Crossword clues for philomela
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Philomela \Phil`o*me"la\, n. [L. philomela, Gr. ?, according to the legend, from ? Philomela (daughter of Pandion, king of Athens), who was changed into a nightingale.]
The nightingale; philomel.
--Shak.(Zo["o]l.) A genus of birds including the nightingales.
Wikipedia
Philomela or Philomel (; , Philomēlē) is a minor figure in Greek mythology and is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary, artistic, and musical works in the Western canon.
She is identified as being the "princess of Athens" and the younger of two daughters of Pandion I, King of Athens, and Zeuxippe. Her sister, Procne, was the wife of King Tereus of Thrace. While the myth has several variations, the general depiction is that Philomela, after being raped and mutilated by her sister's husband, Tereus, obtains her revenge and is transformed into a nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), a migratory passerine bird native to Europe and southwest Asia and noted for its song. Because of the violence associated with the myth, the song of the nightingale is often depicted or interpreted as a sorrowful lament. Coincidentally, in nature, the female nightingale is mute and only the male of the species sings.
Ovid and other writers have made the association (either fancifully or mistakenly) that the etymology of her name was "lover of song," derived from the Greek and ("song") instead of ("fruit" or "sheep"). The name means "lover of fruit," "lover of apples," or "lover of sheep."
The name Philomela is derived from a figure in Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology Philomela is identified by Gaius Julius Hyginus as the wife of Menoetius and mother of Patroclus. The former was one of the Argonauts and the latter a participant of the Trojan War. However the Bibliotheca listed three other wives of Menoetius and possible mothers of Patroclus:
- Periopis, daughter of Pheres, founder of Pherae.
- Polymele, daughter of Peleus, King of Phthia and an older half-sister to Achilles.
- Sthenele, daughter of Acastus and Astydameia.
Usage examples of "philomela".
There is also the story of Philomela, which the King will remember, of how she was seduced by Tereus, who was married to her sister, and of how he cut out her tongue to prevent her from speaking of this, and of how, at a moment of extreme fear, she was changed by the gods into a nightingale and given the tongue and throat of marvellous song.
But Philomela remembers her fear, and when danger comes close she again becomes tongueless.
Thomas Trevelyan READING in Ovid the sorrowful story of Itys, Son of the love of Tereus and Procne, slain For the guilty passion of Tereus for Philomela, The flesh of him served to Tereus by Procne, And the wrath of Tereus, the murderess pursuing Till the gods made Philomela a nightingale, Lute of the rising moon, and Procne a swallow Oh livers and artists of Hellas centuries gone, Sealing in little thuribles dreams and wisdom, Incense beyond all price, forever fragrant, A breath whereof makes clear the eyes of the soul How I inhaled its sweetness here in Spoon River!
He calls it the Attic bird in allusion to the story of Philomela, the daughter of Pandion, King of Athens.
But Philomela wove the story into a tapestry to show Procne, who then killed Itys, her son by Tereus, cooked the flesh and served it to her husband, who ate it.
When told what he had eaten, Tereus tried to kill both sisters, but Zeus turned them all into birds: Procne became the nightingale, eternally mourning Itys, Philomela the swallow and Tereus the hoopoe.
Tereus, however, fell in love with Philomela, his sister-in-law, and, luring her to his court, raped her.
This was delivered to her sister, Procne, who took instant action, liberating Philomela and preparing revenge.
Philomela and Procne, for in the end, Philomela is turned into a nightingale and Procne into a swallow.