Cyrene (mythology)

Cyrene
Cyrene depicted on a mosaic of the 2nd century CE
Genealogy
ParentsChlidanope and Hypseus
ConsortApollo
OffspringAristaeus, Autuchus and Idmon
Cyrene and Cattle by Edward Calvert, 1830s or 1840s

Cyrene, also spelled Kyrene (Ancient Greek: Κυρήνη, romanizedKurḗnē, pronounced variously as /sˈrni/ sy-REE-nee or /kˈrni/ ky-REE-nee) is a figure in Greek mythology considered the etymon of the Greek colony of Cyrene in eastern Libya in North Africa. She was said to have been a Thessalian princess who became the queen of Cyrene, founded and named in her honor by the god Apollo.[1] The story is entirely apocryphal, the city having been founded by settlers from Thera.