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Baucis

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

Poor Phrygian woman who, with her husband Philemon, welcomed Zeus and Hermes; rewarded with transformation into intertwined trees.

Detailed Definition
Baucis and her husband Philemon welcomed disguised gods into their humble home, unlike their inhospitable neighbors. Rewarded with eternal life as priests of a temple, they died together and became intertwined trees. Their story, told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, is cited in poetry to extol humility, piety, and the sacredness of hospitality.
Example
Example in poetry:
Baucis and Philemon, the humble couple who host Zeus and Hermes, are transformed into intertwining trees in Ovid’s Metamorphoses; Their story exemplifies xenia (guest-friendship) in classical poetry; Virgil alludes to their piety as a rustic ideal; Renaissance pastoral poets cite Baucis as a model of simple virtue; In Goethe’s poetry, Baucis symbolizes enduring love and humility; Modern ecological verse uses Baucis and Philemon to represent harmony with nature.
Additional Notes
Baucis, with her husband Philemon, showed hospitality to disguised Zeus and Hermes and were rewarded by becoming intertwined trees; their tale (in Ovid) champions xenia (guest-friendship) and humble virtue—ideal for ecopoetry or meditations on aging, devotion, and divine reciprocity; their metamorphosis symbolizes eternal unity.
Also Known As
Hospitable Elder Oak-Bound Wife Baucis of Phrygia
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