In Greek mythology Arsinoë (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ἀρσινόη|Arsinóē in Greek, Ancient (to 1453); pronounced as /arsinóɛː/) is a Cypriot princess who was punished by the goddess of love Aphrodite for turning down a potential suitor named Arceophon.[1]
Arsinoë was the daughter of King Nicocreon of Salamis, also known by the name Arsinoë (modern Famagusta), from the island of Cyprus, a descendant of Teucer. A wealthy Phoenician man, Arceophon, fell in love with her and tried to woo her, but Nicocreon refused to give his daughter's hand in marriage to him due to his Phoenician origin. The lovestruck Arceophon would then visit Arsinoë at night, trying to win her heart in vain for she spurned him. He even tried to bribe Arsinoë's nurse so that she would arrange a meeting between the two, but when Arsinoë found out she told her parents who kicked out the nurse after cutting off her tongue, nose and fingers. In despair Arceophon killed himself. During his funeral, Arsinoë peeked out of the window to get a glimpse, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, turned the girl into stone.[2] [3]
This story seems to be a variant of the Cypriot tale of Iphis and Anaxarete.