Helike (mythology)
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For the ancient Greek city, see Helike. For the moon of Jupiter, see Helike (moon).
In Greek mythology, Helike (/ˈhɛlᵻkiː/; Greek: Ἑλίκη, pronounced [heˈlikɛː], modern Greek pronunciation: [eˈlici]) was a name of several women. One was a nymph and one was a Queen of Chios.
List of Helikes[edit]
Zeus’ nurse[edit]
Helike nurtured god Zeus in his infancy on Crete.[1]
Her name suggests that she was a "willow-nymph", just as there were oak-tree nymphs and ash-nymphs (Dryads and Meliae).
It is likely that she is the same as Ide.
Ursa Major[edit]
Helike was in antiquity a common proper name for the constellation Ursa Major.[2]
Queen[edit]
Queen Helike was a wife of King Oenopion of Chios and their children were:
Wife of Ion[edit]
This Helike was a wife of a man called Ion and mother of woman called Bura.
Ion built the city and named it after his wife. They were wed by Selinus.
References[edit]
- ^ Aratus, Phaenomena 27
- ^ Aratus, Phaenomena, translation by A. W. Mair, G. R. Loeb
- ^ Pausanias, Description of Greece, 7. 4. 8