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 ...

, Myrice ( ; ) is a minor figure from the island of

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. Like both of her siblings

Myrrha Myrrha (; ), also known as Smyrna (), is the mother of Adonis in Greek mythology. She was transformed into a myrrh tree after having intercourse with her father, and gave birth to Adonis in tree form. Although the tale of Adonis has Semitic r ...

and

Amaracus In Greek mythology, Amaracus () was a young Cypriot boy who transformed into a marjoram plant, an aromatic herb that was one of Aphrodite's most commonly associated plants. Etymology The ancient Greek word for marjoram (''Origanum majorana'') ...

, she was transformed into a plant bearing her name.

Family

She was the daughter of

Cinyras In Greek mythology, Cinyras (; – ''Kinyras'') was a famous hero and king of Cyprus. Accounts vary significantly as to his genealogy and provide a variety of stories concerning him; in many sources he is associated with the cult of Aphrodit ...

, a king of

, and thus sister to

and

, thus aunt/half-sister to

Adonis In Greek mythology, Adonis (; ) was the mortal lover of the goddesses Aphrodite and Persephone. He was considered to be the ideal of male beauty in classical antiquity. The myth goes that Adonis was gored by a wild boar during a hunting trip ...

Mythology

The mournful Myrice was transformed into a

tamarix The genus ''Tamarix'' (tamarisk, salt cedar, taray) is composed of about 50–60 species of flowering plants in the family Tamaricaceae, native to drier areas of Eurasia and Africa. The generic name originated in Latin and may refer to the Ta ...

tree (' in ancient Greek), possibly by

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

, as the tamarisk was her sacred tree. The implication seems to be that Myrice was grieving the death of her kinsman Adonis, who was gored by a boar during hunting. Additionally, a Hellenistic and Roman-era cult dedicated to Myricaean

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

(, "Apollo of the Tamarisk") is attested on the Northeastern Aegean island of

Lesbos Lesbos or Lesvos ( ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of , with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, eighth largest ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * Mythological Cypriots Women in Greek mythology Metamorphoses into trees in Greek mythology Family of Adonis {{Greek-myth-stub

Family

Mythology

See also

Notes

References

Bibliography