Who was Metanira in Greek mythology?
Metanira stood as queen of Eleusis and wife to King Celeus. Her bloodline traced back to Amphictyon, the king of Athens.
Metanira stood as queen of Eleusis and wife to King Celeus. Her bloodline traced back to Amphictyon, the king of Athens.
Metanira walked in on one of those nights and screamed at seeing her child surrounded by fire. The sudden noise distracted the goddess before she could finish the ritual intended to make Demophoon immortal.
Metanira's son Abas mocked Demeter after witnessing the failed ritual. As punishment, mythological traditions turned him into a lizard according to Ovid's Metamorphoses book 5 lines 450 onward.
An example exists in the collection of Antikensammlung Berlin with inventory number 1984.46. These Apulian red-figure hydriae captured the moment when the goddess stood before the royal hearth.
Modern poets like Jared Carter have reimagined Metanira's story in contemporary verse. Writers across time have returned to her role as the queen who interrupted the ritual.