Editing Myrrha (section)

==Myth==

===Ovid's version===

[[File:Virgil Solis - Myrrha Cinyras.jpg|350px|thumb|[[Virgil Solis]] – ''Myrrha and Cinyras'']]

Published in 8 A.D. the ''Metamorphoses'' of Ovid has become one of the most influential poems by writers in Latin.<ref name="Dollpaper">{{cite journal | title = What Nature Allows the Jealous Laws Forbid: The Cases of Myrrha and Ennis del Mar | journal = Journal of Curriculum Theorizing | year = 2006 | first = Mary Aswell | last = Doll | volume = 21 | issue = 3 | pages = 39–45}}</ref><ref name="Ovid9">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|p=9}}</ref> The ''Metamorphoses'' show that Ovid was more interested in questioning how laws interfered with people's lives than writing epic tales like [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]'' or [[Homer]]'s ''[[Odyssey]]''.<ref name="Dollpaper" /> The ''Metamorphoses'' is not narrated by Ovid,{{efn|Ovid spoke in his own person in his previous works where he was reputed as a witty and cynical man. ''Metamorphoses'' is a purely narrative poem and Ovid leaves his cynicism behind to reveal a sympathetic insight in human emotions.<ref name="Ovid15">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|p=15}}</ref>}} but rather by the characters in the stories.<ref name="Dollpaper" /> The myth of Myrrha and Cinyras is sung by [[Orpheus]] in the tenth book of ''Metamorphoses'' after he has told the myth of [[Pygmalion (mythology)|Pygmalion]]{{efn|According to Ovid Pygmalion was Myrrha's great-grandfather: Pygmalion's daughter, [[Paphos#Founding myth|Paphos]], was the mother of Cinyras, who was Myrrha's father.<ref name="Ovid232paphos">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|p=232}} (Book X, 296-298)</ref>}} and before he turns to the tale of Venus and Adonis.<ref name="Ovid231-245">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|pp=231–245}} (Book X, 243-739)</ref> As the myth of Myrrha is also the longest tale sung by Orpheus (205 lines) and the only story that corresponds to his announced theme of girls punished for forbidden desire, it is considered the centerpiece of the song.<ref name="Ovid373">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|2003|p=373}}</ref> Ovid opens the myth with a warning to the audience that this is a myth of great horror, especially to fathers and daughters:

<blockquote>
The story I am going to tell is a horrible one: I beg that daughters and fathers should hold themselves aloof, while I sing, or if they find my songs enchanting, let them refuse to believe this part of my tale, and suppose that it never happened: or else, if they believe that it did happen, they must believe also in the punishment that followed.<ref name="Ovid233-2">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|p=233}} (Book X, 300-303)</ref>
</blockquote>

According to [[Ovid]], Myrrha was the daughter of King [[Cinyras]] and Queen Cenchreis of Cyprus. Ovid says that [[Cupid]] was not to blame for Myrrha's incestuous love for her father, Cinyras; he comments that hating one's father is a crime, but that Myrrha's love was a greater crime,<ref name="Ovid233">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|p=233}} (Book X, 311-315)</ref> and blames it instead on the [[Furies]].<ref name="Ovid233-238">{{Harvnb|Ovidius Naso|1971|pp=233–238}} (Book X, 298-513)</ref>

Over several verses, Ovid depicts the psychic struggle Myrrha faces between her sexual desire for her father and the social shame she would face for acting on it.<ref name="Ovid233-238" /> Sleepless, and losing all hope, she attempts [[suicide]]; however, she is discovered by her nurse, in whom she confides. The nurse tries to make Myrrha suppress the infatuation, but later agrees to help Myrrha into her father's bed if she promises that she will not try to kill herself again.<ref name="Ovid233-238" />

[[File:Myrrha's flight.jpg|left|240px|thumb|Myrrha's flight from her father]]

