Arsinoe
Nurse or foster-mother of Orestes who saved the prince from Clytemnestra's murderous designs
The Legend of Arsinoe
Arsinoe appears in the mythological tradition as the nurse of Orestes, the young prince of Mycenae. When Agamemnon was murdered by Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus upon his return from Troy, the child Orestes was in mortal danger. Arsinoe, recognising the threat to the boy's life, either directly smuggled him to safety or assisted in sending him to the court of Strophius in Phocis, where he would grow up alongside Pylades. In some versions, Arsinoe substituted her own child in Orestes' place, sacrificing her own son to save the prince. This act of extraordinary devotion ensured the survival of the Atreid line and made possible Orestes' eventual return to avenge his father. The name Arsinoe later became common in Ptolemaic Egypt, borne by several queens.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
In some traditions Arsinoe sacrificed her own infant son as a decoy to save the young prince Orestes
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