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Glite Dictionary
Procne

Procne

1 9.9
A woman in Greek myth who becomes a swallow after taking revenge for her sister
  • proper noun
  • Literature
: Procne
  • The two sisters then avenge Tereus by serving him his (and Procne's) own son for dinner.

Examples

  • Others point to Procne and Philomela, Persephone and Demeter—all stories of female violation and sisterhood that shape Woolf's text.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Philomela manages to weave the story in a cloth that she sends to Procne.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Philomela becomes a nightingale, Procne a swallow, and Tereus a hoopoe.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • In some versions of the tale, as in Purgatorio IX.15, Philomela becomes a swallow, and Procne, the nightingale.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • According to Ovid, Procne's husband Tereus rapes her sister Philomela and, to conceal his horrid act, cuts out her tongue.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • In Greek mythology, Procne was turned into a swallow after avenging her sister Philomela.

  • Procne's story highlights her transformation into a swallow as a symbol of her sorrow.

  • According to legend, Procne and her sister Philomela were transformed into birds as a punishment.

Surface Forms

Procne main

Etymology

Procne comes from an old Greek word proknē that means 'swallow'. In the myth she is turned into a swallow, so her name fits the story.