Libya (Ancient Greek: Λιβύη, romanized: Libýē) is the daughter of Epaphus, King of Egypt, in both Greek and Roman mythology. She personified the land of Ancient Libya in North Africa, from which the name of modern-day Libya originated.^[1]

Libya, like Ethiopia or Scythia was one of the mythic outlands that encircled the familiar Greek world of the Hellenes and their "foreign" neighbors.

Personified as an individual, Libya was the daughter of Epaphus^{[2][AI-generated source?]}—King of Egypt, and the son of Zeus and Io—and Memphis,^{[3][AI-generated source?]} daughter of the river-god Nilus.^[4] In one account, her mother was called Cassiopeia.^[5]

Libya was ravished by the god Poseidon to whom she bore twin sons, Belus^[6] and Agenor.^[7] Some sources name a third son, named Lelex.^[8] According to late accounts, Lybee (Libya) consorted instead with Zeus and became the mother of Belus.^[9]

Libya is also the mother of Calliste by Triton.^[10]

In Hyginus' Fabulae, Libye was called the daughter of Palamedes (corrected as Epaphus), who mothered Libys by Hermes.^[11]

• Isidore, Etymologiae xiv.4.1, 5.1
• Augustine, De civitate dei xviii.12
• Lactantius Placidus, Commentarii in Sattii Thebaida iv.737
• Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Pseudo-Clement, Recognitions from Ante-Nicene Library Volume 8, translated by Smith, Rev. Thomas. T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh. 1867. Online version at theio.com