Editing Eileithyia (section)

===Olympia===
On the Greek mainland, at [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]], an archaic shrine with an inner [[cella]] sacred to the serpent-savior of the city ([[Sosipolis (god)|Sosipolis]]) and to Eileithyia was seen by the traveler Pausanias in the 2nd century AD (''Description of Greece'' vi.20.1–3); in it, a virgin-priestess cared for a [[Serpent (symbolism)|serpent]] that was fed on honeyed barley-cakes and water—an offering suited to Demeter. The shrine memorialized the appearance of a crone with a babe in arms, at a crucial moment when [[Ancient Elis|Elians]] were threatened by forces from [[Arcadia (ancient region)|Arcadia]]. The child, placed on the ground between the contending forces, changed into a serpent, driving the Arcadians away in flight, before it disappeared into the hill.<ref name="6.20"/>