What is Tereus Procne and Philomela transformed into?
On learning what Procne had done, Tereus pursued the two sisters with an ax. But the gods took pity and changed them all into birds—Tereus into a hoopoe (or hawk), Procne into a nightingale, and Philomela into a swallow. This version was made famous in Sophocles’ lost tragedy Tereus.
What is the relationship between Philomela and Tereus?
Philomela and Procne were sisters, daughters of Pandion, King of Athens. A Thracian man, Tereus, married Procne. However, Tereus desired his sister-in-law, Philomela, and he took her by force. Afterwards, he cut out her tongue so she couldn’t tell anyone what he had done.
What is the meaning of Philomela?
Definition of Philomela : an Athenian princess in Greek mythology raped and deprived of her tongue by her brother-in-law Tereus, avenged by the killing of his son, and changed into a nightingale while fleeing from him.
How did Procne rescue Philomela?
In a mad fury, Procne killed her son and Tereus’ only male heir, Itys, and served his flesh in a meal to the king. She then left to rescue Philomela, with the furious King Tereus hot on her heels. The two sisters fled into the woods, pleading with the gods to aid their escape.
How did Philomela communicate what happened to her to Procne?
Philomela is not able to communicate her rage and pain by actually articulating words. In the case of Procne, she loses her ability to speak when she learns of the horrific act. When she most wants to express her anger, disappointment, and shame, she is unable to because the acts of Tereus have silenced her.
What happens to Philomela?
However, on the way back to Thrace, Tereus gave in his lust for Philomela and raped her. He then threatened her not to say anything to her sister, but Philomela was defiant, angering him. So, he cut off her tongue and abandoned her. When he returned to Thrace, he told Procne that Philomela had died.
Who was Princess Procne?
Procne (/ˈprɒkni/; Ancient Greek: Πρόκνη, Próknē [pró. knɛː]) is a minor figure in Greek mythology. She was an Athenian princess as the elder daughter of a king of Athens named Pandion.
Why did Philomela gaze at the ground?
In the Metamorphoses of Ovid, when she sees her sister, Philomela keeps her eyes steadfastly gazing at the ground because she is ashamed that she has, against her will, committed adultery with her sister’s husband, who brutally raped her.