Editing Peitho

{{Short description|Greek personification of persuasion}}
{{about|goddess in Greek Mythology|the asteroid|118 Peitho}}
{{Infobox deity
| name = Peitho
| image = Eros brought by Peitho to Aphrodite as Anteros laughs at his being punished for having chosen the wrong target, Pompeiian fresco, circa 25 BCE (28298194699).jpg
| caption = Pompeiian fresco of Eros being brought by Peitho to Aphrodite
| type = Greek
| deity_of = Personification of Persuasion
| parents = [[Okeanus]] and [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]]
| abode = [[Mount Olympus]]
| consort =
| siblings = [[Oceanids]], the [[River gods (Greek mythology)|river gods]]
}}
{{Greek myth (personified)}}
In [[Greek mythology]], '''Peitho''' ({{langx|grc|Πειθώ|Peithō|Persuasion}} or 'winning eloquence'<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|last=Bane|first=Theresa|title=Encyclopedia of Fairies in World Folklore and Mythology|publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers|year=2013|isbn=9780786471119|page=268}}</ref>) is the personification of [[persuasion]].<ref>''[[Brill's New Pauly]]'', [https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/peitho-e912240 s.v. Peitho].</ref> She is typically presented as an important companion of [[Aphrodite]]. Her opposite is [[Bia (mythology)|Bia]], the personification of force.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=North|first=Helen|date=1993|title=Emblems of eloquence|journal=Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society|volume=137|pages=406–430}}</ref> As a personification, she was sometimes imagined as a goddess and sometimes an abstract power with her name used both as a common and proper noun.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Marsh|first=Charles|date=2015|title=The Strange Case of the Goddess Peitho: Classical Antecedents of Public Relations Ambivalence Toward Persuasion|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hprr20|journal=Journal of Public Relations Research|volume=27|issue=3|pages=229–243|via=Taylor & Francis Group|doi=10.1080/1062726X.2015.1024249|s2cid=143067078 }}</ref> There is evidence that Peitho was referred to as a goddess before she was referred to as an abstract concept, which is rare for a personification.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Amy |url=https://archive.org/details/polispersonifica00smit |title=Polis and Personification in Classical Athenian Art |publisher=BRILL |year=2011 |isbn=9789004194175 |location=Leiden, Netherlands |pages=55–62 |url-access=limited}}</ref> Peitho represents both sexual and political persuasion. She is associated with the art of rhetoric.<ref name=":3" />

== Family ==
[[File:Fragment of a terracotta skyphos (deep drinking cup) MET SF0728651b.jpg|thumb|278x278px|Fragment depicting Peitho, Aphrodite, and Eros. This skyphos fragment may be the earliest known artistic representation of Peitho,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Rosenzweig|first=Rachel|title=Worshipping Aphrodite: Art and Cult in Classical Athens|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0472113323|location=Ann Arbor|pages=20}}</ref> circa 490 B.C.E. ([[Metropolitan Museum of Art|The Metropolitan Museum of Art]]).|alt=]]
Peitho's ancestry is unclear, as various authors provide different identities for her parents. [[Hesiod]] in ''[[Theogony]]'' identifies Peitho as the daughter of the Titans [[Tethys (mythology)|Tethys]] and [[Oceanus|Okeanus]], which would make her an [[Oceanid|Okeanid]] and the sister of notable goddesses such as [[Dione (Titaness)|Dione]], [[Doris (Oceanid)|Doris]], and [[Metis (mythology)|Metis]].<ref name=":02" /><ref>[[Hesiod]], ''[[Theogony]]'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+337&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130:boo=0:chapter=0&highlight=Peitho 346–349] & [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+337&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130 362–366] </ref> According to the lyric poet [[Sappho]], she was the daughter of Aphrodite.<ref>[[Sappho]] [https://www.loebclassics.com/view/sappho-fragments/1982/pb_LCL142.187.xml fr. 200 Campbell, pp. 186&ndash;7] [= Scholia on [[Hesiod]]'s ''Works and Days'', 73c]; Gantz, p. 104.</ref> [[Aeschylus]] identifies her as the daughter of Aphrodite in ''[[The Suppliants (Euripides)|Suppliant Women]] (Hiketides)'', but also describes her as the child of [[Ate (mythology)|Ate]] in ''[[Agamemnon (play)|Agamemnon]]''.<ref>[[Aeschylus]], ''Suppliant Women'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0016%3Acard%3D1034 1039].</ref><ref>[[Aeschylus]], ''Agamemnon'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0004%3Acard%3D385 385].</ref> [[Nonnus]] in his ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' describes the [[Charites]] (Graces), an ensemble of goddesses of grace and charm, as including Peitho, [[Pasithea]], and [[Aglaia (Grace)|Aglaia]], and all of them are identified as daughters of [[Dionysus]].<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'', 24.261.</ref> The [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic era]] [[elegiac]] poet [[Hermesianax (poet)|Hermesianax]] also refers to Peitho as one of the Charites.<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D9%3Achapter%3D35%3Asection%3D5 9.35.5]</ref> [[Alcman]] describes her as the daughter of [[Prometheus|Prometheia]] and the sister of [[Tyche]] and [[Eunomia]].<ref>[[Alcman]], Fragments 3 & 64.</ref>

