Peristera (mythology)

This article is about the Greek nymph. For the village in Achaea, see Peristera, Achaea. For the Greek island, see Peristera.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Peristera (Ancient Greek: Περιστερά, romanized: Peristerá, lit. 'dove') is a nymph who was transformed into a dove, one of Aphrodite's sacred birds and symbols, explaining the bird's connection to the goddess. This myth survives in the works of Latin grammarian Lactantius Placidus and the first of the three anonymous Vatican Mythographers, whose works were discovered in a single manuscript in 1401.

Etymology

The etymology of the Greek word περιστερά, meaning the common pigeon or dove,[1] is ultimately unknown, although it could be related to the word πελιός, meaning "dark, blue."[2][3] One suggestion is that it may be derived from a Semitic phrase peraḥ Ištar, which means "the bird of Ishtar", a Semitic love-goddess sharing some elements with Aphrodite.[4][5]

Mythology

One day Aphrodite and her son Eros arrived in a bright meadow, and for fun they held a contest on which could gather the most flowers. Eros, bearing swift wings, easily outdid his mother, until Peristera stepped in and handed to Aphrodite the flowers she herself had picked, giving Aphrodite the victory.[6] Eros, in anger over his victory being snatched away from his hands, transformed Peristera into the bird bearing her name, the dove.[7] Accordingly, the dove came under Aphrodite's protection thereafter.[8][9]

Interpretation

According to Paul M.C. Forbes Irving, Peristera's tale is a very late one, and is more in line with inventions of a scholar who creates comprehensive narratives than local aetiological myth.[10] Among Aphrodite's symbols, the dove was one of the most significant and common ones, which came to symbolise affection, peace and love.[11]

See also

• Alcyone and Ceyx
• Antigone of Troy
• Atalanta and Hippomenes

References

1. Liddell & Scott 1940, s.v. περιστερά.
2. Beekes 2010, p. 1177.
3. Pellizer, Ezio (December 10, 2017). "Dizionario Etimologico della Mitologia Greca" [Etymological Dictionary of Greek Mythology] (PDF) (in Italian). p. 300. Archived from the original (pdf) on April 28, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
4. Lewis & Llewellyn-Jones 2018, p. 335.
5. Botterweck & Ringgren 1990, p. 35.
6. Lactantius Placidus, On the Thebaid 4.226
7. Wright, M. Rosemary. "A Dictionary of Classical Mythology: Summary of Transformations". mythandreligion.upatras.gr. University of Patras. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
8. First Vatican Mythographer 172
9. De Gubernatis 1872, p. 305.
10. Forbes Irving 1990, pp. 234–235.
11. Cyrino 2010, p. 121.

Bibliography

• Beekes, Robert S. P. (2010). Lucien van Beek (ed.). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series. Vol. ΙΙ. Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill Publications. ISBN 978-90-04-17419-1.
• Botterweck, G. Johannes; Ringgren, Helmer (1990), Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, vol. VI, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., ISBN 0-8028-2330-0
• Cyrino, Monica S. (June 25, 2010). Aphrodite. Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World. New York and London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-77523-6.
• De Gubernatis, Angelo (1872). Zoological Mythology: Or, The Legends of Animals. Vol. 2. Trübner & Company. ISBN 9780598541062.
• Forbes Irving, Paul M. C. (1990). Metamorphosis in Greek Myths. Oxford Classical Monographs. Oxford, New York, Toronto: Oxford University Press, Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-814730-9.
• Lactantius Placidus (1898). Lactantii Placidi qvi dicitvr Commentarios in Statii Thebaida it Commentarivm in Achilleida recensvit Ricardvs Jahnke [Lactantius Placidus, On Statius's Thebaid] (in Latin). Translated by Jahnke, Richard. Lipsiae : in aedibvs B. G. Tevbneri. 1.698 (p 71). LCCN 06008769. OL 21778486M.
• Lewis, Sian; Llewellyn-Jones, Lloyd (2018), The Culture of Animals in Antiquity: A Sourcebook with Commentaries, New York and London: Routledge, ISBN 978-1-315-20160-3
• Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon, revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones with the assistance of Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Online version at Perseus.tufts project.
• Pepin, Ronald E. (2008). The Vatican Mythographers. New York City: Fordham University Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8232-2892-8.