Céphale and Procris

See also: Céphale, Procris

Céphale and Procris (in Greek old Κέφαλος καὶ Πρόκρις / Képhalos kaì Prókris ) is a couple of lovers of the Greek Mythologie. It have as wire Arcésios, king of Ithaque.

Céphale , prince thessalien, wire of Deion and Diomède had married Procris , one of the girls of Erechté king d' Athènes. It was of a remarkable beauty. It inspired a sharp passion with Éos (Dawn); this one, to detach it from Procris, committed it to test the fidelity of his wife. To this end, it was introduced close to her, hidden under a disguise: having succeeded in alluring it, it drove out it its presence. Procris, ashamed, flees in Peak where Artémis made him gift of a dog and a magic javelin. Later Procris returned in its hearths under the aspect of a tempting young girl who offered the love of Cephale in exchange of the gifts of the goddess. Cephale accepted and Procris was then made recognize.

The two husbands thus réconcilèrent themselves. The jealousy however etreignait the heart of Procris which thought that her husband joined Eos at the time of his shooting parties. One night, it thus followed it in hiding-place. Inadvertently it stirred up a branch. Thinking that a game hid behind the Cephale foliage launched its javelin and bored the body of its dear Procris; despaired by this death, it committed suicide with the same javelin. According to another version, the learned assembly banishes it for this murder. He withdrew himself in the island which took of him the name of Céphalonie and haunted by the phantom of its liked well ends up throwing itself to the sea.

Artistic evocations

This legend inspired:

a lyric Tragedy of Elisabeth Jacquet of the War represented in 1694;
a opera of Andre Grétry represented in 1773.

Sources

(I, 9,4; II, 4,7; III, 14,3; III, 15,1).
(XLI).
(I, 234).
( Artémis , v. 209).
(v. 986?).
(XI, 321).
(XLVIII; CLXXXIX; CCLIII).
(VII, 661-865).
(I, 37; X, 29).
(X, 2,14).
(VI, 447).

External bond

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