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Nephele, meaning "cloud", was a cloud nymph featured in the myth of Ixion and Athamas and the Birth of the race of Centaurs.

Mythology[]

Rape by Ixion[]

Nephele was a phantom moulded out of a cloud by Zeus in the shape of the goddess Hera. Zeus created Nephele after he saw King Ixion's attempted assault of Hera, and he sent Nephele instead. Ixion was fooled and assaulted the cloud. Ixion was then chained to a fiery wheel for all eternity in Tartarus, because he thought Nephele was the goddess Hera. Nephele then gave birth to centaurs in a rain shower on Mount Pelion.

Marriage with Athamas[]

Nephele then married Athamas, King of Orchomenus, but he later divorced her for Ino , daughter of Cadmus , King of Thebes, and the goddess Harmonia . Phrixus and Helle, twins born to Nephele and Athamas, were hated by Ino. Ino roasted the town's corn seeds so the crops would not grow. The farmers, frightened of a famine, asked a nearby oracle for help, but Ino bribed the messengers to say that the town required a sacrifice of Phrixus and Helle. Before the children were killed, Nephele sent a flying golden ram to save them. Helle and Phrixus were instructed not to look down, but Helle did and drowned in Hellespont, named for her meaning Sea of Helle. Phrixus arrived in Colchis, where King Aeetes gave him his daughter, Chalciope, in marriage. Phrixus gave the king the fleece of the golden ram, later taken by Jason. Ino later died and was transformed into the sea goddess Leucothea.

Family[]

Athamanid Genealogy in Greek mythology
 
 
 
 
Aeolids
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sisyphids
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cretheids
 
Hḗlios
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ino
 
Athamas
 
Nephele
 
 
Salmonids
 
Aeetes of Colchis
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Melicertes
 
 
Helle
 
 
 
Phrixus
 
Chalcicope
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Themisto
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dynamene
 
Orchomenus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Clymenus
 
Pirene
 
 
 
 
 
 
Minyas
 
Phanosyra
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Orchomenus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ianeira
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Boudeis
 
Clymenus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Erginus
Preceded by:
None (Title Created)
Queen of Orchomenus
Mythic
Succeeded by
Ino
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