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MYRRHA

Myrrha is a figure in Greek mythology, traditionally named as the daughter of Cinyras, king of Cyprus. According to the myth, the goddess Aphrodite causes Myrrha to fall in love with her father, an attraction she cannot control. After the illicit affair is revealed, Cinyras is outraged, and to save Myrrha, the gods transform her into a myrrh tree. In some versions the infant Adonis is conceived with Cinyras and is born from the tree’s sap or from the tree itself, depending on the tellings. The transformation explains the origin of the myrrh resin, a fragrant substance later valued in antiquity for perfumes and incense.

The tale of Myrrha has been passed down through classical literature and art as a narrative exploring

Etymology and influence: the name Myrrha is the mythic form linked to the Greek word for the

themes
of
forbidden
desire,
punishment,
and
transformation.
In
later
traditions,
the
figure
of
Myrrha
appears
in
poetry
and
visual
art
as
an
emblem
of
transgressive
love
and
the
miraculous
emergence
of
life
from
a
tree.
The
resin’s
association
with
Myrrha
also
contributed
to
the
symbolic
link
between
human
passion
and
the
natural
world’s
hidden
processes.
resin
myrrh,
and
it
has
influenced
the
naming
of
the
myth’s
characters
and
the
cultural
memory
of
the
resin
itself.
The
story
remains
a
reference
point
in
discussions
of
ancient
myth,
gender,
and
transformation.