Semele

Mortal woman

In Greek mythology, Semele (; Ancient Greek: Σεμέλη, romanized: Semélē), or Thyone (; Ancient Greek: Θυώνη, romanized: Thyṓnē), was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus (her own great-grandfather). Certain elements of the cult of Dionysus and Semele came from the Phrygians.

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Mentions
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Connected characters
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Books
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Semele. Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and Semele · Gustave MoreauImage source ↗Public domain

Mentions in the Iliad

A. T. Murray, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1924 · Homer, Iliad with an English Translation · CC BY-SA 3.0 US

“who bare Perseus, pre-eminent above all warriors; nor of the daughter of far-famed Phoenix, that bare me Minos and godlike Rhadamanthys; nor of Semele, nor of Alcmene in Thebes, and she brought forth Heracles, her son stout of heart,”
Il. 14.320–324

Connections

Beloved · Sources
Beloved · Sources

Семела — возлюбленная Зевса: прямо подтверждено словами Зевса в Илиаде; связь не обозначена как супружество.

Homer, Iliad 14, trans. A. T. Murray (Theoi Classical Texts Library) · Iliad 14.323–325 ↗
who bare Perseus, pre-eminent above all warriors; nor of the daughter of far-famed Phoenix, that bare me Minos and godlike Rhadamanthys; nor of Semele, nor of Alcmene in Thebes, and she brought forth Heracles, her son stout of heart,and Semele bare Dionysus, the joy of mortals; nor of Demeter, the fair-tressed queen; nor of glorious Leto; nay, nor yet of thine own self, as now I love thee, and sweet desire layeth hold of me. Then with crafty mind the queenly Hera spake unto him:
Il. 14.323–325

Il. 14.323–325

Son · Sources
Son · Sources
and Semele bare Dionysus, the joy of mortals; nor of Demeter, the fair-tressed queen; nor of glorious Leto; nay, nor yet of thine own self, as now I love thee, and sweet desire layeth hold of me. Then with crafty mind the queenly Hera spake unto him:
Il. 14.325

Il. 14.325

In art

Death of Semele
Death of SemelePeter Paul Rubens · 1640Royal Museums of Fine Arts of BelgiumInv. 823

Peter Paul Rubens. Death of Semele. Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107073818

Semele
SemeleBon Boullogne · 1700Musée de TesséInv. LM 10.109

Bon Boullogne. Semele. Musée de Tessé. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q134371954

Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and SemeleLuca Ferrari · 1654Castelvecchio Museum

Luca Ferrari. Jupiter and Semele. Castelvecchio Museum. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107073760

See all 10
Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and SemeleSebastiano Ricci · 1695Uffizi Gallery

Sebastiano Ricci. Jupiter and Semele. Uffizi Gallery. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107420119

Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and SemelePietro della Vecchia · 1650Collection not recorded

Pietro della Vecchia. Jupiter and Semele. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107482711

Study for Jupiter and Semele
Study for Jupiter and SemeleGustave Moreau · 1889collection du musée Gustave-MoreauInv. Cat. 1140

Gustave Moreau. Study for Jupiter and Semele. collection du musée Gustave-Moreau. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19368798

Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and SemeleGustave Moreau · 1890collection du musée Gustave-MoreauInv. Cat. 73

Gustave Moreau. Jupiter and Semele. collection du musée Gustave-Moreau. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19387223

Semele and Juno
Semele and JunoGerard de Lairesse · 1683Statens Museum for KunstInv. KMSst191

Gerard de Lairesse. Semele and Juno. Statens Museum for Kunst. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20536546

Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and SemeleGodfried Schalcken · 1691Schloss WeißensteinInv. 522

Godfried Schalcken. Jupiter and Semele. Schloss Weißenstein. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q54967426

Jupiter and Semele
Jupiter and SemeleGustave Moreau · 1895collection du musée Gustave-MoreauInv. Cat. 91

Gustave Moreau. Jupiter and Semele. collection du musée Gustave-Moreau. Public domain. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6314660

04 / PROVENANCE

Sources and verification

The character is matched to the catalogue.

Wikidata Q776139

Reference material remains distinct from the poem’s assertions. Characters who share a name retain separate pages.