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The Pleiades are a group of seven sister nymphs associated with rain, who were turned into stars, according to Greek Mythology.


Genealogy and Family[]

The Pleiades, that consist of Maia, Electra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope and Merope are seven daughters of the Oceanid, Pleione and the Titan God, Atlas. They were usually believed to have been born out of wedlock to their parents.

The Pleiades also have a brother, Hyas and a group of sisters, The Hyades, who are also Nymphs of rain. According to some accounts they are also half sisters to The Hesperides through Atlas.

During their lifetimes, five of the seven Pleaides became lovers of Poseidon or Zeus and bore them children:

  • The eldest Maia with Zeus became mother of the god Hermes.
  • The second- Electra bore Iasion and Dardanus by Zeus.
  • The third born Pleiad, Taygete bore Lacedaemon also with Zeus
  • The fourth-born Pleiad, Alcyone had Hyrieus, Hyperenor, Aethusa, Hyperes, Anthas and Epopeus with Poseidon
  • The fifth Pleiad, Celaeno, became mother of Lycus, Nycteus, Eurypylus and Euphemus by Poseidon too.

On the other hand:

  • The second youngest Pleiad, Sterope (or Asterope) partnered with the god, Ares and became the mother of Oenomaus of Elis.
  • Lastly, the youngest Pleiad of the seven- Merope married Sisyphus, a mortal and the King of Ephyra and bore several sons, Princes Ornytion, Almus, Thersander and Glaucus.

Role[]

Like the Alseids, the Pleaides brought forth rain.

The Pleaides were also responsible for raising the future Olympian god of wine, Dionysus to adulthood, nursing and teaching him.

Stories[]

In Greek mythology, the eldest Pleiad, Maia became the mother of the Olympian god, Hermes as after Zeus had intercourse with her in the darkness of the night; she became pregnant with Hermes, she then decided to hide in a cave during her pregnancy, to avoid the wrath of Hera. When she gave birth to Hermes, he grew very fast, escaped the cave, created the first lyre, herded Apollo's sheep and was eventually instated as a member of the Twelve Olympians.

As previously written, the eldest six Pleaides individually dated the gods, Poseidon, Zeus or Ares and bore their children, but the youngest Merope married the mortal Sisyphus, becoming the Queen of Ephyra and mother of their four sons. In some traditions, after her marriage, Merope became mortal and eventually faded away.

When Zeus was trying to hide his illegitimate son, Dionysus (who was conceived by one of Zeus' many lovers Princess Semele of Thebes) from his angry wife Hera who wanted to kill the child. He delivered Dionysus to the Pleaides, where he was disguised as a girl, and raised by the Nymphs, who also taught and nursed the god until he reached adulthood.

The last story of the Pleaides mentioned in the myths, tells of them travelling with their mother Pleione- who along their journey was followed and attacked by the giant huntsman, Orion, who had fallen in love with her, but Pleione, who did not share the same feelings escaped from him with her daughters. Eventually Zeus, feeling pity for the Nymphs for always having to run away from Orion, transformed Pleione and The Pleaides into stars.

Relationships[]

Artemis-Typical for Nymphs, The Pleiades are closely associated with Artemis and were her friends.

Trivia[]

The Pleaides name of course derives from the name of their mother, Pleione.

A cluster of seven stars in space, share the names of these Nymphs. And by the ancient Greeks themselves, these stars were believed to be The Pleiades sisters transformed.

The ancient Greeks also explained that the reason why the star- Merope, shines less brightly than the other Pleiad stars is due to her shame of marrying a mortal.

The sisters of the Pleiades, The Hyades, were also transformed into stars, according to Greek Mythology.

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