Procne and
Philomela
When Itys is 5, Procne begs
Tereus to allow her to
invite Philomela to
come visit them.
Philomela shortly learned the truth and threatened to tell society, and Tereus would then be an outcast amongst men.
Outraged, Tereus cuts out Philomela's
tongue and locks her in a strongly guarded palace
They soon disembark on their journey. Tereus then lies to Philomela and tells her that her sister has died. He forces Philomela into a pretend marriage.
Tereus agrees, and says he
will go to Athens, where Philomela lives, and escort her himself.
As soon as Tereus lays eyes on Philomela, he instantly falls in love with her. She is as beautiful as a naiad or a nymph.
Procne was determined to
punish her husband for what
he has done to Philomela.
When the two sisters
are planning their revenge,
little Itys walked into the room.
Philomela became outraged, and killed
her son with one stroke of the dagger.
They then cut up the body, and served it to Tereus in the form of soup. Once he finished his supper, Procne told him what he had feasted on.
Together, they have
a son, his name is
Itys.
He then lies to Procne and says that her sister has died on the journey.
Meanwhile, Philomela has been sewing her story, in detail, into a blanket.
Procne and Philomela
are sisters,
Procne is the elder
of the two.
Sarah Coleman
Philomela has an elderly woman
deliver it to Procne, and Procne
clearly understands what has
happened to Philomela.
Tereus heads back to
his wife and son
Outraged with what her husband has done, Procne first goes to find her sister, with the help of the elder woman.
Procne is married to
Tereus, the son of Ares, who is the God of War. They live in Thrace, separated from Procne's family.
Once Procne finds Philomela,
she brings her back to the
palace and hides
her from Tereus.
Philomela is turned into a swallow.
Procne is saved and turned into a nightingale.
The two sisters then fled. Tereus eventually
caught up with them outside of Daulis.
He was about to kill them and the two sisters
begged for mercy from the Gods.
Some say Tereus was turned into an ugly bird, perhaps a hawk, and some say he became a hoopoe.