InGreek mythology,Menippe (/mɪˈnɪpiː/;Ancient Greek:Μενίππη,romanized: Meníppē,lit. 'courageous mare,[1] sipper[2]') andMetioche (Ancient Greek:Μητιόχη,romanized: Mētióchē) were daughters ofOrion. They feature in a brief myth abouthuman sacrifice.
Menippe and Metioche were the daughters of Orion by an unnamed mother; although their mother is not given a name, in other sources the first wife of Orion is calledSide.[3] After Orion was killed byArtemis, the girls were raised by their mother whileAthena taught them the art of weaving andAphrodite gave them beauty.
Once Menippe and Metioche's homelandAonia at the base ofMt. Helicon was struck by a plague, and the oracle of Apollo Gortynius, when consulted, informed the people that the two gods of the Underworld[a] were angry and that they would only be appeased with the sacrifice of two maidens, who were to offer themselves to death of their own accord. Not two girls in the entire land were willing to sacrifice themselves and the plague continue to ravage the land until a woman brought the news of the prophecy to Menippe and Metioche. The two girls then willingly offered themselves for the sake of their countrymen.
After they thrice invoked the infernal gods, they killed themselves with their shuttles, placating the wrath of the two subterranean rulers. Persephone and Hades eventually took pity in them and metamorphosed their dead bodies into comets. The Aonians then erected them a sanctuary nearOrchomenus, where a propitiatory sacrifice was offered to them every year by youths and maidens. TheAeolians called these maidens Coronides.[4][5]
InOvid's recount of the tale, the daughters of Orion remain unnamed and sacrifice themselves for no distinctly given reason, although a withered tree and gaunt goats on a barren field are mentioned and indicate the presence of a plague. From their ashes, two youths arise and lead the funeral train for their "mothers" and instead of Menippe and Metioche, the youths are referred to as "Coroni".[6]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Schmitz, Leonhard (1870)."Menippe". InSmith, William (ed.).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 2. p. 1041.
.jpg) | This article relating toGreek mythology is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
.jpg)
.jpg)