Nonnus identifies Peitho as the wife of [[Hermes]], the messenger of the gods.<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'', 8.220 & 48.230.</ref> However, commentary on [[Euripides|Euripides']] ''[[Orestes (play)|Orestes]]'' notes that Peitho is the wife of [[Phoroneus]], the primordial King of [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], and the mother of [[Aegialeus (King of Argos)|Aegialeus]], [[Apis of Argos|Apis]], [[Europs (mythology)|Europs]] and [[Niobe (Argive)|Niobe]].<ref>[[Scholia]] ad [[Euripides]], ''[[Orestes (play)|Orestes]]'' [https://archive.org/details/scholiaineuripi00schwgoog/page/n229/mode/1up?view=theater 932]</ref> An alternative [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argive]] tradition describes her instead as the wife of [[Argus (king of Argos)|Argos]], Phoroneus's grandson.<ref name=":3" /><ref>Scholia ad Euripides, ''[[The Phoenician Women|Phoenissae]]'' [https://archive.org/details/scholiaineuripi00schwgoog/page/n405/mode/1up?view=theater 1116]</ref> The [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[Encyclopedia|encyclopedic]] text, ''[[Suda]]'', states that the mother of [[Iynx]] was either Peitho or [[Echo (mythology)|Ekho]].

==Mythology==
Peitho plays a limited role in mythology, mainly appearing with or as a companion of Aphrodite.

A degraded fragment by [[Sappho]] may identify Peitho as an attendant of Aphrodite, although other possibilities are [[Hebe (mythology)|Hebe]], [[Iris (mythology)|Iris]], or even [[Hekate]].<ref name=":9">{{Cite book|last=Breitenberger|first=Barbara|title=Aphrodite and Eros: The Development of Greek Erotic Mythology|url=https://archive.org/details/aphroditeerosdev00brei_533|url-access=limited|publisher=Routledge|year=2007|isbn=978-0-415-96823-2|location=New York, NY|pages=[https://archive.org/details/aphroditeerosdev00brei_533/page/n127 117]–135|chapter=Peitho: the Power of Persuasion}}</ref> Pindar characterizes Peitho, either as the abstract concept of persuasion or the goddess, as the wise one that holds the "secret key to holy love", associating her with Aphrodite.<ref>[[Pindar]], ''Pythian 9'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0162%3Abook%3DP.%3Apoem%3D9 35-39].</ref> She is also described as the nurse of the baby [[Erotes]], who are Aphrodite's children.<ref name=":0">[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'', 3.84.</ref> A fragment by [[Ibycus]] describes Aphrodite and Peitho, who is described as tendered eyed (''aganoblepharos''), nursing [[Euryalus (Phaeacian)|Euryalus]] among rose blossoms.<ref>[[Ibycus]], Fragment 288.</ref>

[[Nonnus]] gives her a role within the marriage of [[Cadmus|Kadmos]] and [[Harmonia]], as she appears to Kadmos in the form of a mortal slave and covers Kadmos in a mist to lead him unseen through [[Samothrace]] to the palace of [[Pleiades (Greek mythology)|Electra]], Harmonia's adoptive mother.<ref name=":0" /> Peitho often appears on a 5th century epinetron by the [[Eretria Painter]] depicting Harmonia’s bridal preparations with Aphrodite, [[Eros]], [[Persephone|Persephone (Kore)]], [[Hebe (mythology)|Hebe]], and [[Himeros]] as in attendance.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Greek Vases: Images, Contexts and Controversies.|url=https://archive.org/details/greekvasesimages2002marc|url-access=limited|last=Neils|first=Jenifer|publisher=BRILL|year=2004|isbn=978-90-04-13802-5|editor-last=Marconi|editor-first=Clement|location=Boston, MA|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greekvasesimages2002marc/page/n86 76]}}</ref> In art, she was also depicted at the weddings for [[Dionysus]] and [[Ariadne]], [[Alcestis (play)|Alkestis and Admetos]], [[Thetis]] and [[Peleus]], and at the union of Aphrodite and [[Adonis]].<ref name=":3" /> A hydria attributed to the Meidias Painter shows Peitho fleeing from the scene of the abduction of the Leukippidai by the [[Castor and Pollux|Dioskuri]], indicating either that she persuaded the women into eloping or that she does not condone the marriage by Athenian standards.<ref name=":3" />

