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 ...

, Philomela () is identified by

Gaius Julius Hyginus Gaius Julius Hyginus (; 64 BC – AD 17) was a Latin author, a pupil of the scholar Alexander Polyhistor, and a freedman of Augustus, and reputed author of the '' Fabulae'' and the '' De astronomia'', although this is disputed. Life and works ...

as the wife of

Menoetius Menoetius or Menoetes (; ''Menoitios''), meaning ''doomed might'', is a name that refers to three distinct persons from Greek mythology: * Menoetius, a second generation Titan, son of Iapetus and Clymene or Asia, and a brother of Atlas, Pro ...

and mother of

Patroclus In Greek mythology, Patroclus (generally pronounced ; ) was a Greek hero of the Trojan War and an important character in Homer's ''Iliad''. Born in Opus, Patroclus was the son of the Argonaut Menoetius. When he was a child, he was exiled from ...

. The former was one of the

Argonauts The Argonauts ( ; ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', named after it ...

and the latter a participant of the

Trojan War The Trojan War was a legendary conflict in Greek mythology that took place around the twelfth or thirteenth century BC. The war was waged by the Achaeans (Homer), Achaeans (Ancient Greece, Greeks) against the city of Troy after Paris (mytho ...

. However, the '' Bibliotheca'' listed three other wives of Menoetius and possible mothers of Patroclus: #

Periopis In Greek mythology, Periopis (Ancient Greek: Περίωπις) was a princess of Pherae as daughter of King of PheresBibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus), Apollodorus3.13.8/ref> and possibly, Periclymene, daughter of King Minyas (mythology), Minyas of ...

Hyginus Hyginus may refer to: People *Hyginus, the author of the '' Fabulae'', an important ancient Latin source for Greek mythology. *Hyginus, the author of the ''Astronomia'', a popular ancient Latin guide on astronomy, probably the same as the author ...

, ''Fabulae'' 97 daughter of

Pheres In Greek mythology, Pheres (, ''Phéres'', modern pronunciation ''Féris''; ) is the son of Cretheus and Tyro, and the brother of Aeson and Amythaon. In the '' Bibliotheca'' of Apollodorus, he is said to be the founder of Pherae in Thessaly. I ...

, founder of

Pherae Pherae (Greek: Φεραί) was a city and polis (city-state) in southeastern Ancient Thessaly. One of the oldest Thessalian cities, it was located in the southeast corner of Pelasgiotis. According to Strabo, it was near Lake Boebeïs 90 stadi ...

Polymele In Greek mythology, the name Polymela or Polymele () may refer to the following figures: * Polymele, daughter of Autolycus and one of the possible mothers of Jason by Aeson, King of Iolcus. She was also called Polymede or Polypheme, otherwise ...

, daughter of

Peleus In Greek mythology, Peleus (; Ancient Greek: Πηλεύς ''Pēleus'') was a hero, king of Phthia, husband of Thetis and the father of their son Achilles. This myth was already known to the hearers of Homer in the late 8th century BC. Biogra ...

, King of

Phthia Phthia (; or Φθίη ''Phthía, Phthíē'') was a city or district in ancient Thessaly according to Greek mythology. In Literature It is frequently mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'' as the home of the Myrmidons, the contingent led by Achilles i ...

and an older half-sister to

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus () was a hero of the Trojan War who was known as being the greatest of all the Greek warriors. The central character in Homer's ''Iliad'', he was the son of the Nereids, Nereid Thetis and Peleus, ...

and #

Sthenele In Greek mythology, the name Sthenele (Ancient Greek: Σθενέλη) may refer to: *Sthenele, daughter of Danaus and Memphis (mythology), Memphis, who married (and killed) Sthenelus, son of Aegyptus and Tyria (mythology), Tyria. *Sthenele, daughte ...

, daughter of

Acastus Acastus (; Ancient Greek: Ἄκαστος) is a character in Greek mythology. He sailed with Jason and the Argonauts, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. Family Acastus was the son of Pelias, then king of Iolcus, and Anaxibi ...

and

Astydameia In Greek mythology, Astydamea or Astydamia (; Ancient Greek: Ἀστυδάμεια ''Astudámeia'', derived from ἄστυ ''ástu'', "town", and δαμάω ''damáo'', "to tame") is a name attributed to several individuals: * Astydamia (wife of Ac ...

. In some accounts,

Damocrateia In Greek mythology, Damocrateia (Ancient Greek: Δαμοκράτεια) was the daughter of Aegina and Zeus, and thus, sister of Aeacus, King of Aegina. She became the mother of Patroclus by her half-brother Menoetius, son of King Actor of Opus. O ...

, daughter of

Aegina Aegina (; ; ) is one of the Saronic Islands of Greece in the Saronic Gulf, from Athens. Tradition derives the name from Aegina (mythology), Aegina, the mother of the mythological hero Aeacus, who was born on the island and became its king. ...

and

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

was also called the wife of Menoetius and mother of Patroclus.Pythaenetos, quoting the

scholia Scholia (: scholium or scholion, from , "comment", "interpretation") are grammatical, critical, or explanatory comments – original or copied from prior commentaries – which are inserted in the margin of the manuscript of ancient a ...

st on

Pindar Pindar (; ; ; ) was an Greek lyric, Ancient Greek lyric poet from Thebes, Greece, Thebes. Of the Western canon, canonical nine lyric poets of ancient Greece, his work is the best preserved. Quintilian wrote, "Of the nine lyric poets, Pindar i ...

, ''Olympian Odes'' 9.107

Notes

References

Apollodorus Apollodorus ( Greek: Ἀπολλόδωρος ''Apollodoros'') was a popular name in ancient Greece. It is the masculine gender of a noun compounded from Apollo, the deity, and doron, "gift"; that is, "Gift of Apollo." It may refer to: :''Note: A ...

, ''The Library'' with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921.
Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.Greek text available from the same website
*

, ''Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus'' translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
* Tzetzes, John, ''Allegories of the Iliad'' translated by Goldwyn, Adam J. and Kokkini, Dimitra. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, Harvard University Press, 2015. Women in Greek mythology Mythological Locrians {{Greek-myth-stub ja:ピロメーラー