Minyades

The Minyades (Ancient Greek: Μινυάδες) were three princesses of Orchomenus in Greek mythology, remembered for defying the god Dionysus and suffering a terrible fate. Their story warns of the consequences of scorning divine worship.

When the cult of Dionysus first spread through Boeotia, the women of the land abandoned their homes to join in ecstatic rites on the mountains, dancing in Bacchic frenzy. The Minyades alone—devoted to their weaving and other domestic tasks—refused to take part, profaning the days sacred to the god. In some accounts, Dionysus appeared to them disguised as a young maiden, inviting them to join his Mysteries. When they refused, he revealed his divine nature by transforming first into a bull, then a lion, then a panther. Overcome with dread, the sisters fell into madness.

In their frenzy, they sought to honor the god with sacrifice. By casting lots, they chose Leucippe to make the offering. Horrifically, she presented her own son, Hippasus, whom the sisters tore apart in a Bacchic rage. They then fled to the mountains, roaming in wild delirium and feeding on ivy, honeysuckle, and laurel. At last, Hermes took pity—or perhaps fulfilled the god’s will—and touched them with his wand, transforming them into nocturnal creatures: one a bat, one an owl, and one an eagle owl, all forever shunning the sunlight.

Some traditions, such as Plutarch’s, relate a slightly different ending, where all three sisters were changed into bats, and their weaving turned into trailing vines. In Orchomenus, their descendants were said to carry names marking the curse: the men were called psoloeis (“mourners”) and the women oleiai or aioleiai (“destroyers”).