Upon the verdant slopes of Mount Parthenium, among the thicket of dense wood and secluded caves, a fragile infant lay abandoned. Her Arcadian father, Iasus, desperately wanted sons but was gifted a baby girl. His discontent led him to order her left to die, alone and exposed. But the man tasked with her untimely demise did not have it within him to kill her; instead, he traveled to the mountain, gently placing her near a clear spring. Fortune would smile on this forsaken child, as shortly thereafter, a bear, grieving the loss of her cubs to hunters, approached the spring. Still heavy with milk, and guided by a divine instinct, the mother bear nurtured the abandoned child, offering her sustenance and solace. In this miraculous bond, the bear found relief from her grief, while the infant thrived under her care. Read moreSection: NewsMyths & LegendsEuropeAncient TraditionsPremiumPreviewRead Later