Merope Candle

The last of the seven Pleiades was Merope, and she was one of the mountain nymphs who escaped the attention of the gods, and instead happily married a mortal. This mortal was the infamous Sisyphus, son of Æolus, grandson of Deucalion, and great-grandson of Prometheus. Merope would bear him several sons, including Glaucus and Almus. She is sometimes also said to be mother of Dædalus.

Sisyphus founded the city of Corinth and later revealed Zeus's rape of Ægina to her father Asopus, for which Zeus condemned Sisyphus to roll a huge stone up a hill in Hades, only to have it roll back down each time the task was nearly done.

Her son Glaucus was the father of Bellerophon, and in one story he was killed by horses maddened by Aphrodite because he would not let them breed. He also led Lycian troops in the Trojan War, and in the Iliad was tricked by the Greek hero Diomedes into exchanging his gold armor for Diomedes' brass, the origin of the term 'Diomedian swap'.

The 'lost Pleiad' legend came about to explain why only six of these stars are easily visible to the unaided eye. This sister is variously said to be Electra, who veiled her face at the burning of Troy, appearing to mortals afterwards only as a comet; or Merope, who was shamed for marrying a mortal.

Available in different scents and colours.

Measurements: 24 x 3,5 cm