ALCYONE (one of the Pleiades)
Divine power · Greek mythological figure; one of the Pleiades, daughters of Atlas
- Parents
- Atlas, Pleione
- Consorts
- Poseidon, Anthedon
- Children
- Glaucus, Anthas, Aethusa, Hyrieus, Anathamus, Hyperes
- Haunts and cult places
- Cyllene
- In the sources
- 10 ancient passages
Alcyone, daughter of Atlas and Pleione, was one of the seven sisters known as the Pleiades, born at Cyllene in Arcadia.1,2,3,4 She was the sister of Taygete and lived in a seagreen valley among her silvery-gleaming sisters.2,5 Some accounts name Agemon of Corinth as her father, though the prevailing tradition holds her as the daughter of the Titan Atlas.6,1,2 Alcyone is listed as one of the stars corresponding to the Pleiades.7
Poseidon, the sea god, was among the men with whom Alcyone had romantic encounters.8 From this union she bore several children, including Hyperes and Anthas, or Aethusa, Hyrieus, and Hyperenor.3,1,4 She was also the mother of the sea deity Glaucus and the Euboean leader Elephenor, connecting her lineage to both the deep and the land.9,10 Her sons went on to found the cities of Hyperea and Anthea, leaving a mark on the region.1
Alcyone leapt from the seagreen valley upon hearing of her son's doom.5 In wild despair, she tore her face, bosom, and green robe, leaping from the valley in a frenzy of sorrow.5 She flung herself on weapons and turned over prostrate corpses, refusing to give up on finding him.5 She recognized her son's shield floating on the flood.5 A band of Nereids finally carried her son's body to her, and she embraced him as if he were still alive.5 She brought him home, laid him on the sloping bank, and dried his wet body with her soft tresses, a final act of maternal tenderness.5
The codex facts behind this entry
Alcyone is one of the seven daughters of Atlas and Pleione known as the Pleiades. Apollodorus 3.10.1 +1 Alcyone is listed as one of the stars corresponding to the Pleiades. The Astronomy fr. 1 (2) Alcyone is the mother of Crenaeus. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2
In the myths
Poseidon and Zeus are depicted carrying Alcyone in a relief. Pausanias 3.18.10 Alcyone's sons founded the cities of Hyperea and Anthea in the region. Pausanias 2.30.8 Alcyone leapt from the seagreen valley upon hearing of her son's doom. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 She tore her face, bosom, and green robe in wild grief. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 Alcyone burst forth from the waves crying out for her son Crenaeus. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 She recognized her son's shield floating on the flood. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 Alcyone searched the watery depths for her dead son by many tracks. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 She flung herself on weapons and turned over prostrate corpses in her search. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 A band of Nereids carried her son's body to her mother's breast. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2 Alcyone embraced her son as if he were still alive. Statius, Thebaid 9.347-374 ¶2
