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Elara

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Mortal woman loved by Zeus who bore the giant Tityos. Zeus hid her beneath the earth during her pregnancy to protect her from Hera's jealousy and wrath.

Detailed Definition
Elara was concealed by Zeus in Gaia to hide her pregnancy; Tityos was born from Earth. His later punishment in Hades reflects divine retribution. Poets reference Elara to explore themes of divine secrecy, monstrous birth, and the earth as both womb and tomb in cosmological or chthonic verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Elara, mortal lover of Zeus and mother of Tityos, appears in Apollodorus; Poets use Elara to explore divine seduction and its monstrous consequences; Hidden under Earth by Zeus, she symbolizes concealed passion; “Elara’s womb” might describe the birth of titanic forces; Her story warns of love’s destructive scale.
Additional Notes
Elara, hidden by Zeus under earth to conceal her from Hera, gives birth to the giant Tityos—who later assaults Leto and is punished in Hades. Her subterranean birth links her to chthonic forces. Though minor, she illustrates Zeus’s deceptive strategies and the tragic fates of mortal lovers. Useful in studies of giant myths or the spatial metaphors of divine concealment.
Also Known As
giant mother Zeus beloved Orion ancestor
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