During [[Cerealia]] the worshipping women, including Queen Cenchreis, Myrrha's mother, were not to be touched by men for nine nights. Myrrha's nurse told King Cinyras of a girl deeply in love with him, giving a false name. The affair lasted several nights in complete darkness to conceal Myrrha's identity,{{efn|It is not known exactly how many nights the affair lasted, but a source suggests only three nights.<ref name="Dollpaper" />}} until Cinyras wanted to know the identity of his paramour. Upon bringing in a lamp, and seeing his daughter, the king attempted to kill her on the spot, but Myrrha escaped.<ref name="Ovid233-238" />

Thereafter Myrrha walked in exile for nine months, past the palms of [[Arabia]] and the fields of [[Panchaea]], until she reached [[Sabaeans|Sabaea]].{{efn|Modern day [[Yemen]].<ref name="Sabaea">{{cite encyclopedia | last = Stokes | first = Jamie | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the Middle East | title = Yemenis: nationality (people of Yemen) | year = 2009 | publisher = Infobase Publishing | volume = 1 | page = 745}}</ref>}} Afraid of death and tired of life, and pregnant as well, she begged the gods for a solution, and was transformed into the myrrh tree, with the sap thereof representing her tears. Later, [[Lucina (goddess)|Lucina]] freed the newborn Adonis from the tree.<ref name="Ovid233-238" />
{{-}}

===Other versions===
The myth of Myrrha has been chronicled in several other works than Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. Among the scholars who recounted it are Apollodorus, [[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], and [[Antoninus Liberalis]]. All three versions differ.

In his ''[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Bibliotheca]]'', written around the 1st century B.C., Apollodorus{{efn|Following customary usage, the author of ''Biblioteca'' is referred to as Apollodorus, but see discussion of historicity of the author: [[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)#Pseudo-Apollodorus|pseudo-Apollodorus]].}} tells of three possible parentages for Adonis. In the first he states that Cinyras arrived in Cyprus with a few followers and founded [[Paphos]], and that he married [[Galatea (mythology)|Metharme]], eventually becoming king of Cyprus through her family. Cinyras had five children by Metharme: the two boys, Oxyporos and Adonis, and three daughters, Orsedice, Laogore, and Braisia. The daughters at some point became victims of Aphrodite's wrath and had intercourse with foreigners,{{efn|This is considered a possible reference to temple prostitution connected with the [[Cult (religious practice)|cult]] of Aphrodite or [[Astarte]]. It is unknown what caused Aphrodite's anger, but it could be neglect of her cult as Cinyras was associated with the cult of the [[Paphos|Paphian]] Aphrodite in Cyprus.<ref name="Apollodorus239">{{Harvnb|Apollodorus|1998|p=239}}</ref>}} ultimately dying in Egypt.<ref name="Apollodorus131a">{{Harvnb|Apollodorus|1998|p=131}} (Book III, 14.3)</ref>

For the second possible parentage of Adonis, Apollodorus quotes [[Hesiod]], who postulates that Adonis could be the child of [[Phoenix (son of Agenor)|Phoenix]] and [[Alphesiboea]]. He elaborates no further on this statement.<ref name="Apollodorus131">{{Harvnb|Apollodorus|1998|p=131}} (Book III, 14.4)</ref>

[[File:Picart - Birth Adonis.jpg|350px|thumb|[[Bernard Picart]] – ''The Birth of Adonis'']]

For the third option, he quotes [[Panyassis|Panyasis]], who states that King Theias of Assyria had a daughter called Smyrna. Smyrna failed to honor Aphrodite, incurring the wrath of the goddess, by whom was made to fall in love with her father; and with the aid of her nurse she deceived him for twelve nights until her identity was discovered. Smyrna fled, but her father later caught up with her. Smyrna then prayed that the gods would make her invisible, prompting them to turn her into a tree, which was named the Smyrna. Ten months later the tree cracked and Adonis was born from it.<ref name="Apollodorus131" />

