Io

Io was a young priestess of the goddess Hera in Argos. Hera was the wife of the supreme god Zeus. Zeus lusted after Io. He turned his beloved into a white heifer to conceal her from his jealous wife. He mated with her in a bull-like shape, it is said.

The deception came out. Hera wanted Zeus to give her the heifer as a present. Then she sent Argus with the 100 eyes, to watch Io. Whereupon Zeus sent Hermes to slay Argus. In revenge for the murder, Hera sent a gadfly to Io to nonstop bite her, so that she would wander restless about the earth.

Finally Io escaped across the Ionian Sea where the gadfly could not follow her. In Egypt, Zeus restored her to her human form. Because Hera had not abandoned her vendetta, he used a shrewd trick to have his way with Io without his wife taking notice: he made love to her in a hornet-like shape…