Aedon

(*ca.* 1330 – *ca.* 1300 BCE) Daughter of Harmothoë and Pandareos, sister of Khelidonis. Her name
means “nightingale”.

Along with her father,
mother, and sisters, Aëdon was deported to Hattusha at the end of the Arzawaean War, around 1317 BCE. There, forced to
witness the execution of her father and a cousin who was also her brother-in-law,
Aëdon seems to have been made an attendant of Niobë,
and accom-panyied her to Thebai
by way of Wilusiya.

In *Troidai*, Ganymede’s
portrayal of Aëdon is that of a rude and irreverent young woman; quite vain and
possessing a profound sense of entitlement, who holds herself equal to Niobë, delights
in tormenting her sister, and even teases their young host with crudely
salacious jests. She initially demonstrates interest in Drimios, though when he pointedly ignores her, Aëdon’s poor
behavior intensifies. When Niobë attempts to help unravel confusion about Akhaia, Aëdon repeatedly interrupts with
scandalous trivialities.

Her
story does not conclude until *Theidai*, where Ganymede finally
learns her fate only after joining the Undying.
Following their departure from Idaea,
Aëdon attempted any number of means to become Lahpa’s
wife to no avail. At Niobë’s urging, he gave her instead to Amphion’s brother,
though this only made Aëdon more resentful, especially when Niobe kept
producing children to stand in the way of her becoming *wanassaa*.

After
several years, Aëdon hatched a plan to cast down Amphion and Niobë, replacing
them with her husband and herself. She therefore murdered Niobë’s children,
luring them from their beds into a garden, where she gave them poisoned cups to
drink. In her carelessness however, Aëdon failed to remember that her own son was
among the others, so he died as well.

Horrified by her madness and crime, Aedon’s
husband killed himself, and she herself was executed by Amphion. His own grief
proved too great to endure however, and he too finally took his own life,
leaving Niobë free to return to east.

**Myth & Legend:** The earliest reference to Aedon
occurs in *Odyssey*,
where Penelopë refers to the
nightingale as a daughter of Pandareus who accidentally killed her own child
and forever mourns his loss.

The *Bibliotheca* mentions
Aedon’s envy for Niobe and plot to murder her oldest son, which resulted in the
accidental death of Aedon’s own son. Zeus comforts her grief by transforming
her into the nightingale, whose song is therefore a lament for the lost child.

Antoninus Liberalis preserves another tale, in which Aedon
married an artist called Polytechnos. The couple boasted they loved one another
more than the King and Queen of Heaven, so Hera sent Eris to trouble the
marriage and a contest awoke between the couple. Hera lent Aedon aid in her
embroidery, so she won the competition. Furious, Polytechnos acquired her
sister, Chelidonis, raped her, and presented her to his wife as a slave. When
the deception was exposed, Aedon and Chelidonis killed Polytechnos’ son Itys
and served him in a meal to his father. They then fled back to their father,
who futher punished Polytechnos with the intent of killing him. At the last
moment, Zeus transformed Polytechnos into a pelican, Aedon’s brother into a whoop,
her father into a sea-eagle, Chelidonis into a swallow, and Aedon herself into
a nightingale.