Amalthea is a significant figure in Greek mythology, most widely recognized as the nurse of Zeus during his infancy. Her role was essential in protecting the young god and ensuring his survival during his early years.
Accounts of her identity vary across different periods of antiquity. She is frequently described as a nymph who raised the infant using the milk of a goat. In later traditions, particularly from the Hellenistic period, she is identified as the goat itself that provided nourishment to the future king of the gods.