Irlandos at 11:00, July 13, 2006

2006-07-13T11:00:02Z

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In [[Greek mythology]], '''Pasiphaë''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: '''Πασιφάη''') was the daughter of [[Helios]] and the sister of [[Circe]]. She was raised as a princess at [[Colchis]], and then given in marriage to King [[Minos]] of [[Crete]]. With Minos, she was the mother of [[Ariadne]], [[Androgeus]], [[Glaucus]], [[Deucalion]], [[Phaedra]], and [[Catreus]]. She was also the mother of the [[Minotaur]], after a curse from [[Poseidon]] caused her to mate with a white bull.

Pasiphaë was worshipped as an oracular goddess at Thalamae outside of [[Sparta]]. The geographer [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] describes the shrine as small, situated near a clear stream, and flanked by bronze statues of Helios and Pasiphaë. His account also equates Pasiphaë with [[Ino]] and [[Selene]].

Cicero writes in ''De Natura Deorum'' that the Spartan [[Ephors]] would sleep at the temple to receive prophetic dreams to aid them in governance. According to [[Plutarch]], Spartan society twice underwent major upheavals sparked by ephors' dreams at the shrine during the Hellenistic era. In one case, an ephor dreamed that some of his colleagues' chairs were removed from the [[agora]], and that a voice called out "this is better for Sparta"; inspired by this, King [[Cleomenes]] acted to consolidate royal power. Again during the reign of King [[Agis]], several ephors brought the people into revolt with oracles from Pasiphaë's shrine promising remission of debts and redistribution of land. (See Plutarch, ''Lives of Agis and Cleomenes'')

==External links==
*[http://www.theoi.com/Titan/Pasiphae.html An exhaustive compilation of ancient references to Pasiphae]

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[[Category:Classical oracles]]
[[Category:Greek mythological people]]

Pasiphae - Revision history

Irlandos at 11:00, July 13, 2006