CYRENE (nymph and mother of Aristaeus)
Divine power · nymph, mother of Aristaeus by Apollo
- Parents
- Hypseus, Peneus, Chlidanope
- Consorts
- Apollo
- Children
- Aristaeus, Agreus, Autuchus
- In the sources
- 37 ancient passages
Cyrene was a beautiful maiden, daughter of Hypseus, king of the Lapithai, who cherished her virginity while raised near Mount Pelion.1,2,3,4 Her beauty was said to be comparable to that of the Graces, and she possessed lovely arms that marked her as a huntress.5,1,2,6 Cyrene did not enjoy weaving or socializing at feasts, preferring instead the brief, sweet sleep that came before dawn.6
Armed with bronze javelins and a sword, she fought and killed wild predatory animals, providing peace and safety for her father's herds in the region of Phthia.6,7,8 The goddess granted her two hunting dogs, which Cyrene used to win a prize near the Ioleian tomb, and made her a companion in the hunt.3 However, while fleeing, a myrtle branch caught in her robes, angering her and setting the stage for her transformation.3
Apollo abducted Cyrene from the wind-echoing dells of Pelion in Haemonia while she was tending sheep along the marsh-meadow of the river Peneus.1,2 He transported her to a new location in a golden chariot, and the accounts differ on whether this union was a marriage or simply a common wedlock.1,2,4,9 In the land of Libya, Cyrene bore the son Aristaeus to Apollo, and the god founded a city there, naming it after her.1,2
Apollo placed Cyrene among the nymphs dwelling in Libya near the Myrtosian height, making her a long-lived nymph and huntress in that region.1 He showed her the wooded dells of Azilis while standing on Myrtussa, and made her the queen of a land rich in flocks and field fruits.10,4 The city of Kyrene became fair-built and honored during the Karneia festival, ruled by the individual who received Apollo's oracles.11,12
Apollo gave the city of Cyrene more blessings than any other city, remembering his past abduction of her when bestowing these gifts.10 From her underwater dwelling, Cyrene heard the mournful cry of her son Aristaeus and commanded the flood to open a pathway for him to enter the water.8 Cyrene instructed the listener to sacrifice bulls and kine to the Dell-nymphs, send funeral offerings to Orpheus on the ninth day, and sacrifice a calf to Eurydice in the grove.13
The codex facts behind this entry
Cyrene was a beautiful maiden who cherished her virginity, was raised near Mount Pelion, and was described as a huntress with lovely arms. Argonautica 2 ¶36 +3
In the myths
Apollo abducted Cyrene from the wind-echoing dells of Pelion in Haemonia while she was tending sheep along the marsh-meadow of the river Peneus and transported her to a new location in a golden chariot. Argonautica 2 ¶36 +2
