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Alcithoë

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

One of the three Minyades who scorned Dionysus and were punished by transformation into bats, owls, or other creatures in Greek myth.

Detailed Definition
Alcithoë and her sisters scorned Dionysian rites, choosing weaving instead. Punished by madness, they tore apart Alcithoë’s son and were turned into bats. Her story, told by Ovid, warns against resisting divine ecstasy. Poets reference her to explore themes of repression, divine wrath, and the dangers of rigid rationality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells how Alcithoë and her sisters rejected Bacchus and were turned into bats; Antoninus Liberalis recounts their punishment for weaving instead of worshiping Dionysus; In Greek myth, Alcithoë represents resistance to divine ecstasy; Later allegorical poetry uses her as a symbol of rationality overwhelmed by divine frenzy; Her story appears in Renaissance mythographic compendia as a warning against impiety.
Additional Notes
Alcithoë and her sisters (the Minyades) reject Dionysian worship to weave, leading to their transformation into bats. This myth, told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Book 4), exemplifies the consequences of resisting divine ecstasy (mania). Students should link this to broader Dionysian themes: order vs. chaos, rationality vs. passion. The act of weaving—often associated with female virtue (e.g., Penelope)—becomes hubristic when it denies the gods. Related: Dionysus, Pentheus, metamorphosis as punishment.
Also Known As
Alcithoë the Weaver Proud Sister of Leucippe Defier of Dionysus Tragic Spinner
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