Bistonis is a
nymph
A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label= Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ...
in
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
who gave birth to a son of
Ares,
Tereus
In Greek mythology, Tereus (; Ancient Greek: Τηρεύς) was a Thracian king,Thucydides: ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' 2:29 the son of Ares and the naiad Bistonis. He was the brother of Dryas. Tereus was the husband of the Athenian p ...
. Although she is mentioned in several surviving classical texts, she is the main subject of few or none. In at least one poem, written by
Moschus
Moschus ( el, Μόσχος), ancient Greek bucolic poet and student of the Alexandrian grammarian Aristarchus of Samothrace, was born at Syracuse and flourished about 150 BC. Aside from his poetry, he was known for his grammatical work, nothing o ...
in the 3rd century BCE,
Lake Bistonis
Lake Vistonida ( el, Λίμνη Βιστωνίδα, older form: Βιστωνίς) is a lake in Porto Lagos, Xanthi regional unit, Greece. It encompasses a unique ecosystem and the local climate can be described as mid-Mediterranean. It hosts a va ...
, in
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
, is referred to as being ''her'' lake, and that lake is described as having a population of nymphs:
[THE MOURNING FOR BION.; TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK OF MOSCHUS.JAMES GILBORNE LYONS The Knickerbocker; or New York Monthly Magazine (1833-1862); Dec 1849; 34, 6; APS Online]
Her name is similar to the name of a city in
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
,
Bistonia, said in ancient
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...
to have been built on the shores of that lake by
Biston
In Greek mythology, Biston (Ancient Greek: Βίστων or Βιστών) was the son of Ares and Callirrhoe, daughter of river-god Nestus. His two brothers were Odomas and Edonus (eponyms of two Thracian tribes, the Odomanti and the Edoni). Al ...
, who was the son of
Ares and Callirrhoe.
References
* MYTHOLOGY.; BELLONA. VICTORY. THE STORY OF TEREUS.
The Family Magazine; or, Monthly Abstract of General Knowledge (1833-1841); Apr 1835; 2, APS Online
pg. A103
Nymphs
Mythological Thracian women
Greek mythology of Thrace
{{Greek-myth-stub