Eucleia
Eucleia[pronunciation?] (or Eukleia) was the ancient Greek female spirit of glory and good repute. She was the sister of Eupheme, Philophrosyne and Euthenia. Along with her sisters, she was regarded as a member of the younger Charites. In Greek vase paintings, Eucleia is frequently shown among the attendants of Aphrodite where she represents the good repute of a chaste bride.
She had a sanctuary in Athens, which was dedicated to her in honor of those who fought in the Marathon battle.[1] She was at time identified with Artemis. She was mentioned by ancient Greek authors such as Bacchylides (Fragment 113) and Plutarch (Life of Aristides).
According to the Orphic rhapsody fragments, Eucleia's parents were Hephaestus and Aglaea. However, Plutarch stated that her parents were Heracles and Myrto, that she died a virgin and came to be venerated as a goddess.[2][3] She was worshipped in Locris, Boeotia and Macedonia.[4]
The Spirit had a sanctuary[5] at Aigai (Aegae), the ancient capital of Macedonia. West of the city, a two column Doric temple was erected within the spacious sanctuary, probably by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great, as part of his reburbishment of the city in the 340s BC. Within the sanctuary there was also a small stoa, a small, closed peristyle, a large altar, and the pedestals upon which stood royal votive offerings, including one from Philip's mother, Eurydice.
Notes
- ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 1. 14. 4
- ^ Plutarch, Aristides, 20. 6
- ^ Theoi Project - Eukleia
- ^ Borza, p. 192
- ^ http://www.latsis-foundation.org/megazine/publish/ebook.php?book=75&preloader=1 p.222
References
- Borza, Eugene, In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon, Princeton University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-691-05549-1.
- Smith, William; Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, London (1873). "Eucleia"
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