Rape of Oreithyia
by LAURI, Filippo, Oil on copper, 38 x 55 cm
In Greek mythology, Oreithyia was the daughter of King Erechtheus of Athens and his wife, Praxithea. Boreas, the north wind, fell in love with her. At first he attempted to woo her, but after failing at that he decided to take her by force. While she was playing by the Ilissos River, she was carried off to Sarpedon’s Rock, near the Erginos River in Thrace. There she was wrapped in a cloud and raped.