Phaedra was the daughter of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae of Crete, in Greek mythology.
She was the wife of Theseus, but she fell in love with her husband's son, Hippolytus. According to a version of the story, Hippolytus had mocked Aphrodite by telling her to be a virginal devotee of Artemis; so, Aphrodite made Phaedra fall for him, but he rejected her love. Bitter, Phaedra lied to her husband saying that Hippolytus raped her. Theseus cursed his son; so, a bit later, Hippolytus' chariot horses were scared by a sea monster and dragged him to death. In another version, Phaedra lied to Theseus, who killed Hippolytus; out of guilt, Phaedra committed suicide.
See Also: Phaedra and Hippolytus, Minos, Pasiphae, Hippolytus
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