- Creusa
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In Greek mythology, four people had the name Creusa (or Kreousa - Κρέουσα); the name simply means "princess".
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Naiad
According to Pindar's 9th Pythian Ode, Creusa was a naiad and daughter of Gaia who bore Hypseus, King of the Lapiths to the river god Peneus. Hypseus had one daughter, Cyrene. When a lion attacked her father's sheep, Cyrene wrestled with the lion. Apollo happened along and immediately fell in love with her and kidnapped her. He took her to North Africa and founded the city of Cyrene in her name. The region, Cyrenaica, is also named for her. Together, she and Apollo had one son: Aristaeus.
Daughter of Creon
Creusa was the daughter of King Creon of Corinth, Greece. After Jason divorced Medea, he married Creusa. Medea obtained her revenge by giving Creusa a dress which Medea had cursed. The curse caused the dress to stick to Creusa's body and burn her to death as soon as she put it on. Also known by Greek authors by the name Glauce, e.g. in Apollodorus's Bibliotheca 1.9.28.
Daughter of Erechtheus
- Interwiki : bn
Creusa was the daughter of Erechtheus, King of Athens and his wife, Praxithea, who was spared the fate of her sisters, who died in order to protect Athens, because she was an infant. According to Hesiod's Eoiae she was mother of a son Achaeus, a daughter named Diomede, and presumably another son Ion, but according to Euripides' Ion, in which she is a prominent character, she was mother of Ion by Apollo and of Achaeus and Dorus by her husband Xuthus. This is the only source which names Apollo as Ion's father, so it may have been invented for the play.
Creusa in Virgil's Aeneid
Creusa was the wife of Aeneas and mother to Ascanius (also known as Iulus). As Troy is falling to the Greeks, Aeneas goes to his home to lead his father Anchises, Creusa, and their son Ascanius out of the city and into the countryside. Anchises refuses to leave the house, prompting Aeneas to decide that he will leave to continue the fight against the Greeks so that he may die in battle. Creusa grabs his feet and begs him to think of what would become of Iulus, Anchises and herself if Aeneas were to be killed. As she does this, Iulus catches fire with an un-earthly flame. The flame is quickly doused with water. Anchises believes this to be an omen from Jupiter, who confirms this omen by sending a shooting star. Anchises now agrees to flee Troy. The family leaves the home, Aeneas carrying his father and Iulus holding his hand, while Creusa is to remain some distance behind them. As they flee through the city, pursued by Greeks, they reach the gates and begin to run after noticing that the Greeks appear to be gaining on them. Creusa was unable to keep up with them. After reaching Ceres’ temple outside of the city, Aeneas leaves Anchises and Ascanius there to go back in search of Creusa. As he searches the city without success, he meets the ghost of Creusa, who tells him that she may not leave the city with him. She predicts his journey to Hesperia, Italy and future marriage to another. She asks that Aeneas take care of their child and vanishes. Aeneas tries three times to hold her, each time failing to grasp her wraith.[1]
Trojan family tree
Zeus/Jupiter Electra Teucer Dardanus Batea Erichthonius Ilus Tros Ilus Assaracus Ganymede Laomedon Themiste Capys Priam Anchises Aphrodite/Venus Latinus Creusa Aeneas Lavinia Ascanius Silvius Silvius Aeneas Silvius Brutus of Britain Latinus Silvius Alba Atys Capys Capetus Tiberinus Silvius Agrippa Romulus Silvius Aventinus Procas Numitor Amulius Rhea Silvia Ares/Mars Hersilia Romulus Remus Kings of Rome Categories:- Characters in the Aeneid
- Trojans
- Naiads
- Greek mythology
- Offspring of Gaia
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