other objects representing gifts from women petitioning the goddess for a child. 

The word Amnisos may ring a bell for a word in the English language: it is the root for amniotic, as in the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus in the womb. Since ancient times, caves have represented places of fertility and birth, so it is fitting that the goddess of labor would find her home in the womb of the earth. 

All meanings of the word labor involve intense, difficult and often - painful - work; and - particularly in the case of childbirth - it is easy to understand how the word eileithyia became a cry for help. Today we honor all those who work, putting their efforts into a worthy goal, and remember the words of Martin Luther King:

                     All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance            

        and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence

and Sophocles:

                     Without labor nothing prospers