Coronis was a mortal woman and Greek Princess, best known for being a lover of the great sun god, Apollo and the mother of their child, Asclepius.
Genealogy and Family[]
Coronis was born the daughter of King Phlegyas of the Lapiths and his wife, Cleophema. Her maternal grandmother is Erato, the muse goddess of erotic and lyrical poetry and her maternal grandfather is Malus, a son of Amphictyon or of Amyrus, said to have given the name to the town of Malieus. Coronis, had a brother, Ixion, King of the Lapiths who became one of the mortals most hated by the Gods.
She is the mother of Asclepius, the Olympian god of medicine, healing, rejuvenation and physicians by her lover, Apollo. Her grandchildren are The Asclepiades, Achelois, Telephorus, Podalirius and Machaon.
Story[]
One day Apollo saw Coronis and became enamoured of her. He lay with her in her home, and consequently she became pregnant. One time when Apollo was away performing 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, discovered this affair through his prophetic powers. Angered, he sent his twin sister, Artemis, to kill Coronis. Accordingly, Artemis killed Coronis and her family with her arrows. In one variation, Artemis kills them on her own accord to avenge the insult done to her brother. Likewise, Ischys was killed by Zeus.In Ovid's poem, it is a raven that informed Apollo of the affair, and he killed Coronis with his own arrow. Before her death, Coronis accepted that her punishment was just. Apollo instantly regretted his impulsive action and tried to heal her, but Coronis was already dead. He then placed her body on the pyre and poured myrrh and other sweet fragrances on it as a part of the funerary rites. Hyginus also has Coronis' death be at the hands of Apollo.
Not wanting his unborn child to suffer as well, Apollo cut Coronis's belly open when she was laid on her funeral pyre, and rescued the child by pulling it out. He named the child Asclepius and reared him for some time, teaching him about medicinal herbs. Others say that it was Hermes instead who saved the infant from the flames. Later, Apollo entrusted his son to Chiron, the wise centaur, who trained him more in medicine and hunting. According to a different version, 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 the 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. 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 sent Artemis to kill the couple and in anger, turned the raven black by scorching it as a punishment for being a tattletale and failing its duty. This is why the ravens are black today. According to Antoninus Liberalis, the raven had once been a man named Lycius, a son of Clinis, who was changed into a white raven by Leto and Artemis so he would not be devoured by the donkeys Apollo had driven mad. Furthermore, Antoninus Liberalis calls the man Coronis left Apollo for "Alcyoneus" rather than Ischys.
Istrus (Greek historian) and several others have said that Coronis was turned into the constellation Corvus.
Appearance and Personality[]
Not much is known about either of these things, as there is limited information about the mortal in Greek Mythology, but she must have been an attractive lady with beauty rivalling that of a Goddess, due to Apollo's infatuation with her.
Trivia[]
Coronis' name means "crow" or "raven" and is spelt Κορωνίς.
Coronis was also called "Aegle" spelt Αἴγλη, which means "brightness" or "dazzling light", this is also the name of her granddaughter, Aegle.