Rhoeo
Encyclopedia
In Greek mythology
, Rhoeo (icon; from ) was a daughter of Staphylus
and Chrysothemis
, sister to Parthenos and Molpadia or Hemithea
. Parthenius
relates that she once experienced a great jealosy of her sister Hemithea when Staphylus arranged for the latter to spend a night with Lyrcus
, his guest, whom both Hemithea and Rhoeo fell in love with.
She became the lover of Apollo
and by him the mother of Anius
. When her father discovered her pregnancy, he believed she was impregnated by a man rather than a god. He placed her in a chest and cast her out to sea (parallel to Danae
and Perseus). She landed on the island of Delos
, which was sacred to Apollo. She gave birth to a son on the island and named him Anius (as if from ανιάομαι "to suffer"); she then put him on the altar of Apollo and prayed to the god that the baby be saved if it was his. Apollo concealed the child for some time, taught him the art of divination and granted him with certain honors.
Rhoeo eventually married Zarex
, son of Carystus
or Carycus, who accepted Anius as his own, and had two more children with him. Later, Anius became a priest of Apollo and gave aid to Aeneas
and his retinue when they were travelling from Troy
to the future site of Rome.
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Rhoeo (icon; from ) was a daughter of Staphylus
Staphylus
Staphylus is almost always associated with grapes or wine. In Greek mythology, he was:# The son of wine-god Dionysus and Ariadne. His brothers include Oenopion , Thoas, Peparethus, Phanus and Euanthes . Both Staphylus and Phanus are counted among the Argonauts...
and Chrysothemis
Chrysothemis
Chrysothemis or Khrysothemis , is a name ascribed to several characters in Greek mythology.Most prominently among these, Chrysothemis was a daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra...
, sister to Parthenos and Molpadia or Hemithea
Hemithea (mythology)
In Greek mythology, the name Hemithea refers to:* Originally named Molpadia, daughter of Staphylus and Chrysothemis, sister of Parthenos and Rhoeo...
. Parthenius
Parthenius of Nicaea
Parthenius of Nicaea or Myrlea in Bithynia was a Greek grammarian and poet. According to the Suda, he was the son of Heraclides and Eudora, or according to Hermippus of Berytus, his mother's name was Tetha. He was taken prisoner by Cinna in the Mithridatic Wars and carried to Rome in 72 BC. He...
relates that she once experienced a great jealosy of her sister Hemithea when Staphylus arranged for the latter to spend a night with Lyrcus
Lyrcus
Lyrcus is the name of two Greek figures, one a figure in a 1st-century BC Romance by Parthenius of Nicaea, the other the eponymous legendary founder of Lyrceia...
, his guest, whom both Hemithea and Rhoeo fell in love with.
She became the lover of Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and by him the mother of Anius
Anius
In Greek mythology, Anius was a king of Delos and priest of Apollo. He was the son of Apollo and Rhoeo, daughter of Staphylus and Chrysothemis....
. When her father discovered her pregnancy, he believed she was impregnated by a man rather than a god. He placed her in a chest and cast her out to sea (parallel to Danae
Danaë
In Greek mythology, Danaë was a daughter of King Acrisius of Argos and Eurydice of Argos. She was the mother of Perseus by Zeus. She was sometimes credited with founding the city of Ardea in Latium....
and Perseus). She landed on the island of Delos
Delos
The island of Delos , isolated in the centre of the roughly circular ring of islands called the Cyclades, near Mykonos, is one of the most important mythological, historical and archaeological sites in Greece...
, which was sacred to Apollo. She gave birth to a son on the island and named him Anius (as if from ανιάομαι "to suffer"); she then put him on the altar of Apollo and prayed to the god that the baby be saved if it was his. Apollo concealed the child for some time, taught him the art of divination and granted him with certain honors.
Rhoeo eventually married Zarex
Zarex
Zarex is the name of a hero of Ancient Greek mythology, son of Carystus or Carycus, grandson of Chiron. He is credited with having learned the music of Apollo, and having founded the town of Zarex in Laconia; he also had a heroon at EleusisPausanias, Description of Greece, 1. 38. 4 =...
, son of Carystus
Carystus (mythology)
Carystus , in Greek mythology, was the son of Chiron and a nymph Chariclo, brother of Hippe, Endeis and Ocyrhoe, father of Zarex, and the eponym of the town of Carystus on Euboea....
or Carycus, who accepted Anius as his own, and had two more children with him. Later, Anius became a priest of Apollo and gave aid to Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
and his retinue when they were travelling from Troy
Troy
Troy was a city, both factual and legendary, located in northwest Anatolia in what is now Turkey, southeast of the Dardanelles and beside Mount Ida...
to the future site of Rome.