TEREUS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY
Tereus was a famed king of Greek mythology. Tereus though, was not famous for any heroic deed, but was renowned for his cruelty.
Tereus Son of Ares
|
Tereus was born to exalted parents, for Tereus’ father was the god Ares, and although not commonly named, some call his mother Bistonis, a Naiad nymph associated with Lake Bistonis in Thrace. Tereus was considered to have a had a brother called Dryas.
Ares would give his son a kingdom to rule over, and so Tereus was named as one of the kings of antiquity, ruling the polis of Daulis in ancient Phocis; although, others call Tereus a Thracian king. |
|
Tereus Gains a Wife
Tereus comes to the fore when Thebes, ruled by Labdacus, and Athens, ruled by Pandion I, were in dispute over their borders. Pandion asked Tereus for assistance, and an army was raised by Tereus, helping the Athenians win the war.
To cement the alliance, Pandion then gave to Tereus his daughter, Procne, to become Queen of Thrace. By Procne, Tereus became father to a son named Itys.
The marriage appeared to everyone to be a happy one, but after five years, Procne longed to see her sister, Philomela.
To cement the alliance, Pandion then gave to Tereus his daughter, Procne, to become Queen of Thrace. By Procne, Tereus became father to a son named Itys.
The marriage appeared to everyone to be a happy one, but after five years, Procne longed to see her sister, Philomela.
Tereus and Philomela |
Amazon Advert |
|
Tereus travelled to Athens in order to escort Philomela back to Thrace to visit her sister. When Tereus saw Philomela, reason deserted the King of Thrace, for he now desired to be with his wife’s sister. Tereus quickly concocted a story about the death of Procne, and claimed that he now came to ask for the hand of Philomela in marriage.
So convincing was the tale of Tereus that Philomela readily agreed, as did Pandion. Tereus though, could not bring Philomela back to his palace whilst his wife was there, so firstly, Tereus had the Athenian guards who had accompanied Pandion’s daughter killed, and then he had his wicked way with Philomela. Now faced with the problem of how to keep his actions a secret. So Tereus cut out the tongue of Philomela so that she could not tell of his crimes. Philomela was then his away. Tereus then returned to his wife, and told her that Philomela was dead. |
|
Tereus and the Prophecy
Tereus then heard of a prophecy that stated that Itys would be killed by a relative. Tereus immediately believed that Dryas would murder his son, and to pre-empt it, Tereus had Dryas killed.
The prophecy though, would come true, for Procne discovered her husband’s crimes.
There are two versions to how Procne became aware of what Tereus had done. One tell says that Tereus had hidden Philomela in the royal court of King Lynceus, a Thracian king. Lynceus’ wife, Lathusa though, was a friend of Procne, and so Lathusa thus sent Philomela to Procne.
An alternative version tells of Philomela embroidering her fate into a tapestry and sending it to her sister, whilst she was a prisoner in a hut in Tereus’ kingdom.
The prophecy though, would come true, for Procne discovered her husband’s crimes.
There are two versions to how Procne became aware of what Tereus had done. One tell says that Tereus had hidden Philomela in the royal court of King Lynceus, a Thracian king. Lynceus’ wife, Lathusa though, was a friend of Procne, and so Lathusa thus sent Philomela to Procne.
An alternative version tells of Philomela embroidering her fate into a tapestry and sending it to her sister, whilst she was a prisoner in a hut in Tereus’ kingdom.
Tereus' Banquet =
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) - PD-art-100
The Transformation of Tereus
When Procne and Philomela got together they plotted their revenge. Procne then killed Itys, her and Tereus’ young son, and then served the body parts up as a meal to the king.
Procne and Philomela then fled from Tereus’ palace.
Tereus chased after them with axe in hand, but the Olympian gods, observing all that had gone on, transformed the three into birds. Tereus was changed in a hoopoe, whilst Pronce and Philomela were changed into a swallow and a nightingale.
In the earliest versions of the Tereus myth, Procne became the nightingale, whilst Philomela became the swallow, but Ovid would later reverse this.
Procne and Philomela then fled from Tereus’ palace.
Tereus chased after them with axe in hand, but the Olympian gods, observing all that had gone on, transformed the three into birds. Tereus was changed in a hoopoe, whilst Pronce and Philomela were changed into a swallow and a nightingale.
In the earliest versions of the Tereus myth, Procne became the nightingale, whilst Philomela became the swallow, but Ovid would later reverse this.
|
|
Colin Quartermain - Tereus - 16th April 2023