THE HELIADES IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
The story of the Heliades is one of transformation from the tales of Greek mythology.
Daughters of Helios
The Heliades was the collective name for the daughters of the sun god Helios; with Ovid naming the Oceanid Clymene as the mother of these daughters.
Today, it is most common to think that there are seven Heliades, for this is the number told by Hyginus in Fabulae, with the seven named as Aetheria, Aigle, Dioxippe, Helie, Mapetia, Merope and Phoebe. Ovid and Aeschylus tell of but three Heliades, with Ovid naming Lampetia, Phaethousa and Phoebe, and Aeschylus naming Mapetia, Phaethousa and Aigle. Lampetia and Phaethousa though were also considered to be daughters of the nymph Neaera by Helios. The Heliades, as being daughters of Helios and Clymene, were also sister to Phaethon. |
The Transformation of the HeliadesThe Heliades come to the fore with the end of the Phaethon myth. Phaethon was of course struck down by a thunderbolt launched by Zeus, when Phaethon drove his father’s chariot with disastrous results.
The Heliades would locate the body of Phaethon in the River Eridanos, and on the banks of the river, the Heliades would lament their fallen brother. Ovid tells of the seven sisters crying and wailing upon the banks of Eridanos for four months, before the gods took pity on the Heliades. For Zeus was said to have transformed the Heliades into poplars Hyginus in the Fabulae states that the transformation of the Heliades into poplars was a punishment though, for they had been the ones to yoke Helios’ chariot for Phaethon, although this seems to be the only source to make that claim. Despite their transformation, the Heliades continued to cry, with their tears seeping out, hardening and forming amber, which are then washed into the river, and swept away to be discovered by others. |
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Colin Quartermain - The Heliades - 28th August 2021