Myrice (mythology) explained

In Greek mythology, Myrice (; grc|Μυρίκη|Muríkē|tamarix in Greek, Modern (1453-); pronounced as /myríkɛː/) is a minor figure from the island of Cyprus. Like both of her siblings Myrrha and Amaracus, she was transformed into a plant bearing her name.

Family

She was the daughter of Cinyras, a king of Cyprus, and thus sister to Myrrha and Amaracus, thus aunt/half-sister to Adonis.

Mythology

The mournful Myrice was transformed into a tamarix tree (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: μυρίκη in ancient Greek),^[1] possibly by Aphrodite, as the tamarisk was her sacred tree. The implication seems to be that Myrice was grieving the death of her kinsman Adonis, who was gored by a boar during hunting.^[2] Additionally, a Hellenistic and Roman-era cult dedicated to Myricaean Apollo (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Μυρικαίος Ἀπόλλων, "Apollo of the Tamarisk") is attested on the Northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos.

See also

• Melos
• Heliades
• Pelia
• Clytie
• Cyparissus
• Alcyone and Ceyx

Bibliography

• Book: Hesychii Lexicon ex codice ms. Bibliothecae D. Marci restitutum et ab omnibus Musuri correctionibus repurgatum, sive, Supplementa ad editionem Hesychii Albertinam . Schow Niels . . 1792 . Lipsiae . Greek.
• Book: Farrar, Linda . Gardens and Gardeners of the Ancient World: History, Myth and Archaeology . 2016 . . 978-1-909686-85-4 .
• Book: Folkard, Richard . Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics: Embracing the Myths, Traditions, Superstitions, and Folk-lore of the Plant Kingdom . 1884 . S. Low, Marston, Searle, and Rivington . Michigan.
• Book: Forbes Irving, Paul M. C. . Metamorphosis in Greek Myths . . 1990 . 0-19-814730-9.
• Book: Kourtzellis, Yannis . Elena C. Partida . Barbara Schmidt-Dounas . Listening to the Stones: Essays on Architecture and Function in Ancient Greek Sanctuaries in Honour of Richard Alan Tomlinson . The Sanctuaries on the Island of Lesbos from an Architectural and Topographical Perspective . 2019 . Archaeopress . 10.2307/j.ctvr00x79 . 240990698 . January 9, 2023.
• Book: Murr, Josef . German . Die Pflanzenwelt in der griechischen Mythologie . 1890 . Wagnerische Universitäts-Buchhandlung .
• Book: Tümpel, K. . Myrike . Ausführliches Lexikon der griechischen und römischen Mythologie . German . Wilhelm Heinrich Roscher . Detailed dictionary of Greek and Roman mythology . II, L–M . Leipzig . Teubner-Verlag . 1894.

Notes and References

1. [Hesychius of Alexandria]
2. Web site: M. Rosemary . Wright . A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Summary of Transformations . mythandreligion.upatras.gr . January 3, 2023 . University of Patras.