Rhoeo

In the mythic tradition Rhoeo is a daughter of Staphylus (himself a son of Dionysus and Ariadne in the genealogical corpus) and Chrysothemis. She became Apollo's lover and conceived a son, Anius. When her pregnancy was discovered her father placed her in a chest and cast it into the sea; the chest washed ashore on Delos, sacred to Apollo, where she gave birth. She placed the newborn on Apollo's altar and prayed that if the child were the god's he should survive; Apollo concealed and later raised the child, teaching him divination and granting him honors. In later tradition she married Zarex (variously described as son of Carystus or Carycus) who accepted Anius as his son; some accounts record that she bore additional children with Zarex. Variants in authorship and genealogical detail appear across the source tradition.

Ancient sources provide no physical description of Rhoeo. She is attested in genealogical listings and mythic narratives rather than iconographic or descriptive passages; her presence in the sources is mediated through family ties (daughter of Staphylus and Chrysothemis), mythic actions (exposure at sea, altar dedication), and her role as mother of Anius rather than by bodily portrayal.

The sources attribute no personal supernatural powers to Rhoeo herself; she is represented as a mortal whose significance derives from relationships to divine agency (Apollo) and from her narrative actions. Her child Anius receives divinatory ability and priestly honors from Apollo, but these are granted by the god rather than emanating from Rhoeo. Her behaviors recorded in the tradition include consenting to Apollo, undergoing exposure by her father, dedicating her newborn on Apollo's altar and praying for the child's safety, and later marrying Zarex.