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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Jochen1, post: 3449438, member: 103829&quot;]Hi zumbly!</p><p><br /></p><p>Indeed, an interesting mythological reverse.</p><p><br /></p><p>The fact that you mentioned little Zeus led me to do some research on Diktynna. And here is my result:</p><p><br /></p><p>Diktynna is another name for the Cretan goddess Britomartis, which was common among the Kydons in the west of the island. Britomartis was her name in the eastern part.</p><p><br /></p><p>She was considered a daughter of Zeus and Karme, so she cannot hold little Zeus in her arms. The most complete and oldest source of her myths is Kallimacho&#039;s hymns on Artemis:</p><p><br /></p><p>Among the nymphs that Artemis loved most was Britomartis. King Minos burned in hot love for her and pursued her through the forests and meadows of Crete. Just as he was about to grab her, she jumped from the high rock of Mons Dikte into the sea. But she was rescued by fishermen who stretched out her nets.</p><p><br /></p><p>Actually Britomaris was a Cretan nature deity and only after the immigration of the Dorians, who brought their Artemis with them, she became the companion of the now higher goddess. Sometimes she was also identified with her and portrayed as a hunter with bow and arrow. But originally she was a protector goddess of the fishermen, an old Cretan nymph and fisher goddess to whom the nets were sacred.</p><p><br /></p><p>Your Trajan coin is discussed in detail in several places. Some assumed that the little child was an indication that she had also played the role of Eileithya, an obstetrician goddess. To Britomartis was also holy the mastic tree, which was a symbol of fertility. A name for the child itself is not known. It is the representation of a so-called Kourotrophos (= feeding a small child). Kourothrophos is an epiclesis for a number of gods. So one will have to compare it here with the Artemis Kourotrophos. The Nereids were known in Crete for being particularly fond of doing good to children. So the reverse is a representation of a peculiar Cretan local legend. The object that the goddess holds on the coin will most probably have something to do with fishing.</p><p><br /></p><p>Best regards</p><p>Jochen[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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