Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

, Liriope () or Leiriope () is a Boeotian naiad of

Thespiae Thespiae ( ; grc, Θεσπιαί, Thespiaí) was an ancient Greek city (''polis'') in Boeotia. It stood on level ground commanded by the low range of hills which run eastward from the foot of Mount Helicon to Thebes, near modern Thespies. Histo ...

, who was probably the daughter of one of the Boeotian or Phocian river gods. Liriope was raped by the river-god Cephissus, who was himself the son of

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

and

Thalassa Thalassa (; grc-gre, Θάλασσα, Thálassa, sea; Attic Greek: , ''Thálatta'') was the general word for 'sea' and for its divine female personification in Greek mythology. The word may have been of Pre-Greek origin. Mythology According t ...

, and bore his son Narcissus.

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

, ''Metamorphoses'', 3. 340 Liriope's name means "face of the narcissus" from the Greek words ''leirion'' "narcissus" and ''ops'' "face." Her son was also named for the flower—''narkissos'' in Greek. ''Leiron'' and ''narkissos'' might be the same plant or could represent two different species of daffodil. Liriope was probably identified with Lilaia, the Naiad-nymph of the springs of the river Kephisos.

References

Nymphs Mythological rape victims Boeotian characters in Greek mythology {{Greek-deity-stub