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Myth of Pleione
Pleione was an Oceanid nymph. She was linked to Mount Kyllene in Arkadia, in southern Greece. She was one of the 3,000 daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. These two Titans were the parents of countless spirits of water and nature.
Oceanids like Pleione were minor deities. Still, they had an important role. They protected the natural world and gave it a face.
Key Elements of the Myth
Role as a Sea Nymph Pleione is one of the Oceanids, the daughters of the Titans Oceanus and Tethys. The Oceanids were minor deities of fresh water. They were often tied to springs, rivers or a specific place in nature.
Marriage to Atlas Pleione married Atlas, the Titan condemned to hold up the heavens. Together they had the Pleiades, seven daughters. The daughters later became stars in the constellation Taurus. The Pleiades are often linked to navigation and to the farming seasons.
Mother of the Pleiades The Pleiades were Maia, Electra, Taygete, Alcyone, Celaeno, Sterope and Merope. Orion, the giant hunter, often chased them. Zeus turned the sisters into stars to protect them. In this myth Pleione stands for protection and change.
Connection to Hyades and Hyas Pleione is also the mother of the Hyades. They were nymphs of rain and the changing seasons. Their brother Hyas was killed by a wild animal. The Hyades wept for him, and that weeping is said to bring the rain.
Astronomical Significance Pleione has her own place in the night sky. A star in the Pleiades cluster carries her name. Its designation is 28 Tauri. The star ties her to her family in myth and to their place in Greek cosmology.
In her myth Pleione is a protective mother. She is tied to nature and to the stars. Her story is one place where Greek myth and astronomy meet.
