Greek Legends and Myths
  • Home
  • Site Search
  • Contents
  • -
  • The Greek Pantheon
  • Protogenoi
    • Chaos
    • Gaia
    • Tartarus >
      • Prisoners of Tartarus
    • Eros (Protogenoi)
    • Nyx >
      • Children of Nyx
      • Thanatos
      • Charon
      • Eris
    • Erebus
    • Ouranos
    • Pontus
    • The Ourea
    • Aether and Hemera
    • Hydros
    • Thesis
    • Chronus
    • Ananke
    • Phanes
    • Thalassa
    • Physis
    • Nesoi
  • Titans
    • Cronus
    • Rhea
    • Iapetus >
      • Atlas
      • Menoetius
      • Prometheus
      • Epimetheus >
        • Pandora >
          • Pandora's Box
    • Mnemosyne
    • Hyperion >
      • Helios
      • Eos
      • Selene
    • Theia
    • Themis
    • Crius >
      • Astraeus
      • Pallas
    • Oceanus
    • Tethys
    • Coeus
    • Phoebe >
      • Asteria
      • Leto
      • Lelantos
  • Olympians
    • Zeus >
      • Titanomachy
      • Mount Olympus >
        • Ambrosia and Nectar
    • Hestia
    • Demeter >
      • Eleusis
    • Hera
    • Hephaestus >
      • Automatons
  • Other Gods and Goddesses
    • Gods >
      • Boreas
      • Eros
      • Glaucus
      • Hades >
        • The Underworld >
          • Judges of the Dead
          • Rivers of the Underworld
      • Hypnos
      • Nereus
      • Notus
      • Phaethon
      • Phorcys
      • Triton
    • Goddesses >
      • Bia
      • Calypso
      • Ceto
      • Circe
      • Echo and Narcissus
      • Eurybia
      • Harmonia
      • Hebe
      • Iris
      • Nemesis
      • Nike
      • Persephone
      • Psyche
      • Tyche
    • Groups >
      • The Astra Planeta
      • The Charites
      • The Graeae
      • The Hesperides
      • The Moirai
      • The Elder Muses
      • The Younger Muses >
        • Calliope
        • Clio
        • Ourania
      • The Naiads >
        • Anchinoe
        • Daphne
        • Io
        • Memphis
        • Minthe
        • Oenone
        • Syrinx
      • The Nereids >
        • Amphitrite
        • Galatea
        • Thetis
      • The Oceanids >
        • Amalthea
        • Oceanid Electra
        • Metis
        • Pleione
        • Styx
      • The Oneiroi >
        • Morpheus
      • The Pleiades >
        • Maia
      • The Potamoi >
        • Achelous >
          • Cornucopia
        • Inachus
        • Scamander
      • The Sirens
  • -
  • The Mortals and Demi Gods
    • Quest for Golden Fleece >
      • The Golden Ram
      • Pelias
      • Aeetes
      • Argonauts >
        • Acastus
        • Admetus
        • Castor and Pollux
        • Hylas
        • Menoetius (Argonaut)
        • Peleus
        • Poeas
        • Polyphemus
        • Telamon
        • Thestor
      • The Argo
    • The Calydonian Hunt >
      • Oeneus
      • Meleager
      • Atalanta
    • Lovers of Zeus >
      • Aegina >
        • Aeacus >
          • Phocus
      • Alcmene
      • Antiope
      • Callisto >
        • Arcas
      • Danae
      • Europa >
        • Asterion
        • Minos >
          • Androgeus
          • Catreus
          • Glaucus
        • Rhadamanthys
        • Sarpedon
      • Lamia
      • Leda >
        • Clytemnestra
        • Tyndareus
    • House of Atreus >
      • Tantalus
      • Pelops
      • Broteas
      • Niobe
      • Aerope
      • Atreus
      • Thyestes
      • Pelopia
      • Menelaus
    • Trojan War >
      • House of Dardanus >
        • Dardanus
        • Antenor
        • Erichthonius of Dardania
        • Tros
        • Ilus
        • Assaracus
        • Ganymede
        • Laomedon >
          • Tithonus
          • Hesione
        • Priam
        • Hecabe
        • Aesacus
        • Deiphobus
        • Hector >
          • Andromache
        • Creusa Wife of Aeneas
        • Iliona
        • Polydorus
        • Paris >
          • Judgement of Paris
          • Agelaus
        • Helenus
        • Cassandra
        • Troilus
      • Helen
      • Suitors of Helen
      • The Oath of Tyndareus
      • Ajax the Great
      • Ajax the Lesser
      • Briseis
      • Calchas
      • Catalogue of Ships
      • Chryseis
      • Chryses
      • Cycnus
      • Eetion
      • Idomeneus
      • Laocoon
      • Memnon
      • Meriones
      • Palamedes
      • Pandarus
      • Patroclus
      • Penelope
      • Penthesilea
      • Philoctetes
      • Protesilaus >
        • Laodamia
      • Teucer
      • Trojan Horse
      • The Odyssey
    • House of Perseus and the Perseides >
      • Perseus
      • Gorgophone
      • Andromeda
      • Electryon
      • Sthenelus
      • Heleus
      • Amphitryon
      • Eurystheus
    • House of Heracles and the Heraclides >
      • Birth of Heracles
      • 12 Labours of Heracles >
        • Augean Stables
      • Megara
      • Omphale
      • Deianira
      • Iole >
        • Eurytus
      • First Sacking of Troy
      • Barcelona
      • Death of Heracles
      • Iolaus
    • Bellerophon
    • Cadmus
    • Daedalus
    • Laertes
    • Orion
  • Creatures and Monsters
    • Aethiopian Cetus
    • Aloadae
    • Argus Panoptes
    • Campe
    • Caucasian Eagle
    • Centaurs >
      • Chiron
      • Pholus
    • Cerberus
    • Ceryneian Hind
    • The Chimera
    • Cretan Bull
    • Crommyonian Sow
    • Cyclopes >
      • Polyphemus
    • Echidna
    • Gegenees
    • Geryon >
      • Cattle of Geryon
    • Gigantes
    • Golden Ram
    • Gorgons >
      • Gorgo Aix
      • Medusa
    • Harpies
    • Hecatonchires
    • Ismenian Dragon
    • Ladon
    • Laelaps
    • Laestrygonians
    • Lernaean Hydra >
      • Carcinus
    • Lion of Cithaeron
    • Manticore
    • Minotaur
    • Nemean Lion
    • Orthus
    • Pegasus
    • Python
    • Scylla and Charybdis
    • Sphinx >
      • Oedipus
    • Talos
    • Teumessian Fox
    • Tityos
  • -
  • The Constellations
    • Constellations >
      • Signs of the Zodiac
      • The Milky Way
  • A to Z of Greek Mythology
    • A - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • B - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • C - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • D - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • E - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • F - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • G - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • H - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • I - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • J - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • K - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • L - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • M - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • N - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • O - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • P - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • Q - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • R - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • S - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • T - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • U - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • V - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • W - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • X - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • Y - AtoZ Greek Mythology
    • Z - AtoZ Greek Mythology
  • -
  • Family Trees
Greek Legends and Myths                           

