\cf4 \ATXht10303 Callisto\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , or the "most beautiful", was a nymph of the Arcadian woods who had c
hosen to live far from men, among the band of virgin companions of \b \cf4 \ATXht13 Artemis\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , whose favorite she was.\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht8 Zeus\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 saw her and fell in love, but in order to unite with her was obliged to resor
t to an unusual stratagem, that of assuming the appearance of the goddess of the chase herself. Callisto's transgression was discovered shortly afterward, when she undressed to bathe in a spring. Her now obvious pregnancy offended Artemis, who expelled h
er from the band, withdrawing her protection and leaving her exposed to the vengeance of\cf0 \b \cf4 \ATXht3 Hera\b0 \cf7 \ATXht0 , who was patiently waiting for the moment to strike. When Callisto bore Zeus a son, called Arcas, Hera made her move: firs
t she changed Callisto into a shaggy bear and then, not content with that, caused her to be hunted by Artemis, who killed her with her arrows. However, some say that it was Arcas, inspired by Hera, who killed his mother fifteen years later, when she was
still wandering desperately in the form of an animal. Zeus set Callisto among the stars by making the constellation of the Great Bear appear in the sky.