When [[Zeus]] ordered the creation of the first woman, [[Pandora]], Peitho and the [[Charites]] placed golden [[necklace]]s around her neck, and the [[Horae|Horae (Seasons)]] crowned Pandora's head with spring flowers.<ref>Hesiod, ''[[Works and Days]]'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0132%3Acard%3D59 69-82].</ref> Extravagant jewelry, particularly necklaces, were viewed with suspicion in Ancient Greek literature, as they were typically seen as a way for women to seduce men, making the necklace a way to enhance Pandora’s sexual attractiveness and persuasive abilities.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Plutarch's Advice to the Bride and Groom and A Consolation to His Wife: English Translations, Commentary, Interpretive Essays, and Bibliography|last=Stafford|first=Emma|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|isbn=978-0195120233|location=Oxford, United Kingdom|pages=162–165}}</ref>

In art, Peitho is often represented with Aphrodite during the abduction of [[Helen of Troy|Helen]], symbolizing the forces of persuasion and love at work during the scene.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Erôs in Ancient Greece|last=Stafford|first=Emma|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2013|isbn=9780199605507|location=Oxford, United Kingdom|pages=198|chapter=From the Gymnasium to the Wedding: Eros in Athenian Art and Cult}}</ref> Her presence at the event may be interpreted as either [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]] needing persuasion to claim Helen as a prize for choosing Aphrodite, or Helen needing to be persuaded to accompany him to Troy, as Helen's level of agency became a popular topic of discussion in the 5th century.<ref name=":1" /> Peitho's presence brings the question of whether mortals have the ability to resist her power or whether they are bound to her persuasive abilities.<ref name=":1" />

== Cult and function ==
Cults dedicated to Peitho date to at least the early 5th century.<ref name=":9" /> In her role as an attendant or companion of Aphrodite, Peitho was intimately connected to the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite and Peitho were sometimes conflated, more commonly in the later periods, with the name Peitho appearing in conjunction with or as an [[epithet]] of Aphrodite's name.<ref name=":1" /> She is also identified with [[Tyche]] in ''Suppliant Women (Hiketides).''<ref>[[Aeschylus]], ''Suppliant Women (Hiketides),'' Line 523.</ref> Peitho was associated with [[Marriage in ancient Greece|marriage]], since a suitor or his father would negotiate with the father or guardian of a young woman for her hand in marriage and offer a bridal price in return for her. The most desirable women drew many prospective suitors, and persuasive skill often determined the suitor's success. [[Plutarch]] includes her on a list of five deities for new couples to pray to, also included are Zeus (Teleios), [[Hera]] (Teleia), Aphrodite, and [[Artemis]].<ref>[[Plutarch]], ''[[Moralia|Moralia (Ethika)]]'', Line 264b.</ref>[[File:Fragment of a marble neo-Attic relief with Peitho MET DP261241.jpg|thumb|350x350px|A Roman relief depicting Peitho, circa 1st century B.C.E. ([[Metropolitan Museum of Art|The Metropolitan Museum of Art]]).]]Peitho was an important figure for emphasising civic harmony, particularly in [[Athens]] and [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]], and harmony within interpersonal relationships.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|title=Worshipping Aphrodite: Art and Cult in Classical Athens|last=Rosenzweig|first=Rachel|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2004|isbn=978-0472113323|location=Ann Arbor|pages=13–26}}</ref> Notably in Athens, the unification ([[Synoecism|synoikismos]]) of the city by [[Theseus]] was only possible with the intervention of both Aphrodite and Peitho to create democratic spirit and cooperation.<ref name=":3" /> In Argos, she was paired with the early kings of the city, functioning as a civic unifier in a similar role as [[Harmonia]], the first Queen of [[Thebes, Greece|Thebes]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Buxton|first=Richard|url=https://archive.org/details/persuasioningree00rgab/page/29|title=Persuasion in Greek Tragedy: A Study of Peitho|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780521136730|location=Cambridge, United Kingdom|pages=[https://archive.org/details/persuasioningree00rgab/page/29 29–37]|url-access=registration}}</ref> On a 4th century vase from [[Apulia]], Peitho and Hermes are depicted together instructing [[Triptolemus|Tripolemus]] to teach agriculture to mankind, indicating Peitho's role in creating harmony through civilization.<ref name=":7" /> Plutarch outlines Peitho’s role in interpersonal harmony in ''[[Moralia]]'', where he states that persuasion’s role within a marriage is so that spouses can achieve their wants without quarreling. In ''[[Oresteia|Eumenides]]'', Athena thanks Peitho after convincing the [[Erinyes|Furies]] of her reasoning in acquitting [[Orestes]] and successfully defusing strife.<ref>[[Aeschylus]], ''Eumenides'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0006:card=823&highlight=persuasion 825-829]</ref> However, Peitho may be a destructive force when used for seduction or selfish personal gains, such as in ''[[Oresteia|Agamemnon]]'' where [[Clytemnestra]] curses Peitho for Paris’s stealing of Helen, and she uses persuasion to convince [[Cassandra]] to enter the house in order to murder her.

