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Arethusa

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

A nymph in Greek myth who, fleeing the river god Alpheus, was transformed into a spring—symbolizing purity, escape, and metamorphosis.

Detailed Definition
Arethusa, a follower of Artemis, fled the river god Alpheus and was turned into a spring in Sicily, where Alpheus’ waters still mingle with hers. Her myth, recounted by Ovid, symbolizes purity, transformation, and the persistence of love across boundaries. Poets use her to evoke themes of chastity, metamorphosis, and the unity of distant elements.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ovid’s Metamorphoses recounts Arethusa’s transformation into a spring to escape Alpheus; Virgil’s Georgics mentions her spring in Sicily as a poetic locale; Theocritus’s Idylls evoke her as a nymph of pastoral purity; Pindar alludes to her in Olympian Odes as a symbol of chaste devotion; Later Renaissance poetry uses Arethusa as an emblem of elusive beauty.
Additional Notes
Arethusa, a nymph pursued by the river god Alpheus, flees to Sicily and becomes a spring—her waters said to mingle with his. Ovid’s Metamorphoses (Book 5) uses her to explore themes of chastity, pursuit, and geographic connection. Students should note how her transformation is both escape and embodiment. Later poets (e.g., Shelley) invoke her as a symbol of pure, elusive beauty. Related: Alpheus, Artemis, Sicilian springs, etiological myth.
Also Known As
Arethusa the Fountain Nymph Fleeing Maiden Alpheus’ Beloved Sicilian Spring
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