Philomela

Philomela /ˌfɪləˈmiːlə/ or Philomel /ˈfɪləˌmɛl/ (Ancient Greek: Φιλομήλη, Philomēlē) is a minor figure in Greek mythology and is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary, artistic, and musical works in the Western canon.

She is identified as being the "princess of Athens" and the younger of two daughters of Pandion I, King of Athens, and Zeuxippe. Her sister, Procne, was the wife of King Tereus of Thrace. While the myth has several variations, the general depiction is that Philomela, after being raped and mutilated by her sister's husband, Tereus, obtains her revenge and is transformed into a nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos), a migratory passerine bird native to Europe and southwest Asia and noted for its song. Because of the violence associated with the myth, the song of the nightingale is often depicted or interpreted as a sorrowful lament. Coincidentally, in nature, the female nightingale is mute and only the male of the species sings.

Ovid and other writers have made the association (either fancifully or mistakenly) that the etymology of her name was "lover of song," derived from the Greek φιλο- and μέλος ("song") instead of μῆλον ("fruit" or "sheep"). The name means "lover of fruit," "lover of apples," or "lover of sheep."