Nephele

Mythology

The transformed cloud

Nephele was the name of a minor goddess of clouds and rain; she was created by Zeus—via parthenogenesis and apotheosis—sculpted from a cloud in the image of Hera, all in order to deceive Ixion after the latter had violated Zeus' Xenia attempting to force himself on Hera. Hera told Zeus of Ixion's attempt and, in order to test him, Zeus made a cloud in the image of Hera, which Ixion later assaulted, an act for which he was punished by Zeus. As the immortal creation of an immortal being, Nephele's creation could not be undone, and her assault by Ixion left her pregnant. Nephele later gave birth to a monstrous son, which she raised and named Centaurus.

The Oceanid

Nephele is also the name of the Oceanid who married Athamas, and by him was the mothers of twins: a son, Phrixus, and a daughter, Helle. Athamas then divorced her for Ino, who hatched a devious plot to get rid of the twins, roasting all the town's crop seeds so they would not grow. The local farmers, frightened of famine, asked a nearby oracle for assistance. Ino bribed the men sent to the oracle to lie and tell the others that the oracle required the sacrifice of Phrixus. Before he could be killed, though, Phrixus and Helle were rescued by a flying golden ram sent by their natural mother Nephele.

Phrixus and Helle were instructed to not look down to Earth for the duration of their flight. Helle, though, did look down, and fell off the ram into the Hellespont (which was named after her, meaning Sea of Helle) and drowned. Phrixus survived all the way to Colchis, where King Aeëtes took him in and treated him kindly, giving Phrixus his daughter, Chalciope, in marriage. In gratitude, Phrixus gave the king the Golden Fleece of the Golden Ram, which Aeëtes hung in a tree in his kingdom. The Golden Fleece would later be taken by Jason and his Argonauts.

Notes

References

• Hubert Cancik and Helmuth Schneider (Eds) (2000) Der Neue Pauly Vol. 8. J. B. Metzler.
• Gaius Julius Hyginus, Astronomica from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• Gaius Julius Hyginus, Fabulae from The Myths of Hyginus translated and edited by Mary Grant. University of Kansas Publications in Humanistic Studies. Online version at the Topos Text Project.
• John Tzetzes, Book of Histories, Book IX-X translated by Jonathan Alexander from the original Greek of T. Kiessling's edition of 1826. Online version at theio.com
• Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. . Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.

References

1. [[Robert S. P. Beekes. R. S. P. Beekes]], ''Etymological Dictionary of Greek'', Brill, 2009, p. 1012.
2. [[Gaius Julius Hyginus. Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#14#1 1], [https://topostext.org/work/206#14#2 2]
3. ''Der Neue Pauly'' s.v. ''Nephele''. ([https://archive.org/details/derneuepaulyenzy0008unse/page/n433/mode/2up p.838].)
4. Apollodorus, [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg002.perseus-grc1:e.1.20 Epitome 1.20].
5. Apollodorus, [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg002.perseus-grc1:e.1.20 Epitome 1.20]; [[Pindar]], ''Pythian Odes'' [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0033.tlg002.perseus-eng1:2 2.43–44]