Baucis and Philemon

Nationality/Culture

Greek/Roman

Pronunciation

BAW-sis and fi-LEE-muhn

Alternate Names

None

Appears In

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Lineage

Unknown

Character Overview

Baucis (pronounced BAW-sis) and Philemon (pronounced fi-LEE-muhn), an old couple from the land of Phrygia (pronounced FRIJ-ee-uh), showed hospitality toward the gods and were rewarded.

According to Greek myth, the gods Zeus (pronounced ZOOS) and Hermes (pronounced HUR-meez) assumed human form and visited earth disguised as poor travelers. When they reached Phrygia, an ancient kingdom located in the west-central part of Anatolia, they looked for shelter but were turned away by everyone except Philemon and his wife, Baucis.

The old couple gladly shared their small amount of food and wine with the strangers. Baucis and Philemon realized that their guests were gods after noticing that the wine jug never ran out and their poor wine was replaced by wine of the finest quality. Once refreshed, Zeus and Hermes led the couple to a hill above Phrygia and sent a flood to destroy the land to punish the people who had turned them away. Only the old couple's house remained undamaged. Zeus made the house a temple to the gods and awarded Baucis and Philemon two wishes: to serve as priest and priestess of the temple and, when the time came, to die together. Many years later, when the moment of their deaths came, Baucis and Philemon were transformed into trees, one linden (also known as lime) and one oak, with intertwined branches.

Baucis and Philemon in Context

Phrygia, where Baucis and Philemon lived, was a region that covered a large inland portion of present-day Turkey. Phrygian culture was distinct from Greek culture, and the Phrygian people worshipped many gods different from the Greeks. The Greeks often associated these Phrygian gods with their own. For example, the Phrygian nomadic horseman god Sabazios was usually linked to Zeus or Dionysus. Much of what is known about Phrygian culture is taken from existing Greek works, such as Homer's Iliad.

Key Themes and Symbols

The linden, or lime, tree is considered by many European cultures to be a symbol of love and fertility. The oak tree is widely considered to be a symbol of strength and steadfastness, and was even used as a symbol of Zeus. Both trees are known to have lifespans of many centuries. The intertwining branches symbolize a bond between the two that promises to gain strength as the trees continue to grow.

In the myth, Baucis and Philemon are the only people in Phrygia to help the two gods disguised as strangers. For this reason, Baucis and Philemon also symbolize hospitality to travelers.

Baucis and Philemon in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life

Baucis and Philemon have very limited appearances in Greek myth, but their tale remains a popular one among later artists and writers. Ovid's original tale was translated by John Dryden in 1693, and Jonathan Swift wrote his own poetic update to the myth, setting it in England around 1709. The bestselling novel Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier (1997) uses the tale of Baucis and Philemon as a counterpoint to the Civil War-era couple that serve as his main characters.

Read, Write, Think, Discuss

Using the library, the Internet, or other resources, find Jonathan Swift's poem “Baucis and Philemon” (1708) and read it. (The poem is freely available on Web sites that offer public domain works of literature.) How does Swift's poem differ in tone and message from the original myth? How is the ending different? Which version do you prefer and why?

SEE ALSO Greek Mythology; Hermes; Zeus