Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...

, Harpe ( grc, Ἄρπη, Harpe, snatcher) is a minor figure and the wife of a rich

Babylon ''Bābili(m)'' * sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠 * arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel'' * syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel'' * grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn'' * he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel'' * peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru'' * elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...

ian man named

Clinis In Greek mythology, Clinis or Cleinis was a native of Babylon and father, by Harpe, of three sons, Harpasus, Lycius, and Ortygius, and of a daughter Artemiche. Mythology Clinis venerated Apollo and Artemis diligently and was in return favored ...

, and the mother by him of Lycius,

Ortygius In Greek mythology, Ortygius ( grc, Ὀρτύγιος, Ortugios, quail) is the son of Clinis by his wife Harpe, the brother of Lycius, Harpasus and Artemiche. He was transformed into a bird by Apollo, whom his family venerated greatly. Mytholo ...

Harpasus In Greek mythology, Harpasus ( grc, Ἄρπασος, Harpasos, snatcher) is the son of Clinis by his wife Harpe, the brother of Lycius, Ortygius and Artemiche. His family venerated Apollo greatly, until they angered him gravely. Mythology One ...

and

Artemiche In Greek mythology, Artemiche ( grc, Ἀρτεμίχη, Artemikhe) is a minor figure, the daughter of a rich Babylonian man named Clinis by his wife Harpe, and thus the only sister of Lycius, Harpasus and Ortygius. She was transformed into a bir ...

. Her family venerated

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

greatly, until they angered him gravely, thereupon he punished them all, but

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

spared Harpe by turning her into a bird.

Mythology

One day her husband Clinis, having witnessed the

Hyperborea In Greek mythology, the Hyperboreans ( grc, Ὑπερβόρε(ι)οι, ; la, Hyperborei) were a mythical people who lived in the far northern part of the known world. Their name appears to derive from the Greek , "beyond Boreas" (the God of ...

ns sacrifice donkeys to Apollo, meant to do the same. But Apollo forbid so, under the pain of death. Two of Harpe's children, Ortygius and his sister Artemiche persuaded their father to obey the god, while the other two Harparus and Lycius wanted to sacrifice the donkeys. Clinis ended up listening to Ortygius and Artemiche, but Harpasus with Lycius decided to proceed with the sacrifice anyway. Apollo turned the donkeys mad as punishment, who began to devour the family. They all cried for help.

felt sorry for Harpe and her son Harpasus, and transformed them both into birds. It is not clear what bird Harpe turned into, but given her name, it can be safely assumed it was a bird of prey.

Antoninus Liberalis Antoninus Liberalis ( el, Ἀντωνῖνος Λιβεράλις) was an Ancient Greek grammarian who probably flourished between AD 100 and 300. His only surviving work is the ''Metamorphoses'' (Μεταμορφώσεων Συναγωγή, ''Me ...

, ''Collection of Transformations'
20
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References

Bibliography

, ''The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis'' translated by Francis Celoria (Routledge 1992)
Online version at the Topos Text Project.
* Metamorphoses into birds in Greek mythology Deeds of Apollo Asia in Greek mythology Deeds of Poseidon Women in Greek mythology {{Greek-myth-stub

Mythology

See also

References

Bibliography