Aerope (daughter of Cepheus)

For other uses, see Aerope.

In Greek mythology, Aërope (Ancient Greek: Ἀερόπη) was a daughter of Cepheus of Arcadia. She was loved by Ares and had by him an unnamed son, but herself died in labor. By the will of Ares, Aerope's dead body was still able to produce an abundance of breastmilk to feed the newborn. From that circumstance, Ares was surnamed Aphneios ("abundant"), and was honored under that surname with a sanctuary on Mount Cresius.

References

• Pausanias, Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.