Procris is Cephalus’s wife. Over the course of their marriage, Procris gifts Cephalus a fast-running hunting dog and a magic spear that always meets its target. Procris dies tragically after a miscommunication in which she thinks Cephalus is cheating on her with a nymph when he is actually speaking lovingly to the wind. Cephalus, thinking Procris is an animal, accidentally kills her with his spear.
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Procris Character Timeline in Metamorphoses
The timeline below shows where the character Procris appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 7: Cephalus and Procris
Cephalus tells Phocus the story of the spear. A while ago, Cephalus married Procris, the sister of Orithyia. Procris was beautiful, and Cephalus was very happy with her. A...
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...look like a different man. When Cephalus enters his house, he finds no sign of Procris’s infidelity. When Procris comes up to him, he longs to kiss her and reveal his...
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Procris resents Cephalus for his trick and joins Diana’s clan of chaste women. Cephalus is still...
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Cephalus tells what happened to the hunting dog that Procris gave him: one day, a ferocious fox attacks Thebes, causing the citizens to fear for...
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Cephalus then tells the story of the spear: Cephalus and Procris are deeply in love and very happy together. In the mornings, Cephalus goes hunting by...
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...the trees nearby. Thinking it is a wild animal, he launches his spear. He hears Procris cry. He finds her and clutches her dying body, trying to staunch the wound in...
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