Electia [1] (Greek: Ε ἰ λείθυια） She is one of the midwifery goddesses in Greek mythology who specifically gave birth to children for women or gods, also known as Lucina in Rome. According to the genealogy of Hesiod, Eretia was the daughter of the third god king, Zeus and Hera.

Eretia was originally a non Indo European mythological deity from pre Greek times, and the root of its name does not belong to the Indo European language family. Some researchers believe that she may be the goddess worshipped by Minoan culture. After the destruction of the Minoan civilization, the Greeks incorporated her into their mythological system as a goddess of childbirth and childbirth. In the Iliad, Homer believed that she had the power to alleviate the pain of childbirth for pregnant women.
In the classical Greek era, the image of Eretia was often closely related to Artemis or Hera, and sometimes even considered equal. Therefore, in the works of the Roman scholar Claudius Elian in the 3rd century, there is a description of her as "Artemis who blesses childbirth.". In ancient Rome, people often equated Electia with Juno and Lucena (also known as Juno, who was the goddess of childbirth when she was an independent deity).

In the mythology of Hercules, there is also the figure of Eretia. When Alcmene was about to give birth, Hera sent her daughter to postpone Alcmene's childbirth. So Eretia crouched on the altar at the entrance of Alcmene, his right leg pressed against his left leg, and his hands clenched tightly. Glantis, the maid of Alcmene, discovered and understood why the hostess was delaying childbirth. So Galantis falsely proclaimed Hera's prophecy, allowing Eretia to give birth to Alcmene. Hera was furious and turned Galantis into a cat (or weasel).
There is another saying that Galantis deliberately walked up to Elethya while she was casting a spell and said with a smile, "I don't know you, but please get up and be happy for my mistress. My mistress has given birth to a boy." Elethya was surprised and suddenly stood up. As the spell failed, Hercules also fell to the ground at this moment.

There are two midwifery goddesses in Greek mythology (Hera sometimes holds this position): when a pregnant woman gives birth, the one who comes to give birth is Eretia - otherwise the pregnant woman will have difficulty giving birth, while the one responsible for delivering is Artemis.
Eretia is often described as a shining woman holding a torch and leading children out of the darkness, allowing babies to see the sunlight.