Metamorphoses: Book 1: Io (1) Summary & Analysis

In Thessaly, the Peneus river flows down a rocky ravine where the river god Penéus rules. All the river nymphs gather to recognize Daphne’s transformation into a tree, except Ínachus, who is too upset over his missing daughter Io to appear. This is what happened to Io: one day, Io leaves her father’s river and Jupiter sees her and falls in love with her. He tells her to lie down in the shade and to let him help her escape the wild beasts in the woods. She tries to flee, but Jupiter darkens the sky, overpowers her, and rapes her.

Queen Juno—Jupiter’s wife—notices that the sunny day has turned to night and suspects that Jupiter is cheating on her again, as he often has. She goes to earth to find him, but before she can catch him, Jupiter transforms Io into a beautiful white cow. Queen Juno suspects that the cow is really Jupiter’s mistress, so she asks Jupiter to give her the cow. Reluctant to give up Io but not wanting to reveal his infidelity to his wife, Jupiter finally gives Queen Juno the cow. The Queen, still suspicious, has Argus—a man with a hundred eyes—keep watch over her. Io can’t plead with Argus to release her, because her voice has become a moo.

One day, Io wanders close to her father’s river. Her father feeds her grass and she licks his hands, weeping because she can’t tell him who she is. She writes her name in the dust with her hoof to explain. Her father weeps, lamenting that his lineage will be a herd of cattle. Argus then moves Io to a pasture farther away.

Jupiter is unable to bear Io’s distress. He calls for his son, Mercury, and orders him to kill Argus. Mercury grabs his sleep-inducing wand and goes down to earth. There, he pretends to be a shepherd playing music on a reed pipe. Entranced by the music, Argus asks Mercury to sit down beside him. Slowly, the music starts to put Argus to sleep.