CORONIS (mortal mother of Asclepius)
Figure of myth · goddess from Greek mythology: princess, daughter of Phlegyas, lover of Ischys and Apollo, mother of Asclepius; killed by Apollon and Artemis
- Parents
- Phlegyas
- Consorts
- Apollo, Ischys
- Children
- Asclepius
- Haunts and cult places
- Amyrus, Rome
- In the sources
- 17 ancient passages
Coronis, daughter of King Phlegyas, was a princess from Larissa in the region of Hæmonia, celebrated as the most beautiful woman in all of Hæmonia.1,2,3,4 Her limbs were white and her form fair, and she is called divine.5,4,6 She lived as an unwed maid near the sacred Twin Hills in the Dotium plain, opposite the grape-rich area of Amyrus.7,6 In this setting, she often washed her feet in the waters of the Boebian lake.7
The god Apollo consorted with Coronis, and she bore him the son Asclepius, who would later learn healing from his father.1,8,9 However, Coronis committed infidelity against her lover, lying with a young man from Hæmonia and later with Ischys, the brother of Caeneus, against her father's wishes.3,5,1 Accounts differ on how her unfaithfulness came to light; a crow reported it to Apollo, while a raven saw her lying with a young man from Hæmonia.3,5 Koronis lay with a stranger from Arcady, harboring a frenzied and strong desire in her heart.10
Upon learning of her infidelity, Apollo shot Coronis with an arrow, wounding her white limbs until she bled purple blood.5 The accounts vary regarding the manner of her death; some say Apollo killed her with the arrow, while others claim Artemis killed her to punish her for insulting Apollo.1,5,11 Coronis claimed she and her unborn child would die together, and she was later burned on a pyre.5,1 Before the flames consumed her, Hermes rescued the unborn child from the burning pyre.11
Apollo wept tears because of his son born to Coronis.6 In a separate account, Zeus entrusted the infant Dionysus to Coronis and other nymphs to be reared.12
Though her life ended in tragedy, Coronis is called divine, and her son Asclepius was introduced into the sacred rites of Rome.6,13 Her legacy endures as the mother of the great healer, a figure whose beauty and fate remain intertwined with the gods.9,8,4,13
The codex facts behind this entry
Coronis is the mother of Asclepius. Hymn XVI to Asclepius ll. 1-4 +2 Coronis is the daughter of Phlegyas. Apollodorus 3.10.3 +1 She was a princess from Larissa in the region of Hæmonia. Ovid Met. 2.401-465 (10)
Appearance
Coronis was considered the most beautiful woman in all of Hæmonia. Hymn XVI to Asclepius ll. 1-4 +1
In the myths
Hermes rescued the unborn child from the burning pyre. Pausanias 2.26.6 Koronis lay with a stranger who had arrived from Arcady. Pindar, Pythian 3 ¶5 She washed her feet in the waters of the Boebian lake. The Catalogues of Women and Eoiae fr. 88 A crow reported her unfaithfulness to Apollo. Ovid Met. 2.401-465 (10) Coronis was seen by a raven lying with a young man from Hæmonia. Ovid Met. 2.591-632 (2) Coronis bled purple blood from her white limbs after being wounded. Ovid Met. 2.591-632 (2) Zeus entrusted the infant Dionysus to Coronis and other nymphs to be reared. Diodorus 5.52 Apollo wept tears because of his son born to Coronis. Argonautica 4 ¶40 She committed infidelity against her lover Apollo. Ovid Met. 2.401-465 (10) Apollo shot Coronis with an arrow after learning of her infidelity. Ovid Met. 2.591-632 (2)
Fate
Apollo killed Coronis with an arrow, and she was later burned on a pyre. Apollodorus 3.10.3 +1 Artemis killed Coronis to punish her for insulting Apollo. Pausanias 2.26.6 Coronis claimed she and her unborn child would die together. Ovid Met. 2.591-632 (2)
