Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, Arethusa (; ) was a

nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

who fled from her home in Arcadia beneath the sea and came up as a fresh water fountain on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse,

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

Mythology

The myth of her transformation begins in Arcadia when she came across a clear stream and began bathing, not knowing it was the river god Alpheus, who flowed down from Arcadia through Elis to the sea. He fell in love with her during their encounter, but she fled after discovering his presence and intentions, as she wished to remain a chaste attendant of

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

. After a long chase, she prayed to her goddess to ask for protection. Artemis hid her in a cloud, but Alpheus was persistent. She began to perspire profusely from fear, and soon transformed into a stream. Artemis then broke the ground allowing Arethusa another attempt to flee. Her stream traveled under the sea to the island of Ortygia, but Alpheus flowed through the sea to reach her and mingle with her waters. Virgil augurs for Arethusa a salt-free passage beneath the sea on the condition that, before departing, she grant him songs about troubled loves, not those in her own future, but those of

Virgil Publius Vergilius Maro (; 15 October 70 BC21 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Rome, ancient Roman poet of the Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Augustan period. He composed three of the most fa ...

's friend and contemporary, the poet Cornelius Gallus, whom Virgil imagines dying from unrequited love beneath the famous mountains of Arcadia, Maenalus and Lycaeus. During

Demeter In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Demeter (; Attic Greek, Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric Greek, Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Twelve Olympians, Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over cro ...

's search for her daughter

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and Ancient Greek religion, religion, Persephone ( ; , classical pronunciation: ), also called Kore ( ; ) or Cora, is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the Greek underworld, underworld afte ...

, Arethusa entreated Demeter to discontinue her punishment of

for her daughter's disappearance. She told the goddess that while traveling in her stream below the earth, she saw her daughter as the queen of

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

. The Roman writer

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

called Arethusa by the name "Alpheias", because her stream was believed to have a subterranean communication with the river Alpheius, in Peloponnesus.Smith
s.v. Alpheias
A legend of the period, still told in Sicily today, is that a wooden cup tossed into the River Alpheius will reappear in the Fountain of Arethusa in Syracuse. The Arethusa myth became popular again in the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

and particularly in

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, retold by artists such as the sculptor Battista Lorenzi, painter Leopold Burthe, and poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. Increasingly, the Arethusa myth was reimagined as a

pastoral The pastoral genre of literature, art, or music depicts an idealised form of the shepherd's lifestyle – herding livestock around open areas of land according to the seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. The target au ...

or love story set in Arcadia. Retellings have continued into the modern era. Anne Ridler's "Evenlode" (1959), which she described as "a fable of rivers designed for broadcasting with music," has Alpheus and Arethusa as its main characters.

Coin of Arethusa

As a patron figure of Syracuse, the head of Arethusa surrounded by

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

s was a usual type on their coins. They are regarded as among the most famous and beautiful Ancient Greek coins. The Cook Islands issued three commemorative coins in 2023 depicting Arethusa with two dolphins near the rim on either style, in the style of the ancient originals.
Numista Online Coin Catalog of world coins.

In music

Karol Szymanowski, Polish classical music composer, named "The Fountain of Arethusa" first of his three poems entitled "Myths" for violin and piano. The Saucy Arethusa is an 18th-century song about a British naval ship named after Arethusa. A movement of Benjamin Britten's oboe piece '' Six Metamorphoses After Ovid'' is entitled "Arethusa." Italian composer Ottorino Respighi composed a tone poem titled "Aretusa". Also Ralph Vaughan Williams, the English classical music composer, composed "Sea Songs", a quick march for both brass band and wind band written in 1923, used a Morris Dance tune 'The Royal Princess' which was also known by the title 'The Arethusa', alongside two other shanty tunes 'Admiral Benbow' and 'Portsmouth'. 'The Princess Royal' is one of the most celebrated of Turlough O'Carolan's compositions, largely because of its association with the words of the song 'The Aretusa', to which it was set by Shield toward the end of the eighteenth century. The song of 'The Aretusa' originally appeared in a small opera or musical entertainment called 'The Lock and Key', which was acted in 1796. The Princess Royal was composed for the eldest daughter in Carolan's time of The MacDermott Roe of Coolavin. (There is also an English folk tune, of fairly wide distribution in England, which is entitled 'The Princess Royal' but has no connection with Carolan's melody.)

Gallery

Arethusa and Alpheus

File:Aréthuse, Legras.jpg, ''Aréthuse'' by Auguste François Jean Baptiste Legras (Salon 1874) File:Arethusa LACMA M.88.91.381g.jpg, ''Arethusa'' by Philip Galle (1587) File:Circle of Antoine Coypel - Alpheus chasing Arethusa.jpg, ''Alpheus chasing Arethusa'' by Antoine Coypel (18th-century) File:ALPHEE ET ARETHUSE.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by René-Antoine Houasse File:Story of Arethusa by Francesco Primaticcio, pen, ink, brush and washes.jpg, ''The Story of Arethusa'' by Francesco Primaticcio File:Scultore fiorentino, alfeo e aretusa, 1561-62.JPG, Scultore fiorentino, alfeo e aretusa, 1561–62 File:Alpheus and Arethusa MET DP248115.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by Battista di Domenico Lorenzi (1568–70) File:Alpheus and Arethusa, Abraham Bloteling.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by Abraham Bloteling (between 1655 and 1690) File:Alpheus and Arethusa - Roman School.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' (Roman School, circa 1640) File:Alpheus and Arethusa 01 - Carlo Maratta.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by Carlo Maratta (7th-century) File:Alpheus and Arethusa.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by John Martin (1832) File:Aretusa.jpg, ''Aretusa'' by Antonio Triva (17th century) File:Arethusa Chased by Alpheus LACMA 65.37.135.jpg, ''Arethusa Chased by Alpheus'' by Wilhelm Janson and Antonio Tempesta (1606) File:Johann König - Alpheus und Arethusa.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by Johann König (probably 1610s) File:Attributed to Luigi Garzi - Alpheus and Arethusa.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by Luigi Garzi File:La Ninfa Aretusa.PNG, ''La Ninfa Aretusa'' by Alexandre Crauk File:Paolo de Matteis - Alpheus and Arethusa.jpg, ''Alpheus and Arethusa'' by Paolo de Matteis (1710) File:Picart alpheus arethusa.jpg, ''Alpheus and en:Arethusa'' by Bernard Picart File:Roubaix piscine burthe arethuse et alphee.JPG, ''Aréthuse et Alphée'' by Léopold Burthe (1847) File:Urbino, francesco x. avelli, tagliere con aretusa nascosta da diana in una nube, 1534.JPG, Arethusa

Arethusa and Demeter

File:Aretusa e Demetra - Cerere.png, ''Arethusa Tells Ceres of Proserpine's Fate'' (1685–1775) File:Vincenz Grüner 1791 - Ceres and Arethusa.jpg, ''Ceres and Arethusa'', engraving by Vincenz Grüner (1791) File:Demetra e Aretusa.png, ''Demetra e Aretusa'' (1751–1801) File:Ludovico Dolce 1558 - Ceres and Arethusa.jpg, ''Ceres and Arethusa'', engraving by Ludovico Dolce (1558)

Citations

General and cited references

* Smith, William, '' Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'', London (1873)
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library

External links

* * *
Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (images of Arethusa)
{{Authority control Nereids Retinue of Artemis Deeds of Artemis Metamorphoses characters Metamorphoses into bodies of water in Greek mythology