In Greek mythology, Parthenŏpe was a siren and if the name sounds familiar to you it’s because the noun is still used to indicate everything that comes from the city of Naples, which legend says she founded.
Daughter of a river-god and the muse of dance, she’s mentioned in the Orphic Argonautica alongside her sisters Lighèia and Leucosia, and she was defeated by Orpheus when he was able to surpass their luring songs with a singing of his own. She washed ashore, and that’s how she’s connected to the city of Neaples, but the Romans tell us a different story.
She’s today’s profile on my Patreon.
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