Cephalus and Procris

The great hunter Cephalus and his wife, Procris, appear in a Greek legend about mistrust and mistaken identity. Like many Greek myths, their story included interaction with a deity.

In one version, Eos (Aurora), the goddess of dawn, fell in love with Cephalus. In jealous distress, Procris ran into the forest. Cephalus searched for her but paused to rest. When Procris crept up to see if he was with Eos, Cephalus thought the rustling in the bushes was an animal and killed Procris with his spear. After accidentally killing his wife, Cephalus was sent into exile on an island. The Roman poet Ovid wrote a detailed account of Cephalus and Procris in his narrative poem the Metamorphoses, Ovid's version describes Cephalus's feats as a hunter and the series of crises that occur in the couple's relationship.

See also Ovid .