Lethaea
Lethaea is a mythological character briefly mentioned in Ovid's Metamorphoses.[1]
Illustration of Lethea and Olenus by Johann Ulrich Krauss
Mythology
Due to her vanity, Lethaea was turned into stone at Ida by the gods. Her lover Olenus wished to share in the blame, and so shared her fate. The story is used as a metaphor for how stunned Orpheus was after a failed attempt to bring back his wife from the underworld. It was as if he too were turned to stone.
References
- Ovid Metamorphoses 10.68 - 71
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