Itys was the son of King Tereus and his wife Procne, in Greek mythology. Philomela, the sister of Procne, visited their palace, where she was raped by Tereus. He then cut her tongue off, so that she wouldn't be able to speak of the crime. However, Philomela managed to weave what had happened to a tapestry and gave it to Procne, who was shocked. To take revenge from her husband, Procne killed their son Itys, boiled him and served him as a meal to Tereus. After Tereus had finished, Procne presented the severed head to Tereus, who, enraged, took an axe and started chasing the two sisters. They fled and started praying to the gods, who decided to help them. The three of them were turned into birds; Procne into a nightingale, Philomela into a swallow, and Tereus into a hoopoe.
See Also: Tereus, Procne, Philomela
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