Peneus averts his gaze as Apollo, pierced by Cupid's arrow of desire, pursues Daphne, transforming into the laurel (Apollo and Daphne, 1625, by
Poussin)River gods consoling Peneus for the Loss of his Daughter, Daphne
The nymph
Creusa bore him one son,
Hypseus, who was King of the
Lapiths,[2] and three daughters,
Menippe (mother of
Phrastor by
Pelasgus),[3]Daphne[4] and
Stilbe.[5] Some sources state that he was the father of
Cyrene,[6] alternately known as his granddaughter through Hypseus. Daphne, in an
Arcadian version of the myth, was instead the daughter of the river god
Ladon.[7]
Peneus also had a son
Atrax with
Bura,[8] and
Andreus with an unknown consort.[9] Tricce (or Tricca), eponym of the city
Tricca, was mentioned as his daughter.[10] In later accounts, Peneus was credited to be the father of
Chrysogenia who consorted with Zeus and became the mother of
Thissaeus.[11] Meanwhile, his daughter Astabe coupled with
Hermes and became the parents of
Astacus, father of Iocles, father of
Hipponous.[12] According to
Hellanicus, Peneus was the father of
Iphis, mother of
Salmoneus by
Aeolus the son of
Hellen.[13]
Mythology
Eros shot
Apollo with one of his arrows, causing him to fall in love with Daphne. It was Eros's plan that Daphne would scorn Apollo because Eros was angry that Apollo had made fun of his archery skills.[14] Eros also claimed to be irritated by Apollo's singing. Daphne prayed to the river god Peneus to help her. He changed her into a
laurel tree, which later became sacred to Apollo (see
Apollo and Daphne).
Pindar, The Odes of Pindar including the Principal Fragments with an Introduction and an English Translation by Sir John Sandys, Litt.D., FBA. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1937.
Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library.
Stephanus of Byzantium, Stephani Byzantii Ethnicorum quae supersunt, edited by August Meineike (1790-1870), published 1849. A few entries from this important ancient handbook of place names have been translated by Brady Kiesling.
Online version at the Topos Text Project.