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Coronis
Apollo and Coronis by Hendrik Goltzius
Abode	Thessaly
Personal information
Parents	Phlegyas and Cleopheme
Consort	Apollo, Ischys
Children	Asclepius

In greek mythology, Coronis is a Thessalian princess and a lover of Apollo. She is the daughter of Phlegyas, king of the Lapiths, and Cleopheme. In some accounts, her father was Azan, king of Arcadia.Her son, Asclepius, is the Greek god of medicine. During her pregnancy, she committed adultery with a mortal man named Ischys and was punished by Artemis and Apollo for this act. After failing to heal her, Apollo rescued their unborn child by performing caesarean. She was turned into a constellation after her death.

Stratonice
Abode	Calydon, Oechalia
Personal information
Parents	Porthaon and Laothoe
Consort	Melaneus
Children	Eurytus

Stratonice was a Calydonian princess, the daughter of King Porthaon and Laothoe. She was the sister of Eurythemiste and Sterope. When the sisters grew up, they left their manision and parents to live in the mountains. According to Hesoid, they were "like goddesses, skilled in very beautiful works" and the companions of "the beautiful haired nymphs and of the Muses on the wooded mountains".

When Apollo intended to make Stratonice the bride of his son Melaneus, she agreed and accompanied Apollo to marry Melaneus. Since Stratonice was her own kuria (authority), Apollo carried her away without giving her father any bridal gifts (hedna) and brought her to Oechalia. After marrying Melaneus she became the queen of Oechalia and gave birth to their dear son, the famous archer Eurytus.

he himself treads the Cynthian ridges, and with soft foliage shapes and binds his flowing locks, braiding it with golden diadem

— Virgil, Aeneid (Trans. H. R. Fairclough)

In Greek mythology, Branchus was the son of Smyrcus and a lover of Apollo. Intially a shepherd in Miletus, Branchus became a prophet after receiving his prophetic abilities from Apollo. He introduced the worship of the god at Didyma and founded a shrine for him at Miletus. His descendants, the Branchides, were an influential clan of prophets.

Mythology

Birth

Branchus was the son of Smyrcus and a distinguished Milesian woman. When giving birth, the mother had a vision of the sun entering her mouth, passing through her stomach and emerging out from her genitals. The seers took this to be an excellent omen. The son born was named Branchus, since the sun had passes through her bronchia (throat).

Encounter with Apollo

Branchus grew up to be the most handsome of the men. One day, he came across Apollo in the woods and, being enchanted with the beauty of the god, kissed him. Apollo embraced him and returned his affections. Later, Apollo gave him a crown and a magical staff, and breathed the gift of prophecy into him. Having received these gifts, Branchus became a prophet and a priest of Apollo. He established the cult of Apollo at Didyma. After Branchus suddenly disappeared, an altar was built on the place he kissed Apollo.

A different narration is given by Callimachus. One day, Apollo left Delos and , travelling on a dolphin, reached a place called hiera hyle (sacred woods). It was there he saw Branchus tending to his flocks and felt attracted to him. Wanting to seduce the mortal, Apollo appeared to him disguised as a goatherd. He first offered assistance in milking the goats, but the distracted god ended up milking a billy goat. Embarassed, Apollo revealed his divine nature. In order to persuade Branchus to abandon the herding and accompany him instead, Apollo guaranteed the safety and promised a supply of good graze to the flocks. After they became lovers, Apollo taught Branchus the mantic arts. Apollo also looked after the flocks while Branchus practiced the art. Later, Apollo gave him a laurel branch which he used to cure illness of the Milesians.

Milesians built temples dedicated to Branchus and Apollo and named them Philesia, after the kiss of Branchus. There, the god was worshipped under the name Apollo Philesius (Apollo of the kiss). Temples dedicated to Branchus alone were called Branchiadon. The oracles given by him were said to be second only to Apollo's oracles at Delphi. The Brachides, who claimed descent from Branchus, were an important clan of prophets.

Mythology

Zeus gave the hand of the Muse Erato to Malos. The pair had a daughter Cleophema, who married Phlegyas, the king of Lapiths. Their daughter was called Aegle, otherwise known as Coronis.

One day Apollo saw her and got enamoured with her. He laid with her in her home, and consequently Coronis got pregnant. One time when Apollo was away to perform his godly duties, Coronis fell in love with Ischys, son of Elatus. Going against her father's warnings, she slept with him in secret. Apollo, however, came to know of this affair through his prophetic powers. In anger, he killed Ischys with his arrows, but couldn't bring himself to kill Coronis. However Artemis, Apollo's sister, killed Coronis with her arrows for the disrespect she had shown towards her brother. Alternatively, Apollo sent Artemis to kill Coronis. Coronis dies, accepting that her punishment was just, but expresses her sorrow for the untimely death of her unborn child.

Apollo tried to heal Coronis back but in vain. Not wanting his unborn child to suffer, he cut her belly open when she was laid on pyre and rescued the child. He named the child Asclepius and reared him for sometime, teaching him about medicinal herbs. Later, Apollo entrusted his son to Chiron, the wise centaur, who trained him more in medicine and hunting.

According to a different tradition, Coronis gave birth to her son in Apollo's temple in the presence of the Moirai. Lachesis acted as the midwife and Apollo himself aided Coronis by easing her pains. Apollo named their son Asclepius after his mother's alias, Aegle.

In yet another version, Coronis who was already impregnated by Apollo, had to accompany her father to Peloponnesos. She had kept her pregnancy hidden from her father. In Epidaurus, she bore a son and exposed him on a mountain. The child was given milk by one of the goats that pastured about the mountain, and was guarded by the watch-dog of the herd. And when a herdsman named Aresthanas, the owner of goats and the guard dogs found the child. As he came near, he saw lightning that flashed from the child, and thinking of it to be a sign of divine, he left the child alone. Asclepius was later taken by Apollo.

The raven and Constellation Corvus

According to Ovid, when Coronis was pregnant, Apollo had appointed a white raven to guard her before leaving. The Raven, after learning the affair of Coronis with Ischys, reported it to Apollo. Apollo killed Ischys and in anger, turned the crow black by scorching it as a punishment for being a tattletale and failing its duty. This is why all the ravens are black.

Istrus (Greek historian) and several others have said that Apollo turned Coronis into the constellation Corvus .