Erigone’s suicide followed her father’s death. In poetry, she symbolises filial devotion and tragic despair.

Erigone experienced tragic fate as daughter of Icarius, who received wine from Dionysus and shared it with shepherds, who, not understanding intoxication, believed themselves poisoned and killed Icarius. When Erigone and their faithful dog Maera discovered his body, she hanged herself in grief. The gods placed all three in the sky as constellations (Boötes, Virgo, and Canis Minor or Major, depending on version). This story provides an aetiology for the constellation Virgo while also explaining plague and misfortune that supposedly afflicted Athens until Erigone received proper honor. For students analyzing Greek responses to suicide and grief, Erigone represents the sympathetic tragic victim whose death demands recognition and appeasement. Her suicide by hanging connects to broader Greek associations between hanging and female death, while her constellation placement suggests divine sympathy for innocent suffering. The story also illustrates Dionysus' gifts' dangerous nature—wine brings both blessing and violence when not properly understood. References to Erigone invoke filial devotion, tragic suicide, constellation mythology, and Dionysian cult.