Ocyrhoë (Samian nymph)

Lore & Background

Ocyrhoë was the daughter of the Samian river-god Imbrasus and the noble nymph Chesias. She grew to be very beautiful, her beauty being a gift of the Horae, and was so attractive that the god Apollo fell in love with her and made plans to ravish her. Once she crossed the narrow strait to reach the city of Miletus on the Anatolian coast, where a festival in honor of Artemis was taking place. Apollo spotted her there and attempted to carry her off.

Reader's Guide

Ocyrhoë's tale is notable for its combination of traditional mythic elements—a god pursuing an unwilling nymph—with the conventions of Greek romance literature, such as a sea voyage and specific geographic settings (Samos and Miletus). The story echoes the myth of Daphne, but substitutes a boat and ferryman for the usual land-based flight. Both Athenaeus and Claudius Aelianus credit the tale to the second-century BC Greek author Apollonius of Rhodes. The narrative also includes an aetiological metamorphosis: Apollo turned Pompilus's boat into stone and the ferryman himself into a pilot fish for helping Ocyrhoë. Cult epithets Chesia and Imbrasia, derived from Ocyrhoë's parents, were used for Artemis and Hera, the patron-goddess of Samos. A shrine dedicated to Apollo Nymphegetes and the nymphs stood near the source of the river Imbrasus in the eastern lowlands.

Did You Know?

• Ocyrhoë's name means 'fast-flowing' in Ancient Greek.
• Her father Imbrasus was the river-god of Samos.
• Apollo turned Pompilus into a pilot fish for helping Ocyrhoë escape.
• The story is credited to the third-century BC author Apollonius of Rhodes.