Oenone was a Naiade, or a water nymph. She was the daughter of the river Cebren. Like all the nymphs, the Naiades were in many ways female sex symbols of the ancient world and played the part of both the seduced and the seducer.
From research by Thanasis Tsilderikis:
Oenone is written in Greek as follows:
OINWNH (OI- is pronounced as 'oe' like 'Oedipus'; W- is the greek letter 'omega' and is pronounced as 'o'; H- is the greek letter 'heta',which is pronounced as 'e')
So, the way it is pronounced in Greek is:
E-NON-E (the last 'E' is stressed)
Oenone may be stressed ee-NO-nee according to many sources researched by Hans Van De Pavert, (see below), amongst which is the Greek translation of Die Mythologie der Griechen by Karl Kerenyi.
The legend of Oenone starts with Paris, the son of Prodarces
(called Priam) and Hecuba, the daughter of Dymas (or, as some say, of the river Sangarius and Metope).
Paris was their second son, (the first being Hector). When Paris was born Hecuba
had a terrible vision that she had given birth to a firebrand, who would ravage the
city. When Priam learned of this dream, he sent for Aesacus, for he was an interpreter
of dreams. Aesacus advised that the child should be taken to the ruins of the country
and exposed to the elements. A servant was dispatched with Paris to carry out the deed.
The servant took the child to Mount Ida, and there, the child was nursed by a bear for five days. When the servant found the child safe after this time, he took the child back to his own farm and raised him as his own, and named him Paris. Paris grew to be a handsome and strong man as the years went by.
On Ida, Paris met and married Oenone, daughter of the river Cebren. She had learned from
Rhea the art of prophecy, and warned Paris not to sail to fetch Helen. Her efforts in
vain, she told him to come to her if he were wounded, for she alone could heal him.
When he had carried off Helen from Sparta and Troy was besieged, he was shot by
Philoctetes with the bow of Hercules and went back to Oenone on Ida. But she, nursing
her grievance over Paris's betrayal to her with Helen, refused to heal him. Paris
was then carried to Troy where he later died. Oenone soon regretted her refusal, and
brought the healing drugs; finding him dead she hanged herself.
More on Oenone...
She was the daughter of river god Kevrinos and, according to the myth, Paris' mistress and mother of his son, Korythos. However, Paris left her for Eleni (Helen) and Oinoni was exiled to mount Idi. Years later, when Paris was wounded by Filoktitis (Philoctetes), he went to Oinoni to heal him. Oinoni refused, Paris eventually died and then she killed herself in remorse.
From information provided by Hans:
From the aforementioned book Die Mythologie der Griechen, a completely different story on Oenone, in which she is connected to our good friend Sisyphus of UmmaGumma fame:
Sisyphus lived on a steep mountain near Korinth (of which he is
thought to be the founder and first king). From that mountain, he could
see everyone who was passing from the Peloponnese to Attica. One day he saw
Zeus, carrying off Aegina, daughter of river god Asopos and future mother
of Aeacus. When Asopos came searching for his daughter, Sisyphus told him
what he had seen, betraying Zeus. Zeus didn't quite appreciate that and sent
Thanatos (Death) to punish Sisyphus, but the latter managed to tie Death.
From that moment onwards no one on earth would die, until Ares (Mars) came to
free him.
Aeacus became the first king of the island Oinone (meaning 'Isle of Wine'), located in the Saronic Gulf, and renamed it after his mother. Until today the island is still called Aegina (and still located in the Saronic Gulf), but in the meantime it has become more famous for its pistachio's rather than its wine.
For more information...
Many thanks to Thanasis Tsilderikis and Hans Van de Pavert for their wonderful research on Oenone, Paris, Sisyphus and Greek Mythology. Their posts to Echoes provided the inspiration for this page.
