Merope
nymphThe Pleiad who married a mortal and whose star shines faintest in the cluster, dimmed by shame at her choice.
The Myth
Merope was one of the seven Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione. Her six sisters all took gods as lovers: Maia with Zeus, Electra with Zeus, Taygete with Zeus, Alcyone with Poseidon, Celaeno with Poseidon, Sterope with Ares. Merope alone chose a mortal — Sisyphus, the clever and ruthless king of Corinth.
Sisyphus was brilliant but cursed. He had cheated Death twice and betrayed Zeus's secrets. His eternal punishment — rolling a boulder up a hill only to watch it roll back down, forever — became the most famous image of futile labour in Western thought. Merope, married to this figure, was pitied by her sisters and, according to the myth, consumed by shame.
When the Pleiades were placed among the stars, Merope's light shone weakest. Ancient astronomers explained the Pleiades' seventh star — barely visible to the naked eye — as Merope hiding her face in shame for having married beneath her station. Modern astronomy calls it Merope too. At magnitude 4.18, it is indeed the faintest of the cluster's bright stars, though not for reasons of matrimonial regret.
Parents
Atlas and Pleione
Symbols
Fun Fact
Look at the Pleiades on a clear night — the faintest of the seven visible stars is Merope, still hiding her face after three thousand years of mythological shame.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Pleiades
nymphThe Pleiades were seven sisters, daughters of Atlas and Pleione, who were placed among the stars as...
Sterope
nymphA Pleiad, daughter of Atlas and Pleione, whose name means "lightning face" and who bore Oenomaus to...
Alcyone
nymphAlcyone and her husband Ceyx called themselves Zeus and Hera; as punishment, both were transformed...
Electra (Oceanid)
nymphAn Oceanid nymph, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, who married the sea god Thaumas and bore Iris the...
Maia
nymphMaia was the eldest and most beautiful of the seven Pleiades, a shy mountain nymph who bore Hermes...
Sisyphus
heroThe cunning king of Corinth who cheated death twice, only to be condemned to an eternity of futile...
Sisyphus (King)
heroSisyphus was the craftiest mortal who ever lived — he cheated Death twice before Zeus condemned him...
Sisyphus (Punishment)
heroCleverest of mortals who cheated death twice and was condemned to push a boulder uphill in Tartarus...
Ares
godGod of the brutal, savage side of war. Unlike Athena's strategic warfare, Ares represented the raw...
Ares (War God)
godThe god of the savage violence of battle — feared, hated, and necessary, embodying the bloodlust...
Atlas
titanThe Titan who was condemned to hold the celestial sphere on his shoulders for eternity. His name...
Atlas (Pillar of Heaven)
titanThe Titan condemned to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders at the western edge of the...