=== Cult within Athens ===
[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] reports that after the unification ([[Synoecism|synoikismos]]) of [[Athens]], Theseus set up a cult of [[Aphrodite Pandemos]] and Peitho on the south slope of [[Acropolis of Athens]].<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D22%3Asection%3D3 1.22.3].</ref> In recognition of this myth, both goddesses were worshipped in the [[Attica (region)|Attic]] [[Aphrodisia|Aphrodisia Festival]].<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=Brill's Companion to Aphrodite|last=Pala|first=Elisabetta|publisher=Brill|year=2010|location=Leiden|pages=195–216|chapter=Aphrodite on the Akropolis: Evidence from Attic Pottery}}</ref> Peitho was worshipped independently as the goddess of both sexual and rhetorical persuasion in Athens from the 4th century into the [[Roman Empire|Roman Imperial era]], the time of [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]]’s writing.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> However, some scholars believe it is possible that worship dates to the 6th century, but there is not strong evidence for this assertion.<ref name=":5" /> A votive inscription to Peitho was found at the site of the Temple of Aphrodite, reinforcing the link between these goddesses at Athens.<ref name=":4" /> The [[Theatre of Dionysus]] had seat reserved for the priestess of Peitho.<ref name=":1" /> Peitho was an important figure to Athenian [[rhetoric]]ians in 5th century and was considered an important figure for human affairs, as persuasion was a major component to rhetoric. Rhetorician [[Isocrates]] notes in Section 249 of ''[[Antidosis]]'' that sacrifices are made to Peitho in the city annually.<ref name=":2" /> Furthermore, comic poet [[Eupolis]] said that Peitho sat on the lips of [[Pericles]] for his persuasive skills.<ref name=":7" /> Persuasion was considered essential for the democratic state's success.<ref name=":6" />

=== Cults within other Greek cities ===
Despite her connection to Aphrodite in Athens, Peitho was more commonly associated with Artemis in the [[Peloponnese]], as the two goddesses either shared a temple at [[Argos, Peloponnese|Argos]] or "Peitho" being used as an epithet for Artemis.<ref name=":3" /> Peitho’s association with Artemis may have formed due to a shared with importance with adult development and the loss of sexual innocence.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal|last=Burnett Pippin|first=Anne|date=2011|title=Servants of Peitho: Pindar fr. 122|journal=Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies|volume=51|pages=49–60}}</ref> At Argos, this temple was also shared with [[Hypermnestra|Hypermestra]], who was acquitted in trial of a case brought by her father, as she was the only [[Danaïdes|Danaid]] who did not murder her husband on her wedding night as per her father's orders.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":9" /> With this association, Peitho is connected to persuasive speech generally as opposed to just seductive persuasion.<ref name=":4" />

[[Pindar]] refers to [[Prostitution in ancient Greece|courtesans and prostitutes]] in [[Corinth]] as "the servants of Peitho", however, he does not elaborate on whether there was any cults associated with Peitho in the city nor whether courtesans had a particular reverence for the goddess.<ref>[[Pindar]], Eulogies Fragment 122.</ref> This passage has stirred debate among scholars one whether sacred prostitution was practiced in Greece.<ref name=":8" /> Peitho was commonly shown wearing jewelry, fixing her clothing, holding jars of perfume, or looking into mirrors, traits that may be associated with [[hetaira]]i.<ref name=":8" />

