Cydippe (Rhodes)

Lore & Background

Cydippe was the daughter of King Ochimus of Rhodes and the nymph Hegetoria. Her father betrothed her to a man named Ocridion, but her paternal uncle Cercaphus had secretly fallen in love with her. Cercaphus devised a plan: when the herald came to fetch Cydippe for her wedding, he instead delivered her to Cercaphus. This event led to a custom that heralds were not allowed into the shrine of Ocridion afterwards.

Cercaphus fled with Cydippe and only returned to Rhodes when Ochimus had grown old. Upon Ochimus's death, Cercaphus inherited the throne, and Cydippe became queen. She later changed her name to Cyrbia. Together, Cydippe and Cercaphus had three sons: Cameirus, Ialysus, and Lindus, each of whom founded a Rhodian city named after themselves (Camirus, Ialysus, and Lindos).

Reader's Guide

Cydippe's significance lies in her role as a foundational figure in Rhodian mythology. As the wife of Cercaphus and mother of Cameirus, Ialysus, and Lindus, she is directly linked to the founding of three major ancient cities on Rhodes, which were central to the island's historical identity. Her story also illustrates a common mythological theme of abduction or secret marriage, and it explains a local religious custom—the exclusion of heralds from Ocridion's shrine. Additionally, Cydippe was the subject of a painting by the renowned ancient artist Protogenes, indicating her cultural importance in antiquity. The alternate name Cyrbia connects her to the primeval Rhodian city Achaia, also called Kyrba or Kyrbe, which according to Diodorus Siculus was destroyed by a great deluge. This association ties Cydippe to broader narratives of cataclysm and renewal in Rhodian tradition.

Did You Know?

• Cydippe was also called Cyrbia, but not Lysippe—that name belongs to a different figure in mythology.
• Her marriage to Cercaphus was arranged by a herald who delivered her to Cercaphus instead of her betrothed Ocridion.
• After this event, heralds were banned from entering the shrine of Ocridion.
• Despite some claims, no surviving ancient sources mention a painting of Cydippe by the artist Protogenes.

Bloodline & Royal Identity

Cydippe occupied a remarkable position in the mythic genealogy of Rhodes. She was the daughter of Ochimus, the island's legendary king, and the sea nymph Hegetoria. Ochimus himself belonged to the Heliadae, the seven sons born to the sun-god Helios and the nymph Rhodos, which placed Cydippe within a solar dynasty of extraordinary antiquity. In certain ancient sources she appears under the alternate name Lysippe, while later in her life she is also known as Cyrbia, a name that echoes in the toponymy of the island. Her most consequential union was with her own paternal uncle, Cercaphus, a marriage that ultimately elevated her to the throne of Rhodes. Together they fathered three sons—Cameirus, Ialysus, and Lindus—each of whom would go on to establish one of the great cities of ancient Rhodes, embedding Cydippe's name and lineage into the very geography of the Aegean world.

The Stolen Wedding

The central drama of Cydippe's story revolves around a wedding that never happened as planned. Her father Ochimus had arranged her marriage to a man named Ocridion, and preparations were underway when her uncle Cercaphus, consumed by a secret passion, orchestrated a daring scheme. On the appointed day, the herald arrived to collect the bride, but rather than escorting her to Ocridion, he delivered her into Cercaphus's hands as the two had secretly agreed. The pair then fled the island together, leaving the intended groom and the Rhodian community in disarray. The transgression carried lasting consequences: heralds were thereafter barred from entering the shrine of Ocridion, a perpetual reminder of the betrayal. Cercaphus and Cydippe remained in exile until Ochimus had aged considerably. Only after the old king's death did they return to claim the throne, with Cercaphus inheriting his brother's rule and Cydippe ascending as queen of Rhodes.

Founding Legacy & the Drowned City

Cydippe's most enduring legacy is woven into the physical landscape of Rhodes. Her three sons with Cercaphus—Cameirus, Ialysus, and Lindus—each established a city bearing their own name, giving the island its three principal urban centers of Camirus, Ialysus, and Lindos. This tripartite foundation made Cydippe, in a sense, the matriarch of all Rhodian civilization. The mythic past also reached back to an even older settlement: Achaia, the island's most ancient city, was established by Cercaphus and Ochimus together and also bore the name Kyrba or Kyrbe, a designation that resonates with Cydippe's later epithet Cyrbia. The Kyrb- root further appears in place-names and personal names across Crete, suggesting a wider cultural footprint. According to Diodorus Siculus, a catastrophic deluge eventually engulfed Rhodes, burying the ancient city of Cyrbe beneath the floodwaters and reducing it to ruin, a mythic erasure that underscored the transience of even the most primordial settlements.

Artistic Depiction & Mythological Kinship

Beyond the narrative of her life, Cydippe left a mark on the visual and literary culture of the ancient Greek world. She was the subject of a painting by Protogenes, a celebrated artist of Carian origin who worked in Rhodes, indicating that her story held sufficient cultural weight to merit representation on canvas. Her tale also fits squarely within a broader mythological pattern of women seized or spirited away from their intended fates. Ancient sources group her alongside figures such as Persephone, Helen of Troy, Chrysippus of Elis, Cleothera, and Odatis, all of whom experienced some form of abduction or forced removal from their expected trajectory. This clustering suggests that Cydippe's elopement—whether framed as theft or as a consensual flight—was understood as part of a shared archetypal motif. Her multiple names, Cydippe, Cyrbia, and Lysippe, further testify to the fluidity with which ancient authors adapted her identity across different regional traditions and literary contexts.

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