Arethusa Spring
A fresh-water spring on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, sacred to Artemis and linked to the nymph Arethusa
The Story of Arethusa Spring
The spring of Arethusa on Ortygia, the small island at the heart of ancient Syracuse, was one of the most celebrated sacred springs in the Greek world. Its myth tells of the nymph Arethusa, a follower of Artemis, who was bathing in the Alpheus River in the Peloponnese when the river-god Alpheus fell in love with her. She fled across the sea, and Artemis transformed her into a spring that burst forth on Ortygia. But Alpheus pursued her even there, flowing beneath the sea from Greece to Sicily to mingle his waters with hers. The myth explained a genuine geographical puzzle that fascinated the ancients: how could a fresh-water spring emerge on a small island surrounded by salt water? The association with the Alpheus River of the Peloponnese reinforced the cultural connection between Syracuse and its mother city, Corinth, both of which lay in Alpheus's watershed. The spring was depicted on Syracuse's famous silver coinage — among the most beautiful coins of antiquity — with Arethusa's head surrounded by dolphins, making her face one of the most widely circulated images in the ancient Mediterranean.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
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