In his ''Fabulae'', written around 1 A.D., Hyginus states that King Cinyras of Assyria had a daughter by his wife, Cenchreis. The daughter was named Smyrna and the mother boasted that her child excelled even Venus in beauty. Angered, Venus punished the mother by cursing Smyrna to fall in love with her father. After the nurse had prevented Smyrna from committing suicide, she helped her engage her father in sexual intercourse. When Smyrna became pregnant, she hid in the woods from shame. Venus pitied the girl's fate, changing her into a myrrh tree, from which was born Adonis.<ref name="Hyginus61">{{Harvnb|Hyginus|1960|p=61 (No. LVIII in ''Myths'')}}</ref>

In the ''Metamorphoses'' by Antoninus Liberalis, written somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd century A.D.,<ref name="Antoninus2">{{Harvnb|Liberalis|1992|p=2}}</ref>{{efn|Antoninus Liberalis' ''Metamorphoses'' have parallels to the ''Metamorphoses'' of Ovid, due to their using the same source for their individual works: the ''[[Heteroioumena]]'' by [[Nicander]] (2nd century B.C.)<ref name="Antoninus2" />}} the myth is set in Phoenicia, near Mount Lebanon. Here King Thias, son of Belus and [[Orithyia (mythology)|Orithyia]],{{efn|Bēlos was a Greek name for Ba'al. [[Orithyia]] is often associated with the daughter of an Athenian king who was taken away by [[Anemoi#Boreas|Boreas]], the north wind.<ref name="Antoninus202">{{Harvnb|Liberalis|1992|p=202}}</ref> In Liberalis' ''Metamorphoses'' she is a [[nymph]], though.<ref name="Antoninus93">{{Harvnb|Liberalis|1992|p=93}} (No. XXXIV)</ref>}} had a daughter named Smyrna. Being of great beauty, she was sought by men from far and wide. She had devised many tricks in order to delay her parents and defer the day they would choose a husband for her. Smyrna had been driven mad{{efn|Antoninus Liberalis uses the verb ''ekmainō'', which is used when describing the madness of erotic passion. He uses it when describing [[Byblis]]' love as well, and [[Alcaeus of Mytilene|Alcaeus]] uses it when describing the relationship between [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]] and [[Paris (mythology)|Helen]].<ref name="Antoninus202" />}} by desire for her father and did not want anybody else. At first she hid her desires, eventually telling her nurse, [[Hippolyte (mythology)|Hippolyte]],{{efn|[[Hippolyta|Hippolyte]] is also the name of the legendary queen of the [[Amazons]], but there is no evidence that this Hippolyte is related in any way.<ref name="Antoninus202" />}} the secret of her true feelings. Hippolyte told the king that a girl of exalted parentage wanted to lie with him, but in secret. The affair lasted for an extended period of time, and Smyrna became pregnant. At this point, Thias desired to know who she was so he hid a light, illuminating the room and discovering Smyrna's identity when she entered. In shock, Smyrna gave birth prematurely to her child. She then raised her hands and said a prayer, which was heard by Zeus who took pity on her and turned her into a tree. Thias killed himself,{{efn|This fate of Myrrha's father is also accounted for by Hyginus in his ''Fabulae'', though not in the same story as the rest of the myth.<ref name="Hyginus162">{{Harvnb|Hyginus|1960|p=162}} (No. CCXLII in ''Myths'')</ref>}} and it was on the wish of Zeus that the child was brought up and named Adonis.<ref name="Antoninus93" />

In a rare version, Myrrha's curse was inflicted on her by [[Helios]], the sun god, over some unclear insult,<ref>[[Maurus Servius Honoratus|Servius]] ''Commentary on Virgil's Eclogues'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Serv.+Ecl.+10.18&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0091 10.18]</ref> which might reflect the role the Sun has in the myrrh's production, but nevertheless this version was far from being a popular one.<ref>{{cite book | title = Metamorphosis in Greek Myths | location = Oxford, New York, Toronto | first = Paul M. C. | last = Forbes Irving | publisher = [[Oxford University Press]], [[Clarendon Press]] | page = 275 | date = 1990 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=URvXAAAAMAAJ | isbn = 0-19-814730-9}}</ref>