Pausanias Analysis

Passage 2.21.9

← 2.21.8 2.21.10 →

Passage 2.21.9: Chloris (formerly Meliboea), Niobe's daughter who survived and turned permanently pale.

Mythic Non-skeptical

Greek Text

τὴν δὲ εἰκόνα παρὰ τῇ θεῷ τῆς παρθένου Χλῶριν ὀνομάζουσι, Νιόβης μὲν θυγατέρα εἶναι λέγοντες, Μελίβοιαν δὲ καλεῖσθαι τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς· ἀπολλυμένων δὲ ὑπὸ Ἀρτέμιδος καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος τῶν Ἀμφίονος παίδων περιγενέσθαι μόνην τῶν ἀδελφῶν ταύτην καὶ Ἀμύκλαν, περιγενέσθαι δὲ εὐξαμένους τῇ Λητοῖ. Μελίβοιαν δὲ οὕτω δή τι παραυτίκα τε χλωρὰν τὸ δεῖμα ἐποίησε καὶ ἐς τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ βίου παρέμεινεν ὡς καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἐπὶ τῷ συμβάντι ἀντὶ Μελιβοίας αὐτῇ γενέσθαι Χλῶριν.

English Translation

The image standing beside the goddess they call Chloris, asserting that she was a daughter of Niobe, though her original name was Meliboea. When the children of Amphion were being destroyed by Artemis and Apollo, she alone among her sisters survived, along with Amyclas, having prayed to Leto for mercy. At that moment fear made Meliboea turn so pale (chlōrē) that for the rest of her life she continued to show this pallor; thus, due to this incident, her name was changed from Meliboea to Chloris.

Proper Nouns

Leto (Λητώ) deity
Apollo (Ἀπόλλων) deity
Artemis (Ἄρτεμις) deity
Meliboia (Μελίβοια) person
Niobe (Νιόβη) person
Chloris (Χλῶρις) person
Amphion (Ἀμφίων) person
Amyklas (Ἀμύκλας) person
← 2.21.8 2.21.10 →