| Coronis | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Apollo and Coronis byJohann König (after Adam Elsheimer). | |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Arsinoe, Aegle |
| Gender | Female |
| Title | Princess |
| Significantother | Apollo,Ischys |
| Children | Asclepius (son) |
| Relatives | |
| Birthplace | Ancient Thessaly |
InGreek mythology,Coronis (/kɒˈrəʊnɪs/;Ancient Greek:Κορωνίς,romanized: Korōnís) is aThessalian princess and a lover of the godApollo. She was the daughter of Cleophema andPhlegyas,[1] king of theLapiths. By Apollo she became the mother ofAsclepius,[2][3][4][5] the Greek god of medicine. While she was still pregnant, she slept with a mortal man namedIschys and was subsequently killed by either the god or his sister Artemis for her betrayal. After failing to heal her, Apollo rescued their unborn child by performing acaesarean section. She was turned intoa constellation after her death.
InAncient GreekΚορωνίς means "curved, bent"[6] and has the same root as the wordκορώνη (korṓnē), meaning, among other things, "crow," due to the curvature of its beak.[7]
Zeus gave the hand of theMuseErato to Malus. The pair had a daughter Cleophema, who marriedPhlegyas, the king ofLapiths. Their daughter was calledAegle, otherwise known as Coronis.[8] In some other accounts, her father wasAzan, king ofArcadia.[9]
One day Apollo saw Coronis and became enamoured of her. He lay with her in her home, and consequently she became pregnant. One time when Apollo was away performing his godly duties, Coronis fell in love withIschys, son ofElatus. Going against her father's warnings, she slept with him in secret. Apollo, however, discovered this affair through his prophetic powers. Angered, he sent his twin sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis. Accordingly,Artemis killed Coronis and her family with her arrows.[10] In one variation, Artemis kills them on her own accord to avenge the insult done to her brother.[11] Likewise, Ischys was killed byZeus.[12]
InOvid's poem, it is a raven that informed Apollo of the affair, and he killed Coronis with his own arrow. Before her death, Coronis was resigned to her fate. Apollo instantly regretted his impulsive action and tried to heal her, but Coronis was already dead. He then placed her body on the pyre and poured myrrh and other sweet fragrances on it as a part of the funerary rites.[13] Hyginus also has Coronis's death be at the hands of Apollo.[14]
Not wanting his unborn child to suffer as well, Apollo cut Coronis's belly open when she was laid on her funeral pyre, and rescued the child by pulling it out. He named the childAsclepius and reared him for some time, teaching him about medicinal herbs.[14][15] Others say that it wasHermes instead who saved the infant from the flames.[11] Later, Apollo entrusted his son toChiron, the wise centaur, who trained him more in medicine and hunting.[16][10]
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According to a different version, Coronis gave birth to her son in Apollo's temple in the presence of theMoirai.Lachesis acted as the midwife. Apollo named their son Asclepius after his mother's alias, Aegle.[8]
In yet another version, Coronis who was already impregnated by Apollo, had to accompany her father to thePeloponnesus. She had kept her pregnancy hidden from her father. InEpidaurus, she bore a son and exposed him on a mountain. The child was given milk by one of the goats that pastured about the mountain, and was guarded by the watch-dog of the herd. Aresthanas, the owner of goats and the guard dogs, found the child. As he came near, he saw lightning that flashed from the child, and thinking of it to be a sign of divine, he left the child alone. Asclepius was later taken by Apollo.[17]
According toOvid, when Coronis was pregnant, Apollo had appointed a white raven to guard her before leaving. The raven, after learning the affair of Coronis with Ischys, reported it to Apollo. Apollo sent Artemis to kill the couple and in anger, turned the raven black by scorching it as a punishment for being a tattletale and failing its duty. This is given as the reason whyravens are black today.[13] According toAntoninus Liberalis, the raven had once been a man namedLycius, a son ofClinis, who sacrificed donkeys to Apollo despite the god's prohibition; Apollo then turned the donkeys mad, so they attacked and began devouring the entire family. They prayed to the gods for help, and Apollo turned Lycius into a raven while Artemis and Leto saved the rest. Furthermore, Antoninus Liberalis calls the man Coronis left Apollo for "Alcyoneus" rather than Ischys.[18]
Istrus (Greek historian) and several others said that Coronis was turned into theconstellationCorvus.[14]
Media related toCoronis at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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