CASSIOPEIA (queen of Aethiopia)
Figure of myth · figure in Greek mythology; queen of Aethiopia and wife of king Cepheus
- Consorts
- Cepheus, King of Aethiopia
- Children
- Andromeda
- In the sources
- 8 ancient passages
Cassiopeia, wife of the king of Aethiopia, Cepheus, boasted that her beauty surpassed that of the Nereids.1,2 Her constellation appears eastward of her husband’s, composed of few, alternate stars arranged in lines of light.2 These stars shine singly like the key of a barred door, with shoulders that stretch a fathom’s length and appear faint.2
In a variant account, she is identified as the mother of Atymnius, while Hesiod names her as the mother of Phineus.3,4 The codex records Andromeda as her child, though her other offspring remain tied to different traditions.3,4 Cassiopeia boasted that her beauty surpassed that of the Nereids, a claim that enraged the sea nymphs.1 Poseidon sent a flood and a monster to punish her land.1 Her daughter Andromeda was exposed as prey to the sea monster.1
When Perseus defeated the monster, Cassiopeia rejoiced and greeted him as her new son-in-law.5 She acknowledged him as the protector of her household.5 Yet in the celestial vault, she no longer shines in a seemly manner on her throne.6 She plunges headlong like a diver, parted at the knees, as she is borne towards the West.6 Her figure appears to be sorrowing over her daughter, hastening after the child in the sky.2,6 She was not scatheless in her rivalry with Doris and Panope.6
