Herse
An Athenian princess (sometimes classed as a nymph of the dew) who was loved by Hermes and bore him Cephalus.
The Myth of Herse
Herse was a daughter of Cecrops, the legendary first king of Athens — the one who was half man, half serpent. She and her sisters Aglauros and Pandrosos were entrusted by Athena with a mysterious chest containing the infant Erichthonius, with strict orders not to open it. Herse obeyed. Her sister Aglauros did not, saw the snake-child inside, went mad, and leapt from the Acropolis.
Hermes spotted Herse during the Panathenaic festival and fell instantly in love. When he came to court her, Aglauros (in some versions still alive, driven by jealousy rather than madness) blocked his path and demanded gold. Hermes paid, but Athena, angry at Aglauros for opening the chest, filled the sister with envy. Aglauros tried to physically prevent Hermes from entering, and the god turned her to stone.
Hermes and Herse's union produced Cephalus, the great hunter later loved by the dawn goddess Eos. Herse's name means 'dew,' and the Athenians worshipped her as a spirit of the morning moisture that nourished their crops.
Parents
Cecrops, first king of Athens
Symbols
Fun Fact
Herse's name literally means 'dew' — the Athenians had a festival called the Arrephoria where girls carried mysterious objects in her honour from the Acropolis.
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