Philomela or Philomel is a minor figure in Greek mythology who is frequently invoked as a direct and figurative symbol in literary and artistic works in the Western canon.
Procne and Philomela carving up Itys, Temple of Apollo, Thermos, terracotta metope, c. 630-625 BC
"The Rape of Philomela by Tereus", engraved by Virgil Solis for a 1562 edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book VI, 519–562)
"The Rape of Philomela by Tereus", book 6, plate 59. Engraved by Johann Wilhelm Baur for a 1703 edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses
Philomela and Procne showing the severed head of Itys to his father Tereus, engraved by Baur for a 1703 edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book VI:621–647)
Procne or Progne is a minor figure in Greek mythology. She was an Athenian princess as the elder daughter of a king of Athens named Pandion. Procne was married to the king of Thrace, Tereus, who instead lusted after her sister Philomela. Tereus forced himself on Philomela and locked her away. When Procne discovered her sister and her gruesome fate, she took revenge against her husband by murdering their only child, a young boy named Itys. Procne's story serves as an origin myth for the nightingale.
Philomela and Procne, Elizabeth Jane Gardner.
Procne and Philomela from Apollo's temple at Thermos, 630–625 BC
Furies in Procne and Tereus's wedding night, engraving by Virgil Solis, 1581.
Procne rescues Philomela, 1767 engraving, Getty Research Institute.