In [[Sicyon]], Peitho had a cult and a temple, which was connected to the cults of Artemis and [[Apollo]].<ref name=":9" /> According to a local cult practice recorded by Pausanias, during the festival of Apollo, seven boys and girls take the statues of Artemis and Apollo to the Sythas River and take them to the sanctuary of Peitho, after which they are returned to the Temple of Apollo.<ref>Pausanias, ''Description of Greece'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160:book=2:chapter=7&highlight=sythas 2.7.8]</ref> The aetiological myth for this practice was that the citizens of Sicyon refused to purify the twin gods after the slaying of [[Python (mythology)|Python]], and as a result a plague was sent to the city. Seven boys and girls went to the river to convince the gods to return, they were successful, indicating that even the gods are susceptible to the power of persuasion, and the sanctuary to Peitho was established at this spot.<ref name=":9" /> There was no cult image to Peitho by the [[Roman Imperial period|Roman Imperial Period]], however, this does mean that one never existed.<ref name=":9" />

According to Pausanias, in addition to the cults and sanctuaries dedicated to Peitho at Athens and Argos, there was an image decorating the throne at the Temple of Zeus at [[Olympia, Greece|Olympia]] where Aphrodite, rising from the sea is greeted by [[Eros]] and crowned by Peitho.<ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Graeciae Descriptio'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D7%3Asection%3D7 2.7.7], [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D2%3Achapter%3D21%3Asection%3D1 2.21.1] & [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D5%3Achapter%3D11%3Asection%3D8 5.11.8]</ref><ref>[[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D5%3Achapter%3D11%3Asection%3D8 5.11.8]</ref> In [[Megara]], statues of Peitho and [[Paregoros]] (personification of soothing words) stood in the Temple of Aphrodite Praxis (of intercourse).<ref name=":8" /> There is also evidence that Peitho had cults in [[Paros]], [[Thasos]], and [[Lesbos]].<ref name=":1" />

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* ''[[Brill’s New Pauly]]: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World. Antiquity, Volume 10'', Obl-Phe, editors: Hubert Cancik, Helmuth Schneider, [[Brill Publishers|Brill]], 2007. {{ISBN|978-90-04-14215-2}}. [https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/browse/brill-s-new-pauly Online version at Brill].
* [[Timothy Gantz|Gantz, Timothy]], ''Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources'', Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996, Two volumes: {{ISBN|978-0-8018-5360-9}} (Vol. 1), {{ISBN|978-0-8018-5362-3}} (Vol. 2).
* {{cite book| last = Grimal| first = Pierre| title = Dictionnaire de la Mythologie Grecque Et Romaine| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=FMj9mAEIml0C&pg=PA349| year = 1996| publisher = Wiley| isbn = 978-0-631-20102-1| page = 349 }}
* [[Hesiod]], ''Theogony'' from ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0130%3Acard%3D1 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0129 Greek text available from the same website].
* [[Hesiod]], ''Works and Days'' from ''The Homeric Hymns and Homerica'' with an English Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1914. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0128 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library.] [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0131 Greek text available from the same website].
* [[Nonnus|Nonnus of Panopolis]], ''Dionysiaca'' translated by William Henry Denham Rouse (1863-1950), from the Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, 1940.  [https://topostext.org/work/529 Online version at the Topos Text Project.]
* Nonnus of Panopolis, ''Dionysiaca. 3 Vols.'' W.H.D. Rouse. Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann, Ltd. 1940-1942. [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:2008.01.0485 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* {{cite journal| last = North| first = Helen F.| title = Emblems of Eloquence| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wUwLAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA408| volume = 137| year = 1993| isbn = 978-1-4223-7018-6| pages = 406–430| issue = 3| journal = Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society }}
* [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], ''Description of Greece'' with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918. {{ISBN|0-674-99328-4}}. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0160 Online version at the Perseus Digital Library]
*Pausanias, ''Graeciae Descriptio.'' ''3 vols''. Leipzig, Teubner. 1903.  [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0159 Greek text available at the Perseus Digital Library].
* [[William Smith (lexicographer)|Smith, William]]; ''[[Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology]]'', London (1873). [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic+letter%3DP%3Aentry+group%3D12%3Aentry%3Dpeitho-bio-1 "Peitho" 1.]

== Further reading ==
* [[Emma Stafford|Stafford, Emma]], ''Worshipping Virtues: Personification and the Divine in Ancient Greece'', London, Duckworth, 2000. {{ISBN|0715630466}}. [https://archive.org/details/worshippingvirtu0000staf/page/n5/mode/2up Internet Archive].

==External links==
{{wiktionary|Peitho}}
*[http://www.stoa.org/projects/demos/article_personifications?page=20&greekEncoding=UnicodeC Images of Political Personifications: Peitho (persuasion)]

{{Greek religion}}
{{Greek mythology (deities)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Greek love and lust goddesses]]
[[Category:Arts goddesses]]
[[Category:Knowledge goddesses]]
[[Category:Oceanids]]
[[Category:Personifications in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Persuasion]]