Coronis (lover of Apollo)

For other uses, see Coronis (disambiguation).
Coronis
Apollo and Coronis by Johann König (after Adam Elsheimer).
In-universe information
AliasArsinoe, Aegle
GenderFemale
TitlePrincess
Significant otherApollo, Ischys
ChildrenAsclepius (son)
Relatives
BirthplaceAncient Thessaly

In Greek mythology, Coronis (/kɒˈrəʊnɪs/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Κορωνίς, translit. Korōnís) is a Thessalian princess and a lover of the god Apollo. She was the daughter of Phlegyas,[1] king of the Lapiths, and Cleophema. By Apollo she became the mother of Asclepius,[2][3][4][5] the Greek god of medicine. While she was still pregnant, she slept with a mortal man named Ischys and was subsequently killed by either the god or his sister Artemis for her betrayal. After failing to heal her, Apollo rescued their unborn child by performing a caesarean section. She was turned into a constellation after her death.

  1. ^ William Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology Coronis
  2. ^ Homeric Hymn to Asclepius
  3. ^ Sophocles, paean to Asclepius
  4. ^ Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4.617
  5. ^ Diodorus Siculus, 4.71.1