THE PIERIDES IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

The Pierides were the nine daughters of King Pierus in Greek mythology. The Pierides were famous for their rashness, for they challenged the Muses to a singing contest.

Pierus and The Pierides

​King Pierus was the eponym of Pieria and also Mount Pierus. Both the region, and the mountain, were considered to be sacred to the Younger Muses, and the region was said to be one of the homes of the Muses. Indeed, King Pierus was said to have been the first to praise the Younger Muses in writing. 

King Pierus though, was not said to be King of Pieria, but was instead king of the neighbouring region, Emathia. 

King Pierus would wed a woman who some call Euippe of Paionia, and others call the nymph Antiope. 

The wife of King Pierus would give birth to nine daughters for the king, and these nine daughters would be named after the nine Muses; although collectively they were known as the Emathides, after their homeland, or as the Pierides, after their father. 

The Contest of the Pierides

The daughters of King Pierus would grow up convinced that their musical abilities were the match for any, and so rashly, the Pierides would challenge the Muses to a singing contest. It was rash, for such contests never went well, for amongst those who challenged the Muses in Greek mythology, the Sirens would have their feathers plucked out, whilst Thamyris was blinded. 
There are two main sources for the contest between the Pierides and the Muses; the most famous comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, whilst an account is also told in Antoninus Liberalis' Metamorphoses.
Pierides
The Challenge of the Pierides - Rosso Fiorentino (1494-1540) - PD-art-100

Ovid and the Pierides

​Ovid tells of the nymphs being made judges of the contest between the Pierides and the Muses, and that one of the Pierides started off the contest. 

Rather than praise the gods though, this daughter of King Pierus retold the tale of the flight of the gods when the monstrous Typhon rose up against the gods of Mount Olympus.

​The Muse Ourania, who is telling the tale in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, tells of the Pierides droning on, from a “noisy mouth”, indicating no great musical skill.

The Muse Calliope was then chosen to sing, and in the contest, she told many stories. 

The nymphs then judged the contest, and unanimously, the nymphs decided that the Muses were victorious; a decision that the Pierides did not agree with. The Muses then punished the Pierides, and each of the nine daughters of Pierus was transformed into a magpie. 

Thus, even today, the chattering and screeching of the magpie continues. 

​Antoninus Liberalis and the Pierides

Antoninus Liberalis' version is briefer, but has all of the Pierides sing together, but when they sang the world went dark, offended by their choral performance. Yet, when the Muses performed, all of the world stood still and strived to hear all of the beautiful words being sung. 
​
The Pierides were still punished for thinking they were a match for the Muses, but the nine daughters of King Pierus were transformed into nine different birds, the Colymbas, Iyngx, Cenchris, Cissa, Chloris, Acalanthis, Nessa, Pipo, and Dracontis (the grebe, the wryneck, the ortolan, the jay, the greenfinch, the goldfinch, the duck, the woodpecker and the dracontis pigeon)
Pierides
The Contest between the Muses and the Pierides - Maarten de Vos (1532-1603) - PD-art-100
Contents
Colin Quartermain - The Pierides - 20th September 2021
Proudly powered by Weebly