Marpessa (daughter of Evenus)

Marpessa and Idas, separated of Apollo by Zeus, Attic red-figure psykter, ca. 480 BC, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 2417).

In Greek mythology, Marpessa /ˌmɑːrˈpɛsə/ (Ancient Greek: Μάρπησσα, translit. Márpēssa, "the robbed one") was an Aetolian princess, and a granddaughter of Ares.

Family

Marpessa was the daughter of Evenus[1] (son of Ares and Demonice) and Alcippe (daughter of Oenomaus and sister of Hippodamia)[2]. She loved the hero, Idas and was loved by him in return. Apollo also wooed Marpessa but she chose, over the god, Idas by whom she begot Cleopatra, the future wife of the hero Meleager.[3]

Mythology

Illustration of Marpessa by Helen Stratton from Jeanie Lang's 1915 A Book of Myths.

When Idas, son of Aphareus, came from Messenia to asked for the hand of Marpessa, Evenus refused his request because he wanted her daughter to remain a virgin. Idas went to his father Poseidon and begged for the use of a winged chariot.[4] Poseidon consented to his use of the chariot, and Idas stole Marpessa away from a band of dancers and fled to Pleuron in Aetolia.[5] Her father, after chasing the couple for a long time and realizing he could not catch up to them, killed his horses and then drowned himself in a nearby river Lycormas and became immortal. The river was named later after him.[3]

Apollo also pursued them in his own chariot, wanting Marpessa for himself.

"Idas that was mightiest of men that were then upon the face of earth;
who also took his bow to face the king Phoebus Apollo
for the sake of the fair-ankled maid [i.e. Marpessa]."[6]

As the two fought for the girl's hand, Zeus eventually intervened and commanded Marpessa to choose between her mortal lover and the god.[7][8] Marpessa chose Idas, reasoning to Apollo that had she chosen the god, she would have eventually grown old and lost his affections:

"And thou beautiful god, in that far time,
When in thy setting sweet thou gazest down
On this grey head, wilt thou remember then
That once I pleased thee, that I once was young?"[9]

When Idas was slain by the hands of Polydeuces, one of the Dioscuri, Marpessa killed herself.[10]

Modern use of the name

  • It is thought that the modern and rare Italian female personal name Marfisa and the variants Marfisia and Marfisio (male version) descend from Marpessa. This is probably supported by the history of the evolution of the name itself.
  • Marpessa, as a name, was used to describe a 206,000 ton Shell Oil company supertanker (VLCC). In December 1969, it became the world's largest oil tanker to sink up to that date. Marpessa had been on its maiden voyage from Europort, Rotterdam, when an explosion ripped through the hull and it foundered 50 miles off the west coast of Africa

References

  1. ↑ Pseudo-Apollodorus. Bibliotheca, Book 1.8.2; Propertius. Elegies, 1.2;Homer. Iliad, Book 9.557; Pausanias. Description of Greece, 4.2.7 & 5.18.2
  2. ↑ Plutarch. Parallela minora, 40
  3. 1 2 Homer. Iliad, Book 9.557, Pseudo-Apollodorus. Bibliotheca, Book 1.8.2; Propertius. Elegies, 1.2; Pausanias. Description of Greece, 4.2.7 & 5.18.2; Plutarch. Parallela minora, 40; Pseudo-Plutarch. De fluviis, 1.8
  4. ↑ Jeanie Lang. A Book of Myths, p. 90-99.
  5. ↑ Baccchylides. Dithyrambs, 6.1
  6. ↑ Homer. Iliad, Book 9.557 This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ↑ Jeanie Lang. A Book of Myths, p. 90-99.
  8. ↑ Homer. Iliad, Book 9.557, Pseudo-Apollodorus. Bibliotheca, Book 1.8.2;Plutarch. Parallela minora, 40; Propertius. Elegies, 1.2;
  9. ↑ Stephen Phillips. Marpessa (poem).
  10. ↑ Pausanias. Description of Greece, 4.2.7 & 5.18.2

Sources

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