Philomela in the ancient sources

Ancient Sources / Figures / Philomela

5 passages from 4 ancient authors that tell of Philomela, in the original with English translation, author by author in the order the Greeks read them. Philomela was a female character in Greek mythology, daughter of King Pandion I of Athens and Zeuxippe. She was the sister of Procne, who married King... For the story in one place, read our article on Philomela.

Apollodorus (1)

Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.14.1–8Cecrops, Athena and Poseidon, and the early kings of AthensCecrops, a son of the soil, is the first king of Attica, and in his reign Athena and Poseidon contend for the land and the gods award it to Athena. The section covers Cecrops's daughters, Cephalus, Cinyras and Adonis, the kings Cranaus, Amphictyon and Erichthonius (born from Hephaestus's seed), the gift of wine to Icarius and Erigone's death, and ends with Pandion and the story of Procne, Philomela and Tereus.

Ovid (2)

Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.542–674Procne's revengeTereus cuts out Philomela's tongue and keeps her shut in the hut, telling his wife that her sister is dead. Philomela weaves the story into a web and sends it to Procne, who, at the feast of Dionysus (Bacchus), frees her sister and brings her home. In her rage Procne kills her son Itys, and serves his flesh to Tereus at dinner, and then shows him the head. Tereus chases the two sisters with a sword, and the gods change all three into birds: Philomela into a nightingale, Procne into a swallow, and Tereus into a hoopoe.
Ovid, Metamorphoses 6.412–541Tereus and PhilomelaThe kings of Greece come to console Pelops, but Athens, beset by war, sends no one. Tereus, king of Thrace, who has helped Athens, is given the king's daughter Procne in an ill-omened marriage. Years later Procne asks to see her sister, and Tereus goes to Athens to fetch Philomela, and desires her. He takes her to a hut in the woods and rapes her, and she reproaches him bitterly and says that she will tell everyone what he has done.

Pausanias (1)

Pausanias, Description of Greece 1.5.1–5Athens: the Rotunda and the eponymous heroes of the tribesNear the Council House is the Rotunda, where the presidents sacrifice, and above it stand statues of the heroes who gave their names to the Athenian tribes, among them Hippothoon, Antiochus, Ajax, Leos, Erechtheus, Aegeus, Oeneus and Acamas. Pausanias distinguishes two kings called Cecrops and two called Pandion, and tells of Pandion’s exile at Megara and of Tereus, Procne and Philomela. He adds the later tribes named after Attalus, Ptolemy and the Emperor Hadrian, and mentions Hadrian’s benefactions.

Nonnus of Panopolis (1)

Nonnus of Panopolis, Dionysiaca 4.249–381Book 4: Cadmos at Delphi; the dragon of AresCadmos, who gave the Hellenes their letters, travels to Greece with Harmonia and consults the oracle at Delphi. The god tells him to give up the search for the bull and to found a city where a cow he follows lies down. At the spring of Dirce the serpent of Ares devours his companions.