PROCNE (princess of Athens)

Tereus dishonored her sister Philomela while married to Procne, concealing her in the countryside and claiming she was dead.^7,8 He falsely claimed that Procne had requested his visit to Athens and instructed him to weep, attributing his own lustful desires to her wishes.⁹ Procne learned of her sister's suffering through a woven tapestry or robe, which left her silent due to overwhelming grief and a lack of words for indignation.^8,10 She removed her gold-adorned robes and put on black clothing, mourning the death of a sister who was not actually dead.³ In her silence, she burned with silent rage, occupied with contriving revenge against those responsible for the crime.^2,10

Procne rushed through the woods accompanied by a multitude of followers, agitated by the fury of her resentment.¹ She broke open the gates of the lonely dwelling where her sister was held, seizing Philomela and dressing her in the badges of Dionysus.¹¹ Concealing her sister's face under ivy foliage, she dragged her inside, removing the ritual symbols only after entering the house to reveal her identity.¹¹ Procne embraced her sister and declared she was prepared to commit any crime to avenge her, urging her to take action with a sword rather than weeping.¹¹ She expressed a desire to kill Tereus by burning the palace or mutilating him, rushing to confound right and wrong in pursuit of revenge.^11,10

Procne killed her son Itys with a sword while he clung to her neck, dragging him through the house like a tigress dragging a fawn.^8,2 She cooked parts of Itys's body in cauldrons and on spits, having removed Tereus's attendants by falsely claiming a ritual requiring only one man.² Procne served Tereus a banquet made from his own son's flesh, revealing to him that he had eaten his own son's entrails.² She felt a cruel joy after Tereus ate his son's flesh, unable to conceal it.² After the murder, she fled with her sister, having forced herself to help avenge her sister after her body was mangled.^8,7

Tereus pursued Procne with an axe, but she was transformed into a nightingale.⁸ She is identified as a bird that kills bees and carries them in her beak to feed her savage nestlings, making loud, persistent sounds to mourn her husband's concealed wrongdoing.^4,12 Procne is invoked to inspire Atreus to commit a monstrous deed, associated with a father who devoured his own children.⁶ Procne is said to have known the feelings of a mother and a sister.⁶