Editing Canace (section)

== Mythology ==
In ancient Greek mythology, Canace is often described as a lover of Poseidon, and the mother of multiple of his children. However, in another, more famous myth, Canace was not Poseidon's lover, but was instead in a relationship with her brother [[Macareus (son of Aeolus)|Macareus]]. 

In this tradition, the pair are the children of a different Aeolus, the lord of the winds (or the [[Tyrrhenia]]n king),<ref>These two are barely distinct characters in any case; see the article on [[Aeolus]] for discussion</ref> and his wife [[Amphithea]]. Canace fell in love with Macareus and the pair shared an [[Incest|incestuous]] relationship, which resulted in her getting pregnant. Macareus promised to marry Canace but never did. Eventually Canace gave birth privately, accompanied only by her nurse. When Canace instructed the nurse to carry the baby from the room in a basket under the pretense that it was a sacred ritual offering, the nurse had to pass through the throne room where Aeolus sat. Just before she was able to make it out of the room, the baby began to cry, alerting Aeolus. Upon discovering the child, the king was outraged and compelled Canace to commit [[suicide]] as punishment, and sent her a sword with which she was to stab herself. Canace then committed suicide and the newborn child was [[Exposure (infant)|exposed]] to die.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Commentary on the Heroides of Ovid: Canace Macareo |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0061:poem=11 |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Perseus Digital Library}}</ref> 

This story was told by [[Latin]] poet [[Ovid]] in the ''[[Heroides]]'', a selection of eighteen story-poems that pretend to be letters from mythological women to their lovers and ex-lovers.<ref>[[Ovid]], ''[[Heroides]]'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Ov.+Ep.+Sapph.+11&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0085:book=:chapter=&highlight=Canace 11]</ref> The story is also briefly referred to by Hyginus<ref>[[Gaius Julius Hyginus|Hyginus]], ''Fabulae'' [https://topostext.org/work/206#238 238]: Aeolus killed Canace; [https://topostext.org/work/206#242 242]: Macareus killed himself after Canace's death & [https://topostext.org/work/206#243 243]: Canace kills herself over her forbidden love for Macareus</ref> and retold by [[Pseudo-Plutarch]], in whose account Macareus kills himself over the matter as well.<ref>[[Pseudo-Plutarch]], ''Parallela minora'' [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Plut.+Para.+28&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0219:book=:chapter=&highlight=Macareus 28]</ref> It was also the subject of [[Euripides]]'s lost play ''Aeolus'', on which the extant versions appear to be based.

Canace's story was also put to the stage in the verse tragedy ''[[Canace (play)|Canace]]'' (1588), by [[Italy|Italian]] playwright [[Sperone Speroni]], as well as being the subject of a tale in [[John Gower|Gower's]] ''[[Confessio Amantis]]''. She also gave her name to the heroine of [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[Squire's Tale]]''.