Abrota

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Abrota or Habrote
Megarian Queen
Member of the Royal House of Megara
AbodeBoeotia, Megara
Personal information
ParentsOnchestus
SiblingsMegareus
ConsortNisos
OffspringScylla, Iphinoe and Eurynome (possibly)

In Greek mythology, Abrota, Abróte, or Habrotê (Ancient Greek: Ἀβρώτη/Ἁβρώτη) was the daughter of eponymous King Onchestοs of the Boeotian city of Onchestos and sister of Megareus.[1] Nisos, the king of Megara in the time of his reign married her and the supposed mother of his daughters, Scylla,[2] Iphinoe[3] and Eurynome[4].

Mythology[edit]

On the death of his beloved wife, Abrota, Nisos commanded all the Megarian women to wear a garment of the same kind as Abrota had worn, which was called aphábroma (ἀφάβρωμα) and was still in use in the time of Plutarch.[5]

When Nisus, from whom Nisaea acquired its name, was king, he took a wife from Boeotia, Habrotê, daughter of Onchestus, the sister of Megareus, a woman who, as it appears, was both exceptionally intelligent and remarkably discreet. When she died, the Megarians mourned her with one accord, and Nisus, wishing that her memory and her repute should be established everlastingly, ordered the women of the city to wear the garment that she used to wear ; and because of her he called the garment aphabroma. Even the god seems to have furthered the repute of this woman, for often, when the Megarian women wished to make a change in their raiment, he prevented them by an oracle.[6]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bell, Robert E. (1991). Women of Classical Mythology: A Biographical Dictionary. ABC-CLIO. p. 1. ISBN 9780874365818.
  2. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 198
  3. ^ Pausanias, 1.39.6
  4. ^ Hesiod, Ehoiai fr. 7
  5. ^ Smith, William (1867), "Abrota", in Smith, William (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, vol. 1, Boston, MA, p. 3, archived from the original on 2005-12-31, retrieved 2007-09-08{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  6. ^ Plutarch, Quaestiones Graecae 16 p. 295a Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

See also[edit]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainSmith, William, ed. (1870). "Abrota". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.