Cyrene was the daughter of King Hypseus of the Lapiths, in Greek mythology. Some sources mention that she was instead the daughter of the river god Peneus, and she was herself a nymph.
Cyrene was an able huntress. One day, a lion attacked the sheep of her father and Cyrene tried to save them by wrestling with the animal. The god Apollo saw the scene and immediately fell in love with her. He kidnapped her and brought her to North Africa, where he founded a city bearing her name. Apollo and Cyrene had two sons together; Aristaeus, the inventor of beekeeping, and Idmon, a seer who took part in the Argonautic Expedition.
See Also: Peneus, Apollo
Affiliation
|
---|
Father
|
Gender
|
Female
|
Other Names
|
Kyrene
|
English Translation
|
sovereign queen
|