This article is about the Greek nymph. For the village in Achaea, seePeristera, Achaea. For the Greek island, seePeristera.
In ancientGreek andRoman mythology,Peristera (Ancient Greek:Περιστερά,romanized: Peristerá,lit. 'dove') is a nymph who was transformed into adove, one ofAphrodite's sacred birds and symbols, explaining the bird's connection to the goddess. This myth survives in the works of Latin grammarianLactantius Placidus and the first of the three anonymousVatican Mythographers, whose works were discovered in a single manuscript in 1401.
The etymology of the Greek wordπεριστερά, meaning the common pigeon or dove,[1] is ultimately unknown, although it could be related to the wordπελιός, meaning "dark, blue."[2][3] One suggestion is that it may be derived from a Semitic phraseperaḥ Ištar, which means "the bird ofIshtar", a Semitic love-goddess sharing some elements with Aphrodite.[4][5]
One dayAphrodite and her sonEros arrived in a bright meadow, and for fun they held a contest on which could gather the most flowers.[6] Eros, bearing swift wings, easily outdid his mother, until Peristera stepped in and handed to Aphrodite the flowers she herself had picked, giving Aphrodite the victory.[7] Eros, in anger over his victory being snatched away from his hands, transformed Peristera into the bird bearing her name, thedove.[8][9] Accordingly, the dove came under Aphrodite's protection thereafter.[10][11] Thereafter doves, now the goddess' most cherised animal, would always draw her chariot.[12]
According to Paul M.C. Forbes Irving, Peristera's tale is a very late one, and is more in line with inventions of a scholar who creates comprehensive narratives than local aetiological myth.[13] Among Aphrodite's symbols, the dove was one of the most significant and common ones, which came to symbolise affection, peace and love.[14] The ancient Greeks took over the link between the bird and the goddess from Syrians when they adopted their cults, as they considered the dove sacred to their goddessAstarte, whose iconography and cult greatly influenced Aphrodite's.[12][15]
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