Erinoma

Lore & Background

Erinome was the daughter of Celes, a Cypriot man. She was a Cypriot girl of great beauty and chastity, favored by the virgin goddesses Artemis and Athena for her purity. Aphrodite, however, disliked her and made Zeus fall in love with her so that she would not escape the domain of love. Zeus's wife Hera, displeased, bid Aphrodite to make Adonis fall in love with Erinome as well. When Adonis failed to win her affections, Aphrodite wrapped him in a cloud so he could enter Erinome's bedroom, where he raped her. Artemis then turned Erinome into a peahen.

Reader's Guide

Erinoma's story is a localized Cypriot variant of the Adonis myth, preserved only in the late works of Servius. It shares elements with the myths of Actaeon and Hippolytus, involving divine jealousy, transformation, and resurrection. The tale highlights the interplay of divine wills: Zeus's desire, Hera's jealousy, Aphrodite's manipulation, and Artemis's intervention. After the rape, Zeus was enraged and had Adonis killed by a lightning bolt, but later restored him to life at Hera's request. Artemis restored Erinoma to human form, and she gave birth to Adonis's son Taleus. The local significance is unclear, though Zeus Ceraunius ('Zeus of the lightning bolt') was worshipped on Mount Cassius, where Adonis fled. The story's legacy includes the naming of Jupiter's satellite Erinome (Jupiter XXV) after her.

Did You Know?

• Erinome's story survives only in the works of the Latin grammarian Servius from the early fifth century AD.
• She was turned into a peahen by Artemis after being raped by Adonis.
• Adonis was later killed by a boar sent by Artemis or Ares, not by Zeus's lightning bolt.
• The satellite Erinome (Jupiter XXV) is named after a figure named Erinome, not after this specific variant.