| Phaethusa | |
|---|---|
Shepherdess of Helios' Sacred Sheep | |
 Phaethusa andLampetia search for their brotherPhaethon. Print byRichard Earlom after a painting byClaude Lorrain (1776) | |
| Abode | Thrinacia (Sicily) |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | Lampetia,Merope, Helie,Aegle, Phoebe, Aetherie, andDioxippe |
InGreek mythology,Phaethusa orPhaëthusa/ˌfeɪəˈθjuːzə/ (Ancient Greek:ΦαέθουσαPhaéthousa, "radiance") was anymph orgoddess and a daughter of thesun god,Helios. She and her sisterLampetia watched over their father's sacred herds ofcattle and sheep on the island ofThrinacia (Sicily orMalta). Phaethusa wielded asilvercrook and herded the sheep.[1]
Phaethusa is most commonly described as a daughter of Helios andNeaera, a minor goddess or nymph.[2][3] As a daughter of Neaera, she would have had one older biological sister, Lampetia, and manyhalf-siblings through her father.[4][1]
Alternately, Phaethusa has been named as one of theHeliades.[5] This would have made her the daughter of Helios andClymene, one of theOceanids.[6] As one of the Heliades, she would have had up to seven biological sisters:Merope, Helie,Aegle,Phoebe, Aetherie, Lampetia, andDioxippe.[7][8] However, authors have named different combinations and numbers of Heliades.[9] She would have also had a brother,Phaethon, who was killed byZeus after attempting and failing to drive Helios'chariot.[10][11][12] Phaethusa and Lampetia still attended to their father's flocks in these versions.
As young children, Phaethusa and her sister Lampetia were sent to Thrinacia (identified as Sicily or Malta) by Neaera to guard their father's prized herds of cattle and sheep.[13] The animals were beautiful, with white coats and golden horns, and did not age or breed.[14][15] InHomer'sOdyssey,Odysseus and his men land on Thrinacia. A storm created by Zeus prevented the crew from leaving the island, and the men eventually ran out of supplies. While Odysseus was away praying, his men decided to kill and eat some of the sacred cattle; Phaethusa and Lampetia ran to inform their father, and Helios demanded that Zeus punish the offenders. When the storm finally cleared and the men set sail again, Zeus struck the ship with a bolt of lightning, and all the men except Odysseus died.[16]
In versions of the story where Phaethusa is one of the Heliades and a sister ofPhaethon, she and Lampetia were transformed intopoplar[17][18] oralder[19] trees while mourning their brother's death. As trees, their tears continued to flow, and crystalized intoamber.[20] However, in theArgonautica, which takes place after Phaethon's death,[21] Phaethusa and her sister are still alive and caring for their father's herds.[1]
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