Merope
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In Greek mythology, several unrelated women went by the name Merope (bee-mask later reinterpreted as honey-like or eloquent), which may, therefore, have denoted a position in the cult of the Great Mother rather than a mere individual's name:
- Merope, one of the Heliades
- Merope, foster mother of Oedipus, wife of Polybus
- Merope, one of the Oceanids, a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys, mother of Phaeton by Helios or Clymenus
- Merope, one of the Pleiades, daughter of Atlas. She married a mortal, Sisyphus, and was thus the faintest star in the star cluster that bears their name. With Sisyphus, she had one son: Glaucus.
- Merope of Khios, consort/daughter of Oenopion, linked with Orion (q.v.) who fell in love with Merope but Oenopion did not want the marriage to happen. Orion raped Merope. For revenge, Oenopion got Orion drunk and stabbed out his eyes, then cast him into the sea. Hephaestus took pity on the blind Orion and gave him a young boy as a guide. The boy guided him east, where the rising sun restored Orion's sight. Orion then decided to kill Oenopion, but Hephaestus had built the king an underground chamber. Orion couldn't find the king and went to Delos, where Artemis slew him.
- Merope, daughter of Cypselos and queen of Messenia. Polyphonte, murderer of her husband Cresphonte and of two of her children, wanted to compel her into marrying him. Then her third son, Aegyptos, intervened and killed Polyphonte during a sacrifice. (Jean Vertemont, "Dictionnaire des mythologies indo-europeenes", 1997.)
[edit] Harry Potter
In the Harry Potter series, Merope Riddle (née Gaunt) was the witch daughter of wizard Marvolo Gaunt and the sister of Morfin. She allegedly enchanted her beloved, a muggle (non-magical person) named Tom Riddle (senior), into marrying her. Merope bore a son who grew up to become Lord Voldemort (q.v.). She died shortly after childbirth.
