Celaeno (Pleiad)

In Greek mythology, Celaeno (/sɪˈliːnoʊ/; Ancient Greek: Κελαινώ Kelaino, lit. 'the dark one', also Celeno or Kelaino, sometimes [misspelled] Calaeno) was one of the Pleiades.

Biography

Celaeno was the daughter of Atlas and Pleione or Aethra. She was said to be mother of Lycus and Nycteus by Poseidon;[1] of Eurypylus (or Eurytus), King of Cyrene, and Lycaon, also by Poseidon;[2] and lastly of Lycus and Chimaereus by Prometheus.[3]

Modern references

The following modern uses derive from the Ancient Greek mythical name:

• Celaeno, a star in the Pleiades open cluster of stars.
• USS Celeno (AK-76), a United States Navy Crater class cargo ship
• Ship Celaeno builder A. HALL & Co Aberdeen. Rig: SHIP. Construction: Wood. Yard Number: 233. Completed in June 1863. Weighed 702 tons and measured 173.0 feet x 30.2 feet x 18.7 feet. The Celaeno made eleven trips to New Zealand.

In popular culture

• The star Celaeno features as a location in the Cthulhu Mythos stories of August Derleth. See Cthulhu Mythos celestial bodies and Extraterrestrial places in the Cthulhu Mythos
• Celaeno is the name of the chief Goddess in the Celaeno Series by Jane Fletcher.

Notes

1. Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3.10.1
2. Scholia on Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica, 4. 1561
3. Tzetzes on Lycophron, 132

External links

• Theoi Project - Celaeno

References

• Pseudo-Apollodorus, The Library with an English Translation by Sir James George Frazer, F.B.A., F.R.S. in 2 Volumes, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1921. Online version at the Perseus Digital Library. Greek text available from the same website.