Hero and Leander

Hero and Leander
Lovers celebrated in Greek legend.

Hero, a virgin priestess of Aphrodite, was seen by Leander of Abydos during a festival, and the two fell in love. He swam the Hellespont nightly to be with her, guided by a light from her tower. One stormy night the lamp was extinguished, and Leander drowned. When Hero saw his body on the shore, she threw herself from the tower into the sea. The story was told by Ovid and was treated by Christopher Marlowe in his play Hero and Leander and by Lord Byron in The Bride of Abydos.

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      two lovers celebrated in Greek legend. Hero, virgin priestess of Aphrodite at Sestos, was seen at a festival by Leander of Abydos; they fell in love, and he swam the Hellespont at night to visit her, guided by a light from her tower. One stormy night the light was extinguished, and Leander was drowned; Hero, seeing his body, drowned herself likewise.

      The story is preserved in Musaeus, Ovid, and elsewhere. It was also adapted by later poets, such as Christopher Marlowe (Hero and Leander), and alluded to by Lord Byron (The Bride of Abydos).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Hero and Leander — is a Greek myth, relating the story of Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who dwelt in a tower in Sestos, at the edge of the Hellespont, and Leander (Leandros, or Λέανδρος), a young man from Abydos on the other side of the strait. Leander fell in… …   Wikipedia

  • Hero and Leander (poem) — Hero and Leander is a mythological poem by Christopher Marlowe. After Marlowe s death it was completed by George Chapman. Henry Petowe published an alternate completion to the poem.PublicationTwo editions of the poem were issued in quarto in… …   Wikipedia

  • Hero and Leander — /liˈændə/ (say lee anduh) noun Greek Legend two lovers in a late Greek poem. Hero, a priestess of Aphrodite who lived in a tower in Sestos, at the edge of the Hellespont, was visited nightly by her lover Leander, who had to swim across the strait …  

  • Hero and Leander —  Tragic lovers in Greek legend; Hero drowned herself in despair after Leander perished while swimming the Hellespont to see her …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Leander — from the Hero and Leander myth is a character from Greek myth, and has given his name to several individuals, at least one city and a number of warships and warship classes of the Royal Navy:PeopleWith the given name* Saint Leander, the 6th… …   Wikipedia

  • Hero et Leandre — Héro et Léandre Pour les articles homonymes, voir Léandre. William Etty, Héro et Léandre, 1828 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Héro Et Léandre — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Léandre. William Etty, Héro et Léandre, 1828 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Héro et léandre — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Léandre. William Etty, Héro et Léandre, 1828 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Hero — /hear oh/, n. 1. Class. Myth. a priestess of Aphrodite who drowned herself after her lover Leander drowned while swimming the Hellespont to visit her. 2. Also, Heron. (Hero of Alexandria) fl. 1st century A.D., Greek scientist. * * * I… …   Universalium

  • Hero y Leandro — Para otros usos de este término, véase Hero (desambiguación). Hero y Leandro es un mito griego acerca de dos desafortunados amantes. La última mirada de Hero por Frederic Leighton, desecribe a Hero ansiosamente esperando a Leandro durante la… …   Wikipedia Español

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