InGreek mythology,Meropis (Ancient Greek:Μεροπὶς,romanized: Meropis) is aKoan woman who refused to honour the deitiesArtemis,Athena andHermes, and was turned into a bird for her impiety. Her tale survives in the works ofAntoninus Liberalis.
Meropis was the daughter ofEumelus and the sister ofByssa andAgron.[1]
Meropis with her family dwelled in Meropis onKos island, and though they honored the local Koan goddess, they refused to venerate three of the major gods,Artemis,Athena andHermes. Every time the other Koans would invite the family to a feast or sacrifice in honour of those three gods they would refuse, on account of them hating grey eyes, owls, a goddess who was out at night, and thieves.
Angered, Artemis, Athena and Hermes paid them a visit one night, disguised as two countryside maidens and a shepherd. Hermes persuaded the men, Agron and Eumelus, to sacrifice to Hermes, Byssa and Meropis to the goddesses. They still denied however, so all four were turned into birds. The moment Meropis heard the word 'Athena', she scoffed, so the goddess turned her into anowl.[1][2]
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