Aëdon

Aëdon (āē'dun) [key], in Greek legend, the wife of Zethus, king of Thebes. She had only one son, while her sister-in-law, Niobe, had many. Her jealousy increased until, in trying to murder Niobe's oldest son, she killed her own child. She was changed to a nightingale, and her song was a mournful call for her son, Itys or Itylus.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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