Macris
Nurse of Hera and Dionysus
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In Greek mythology, Macris (Ancient Greek: Μακρἰς, romanized: Makrís, lit. 'long' a reference to the elongated shape of Euboea) also called Nysa (Ancient Greek: Νύσα, romanized: Núsa), is a daughter of Aristaeus who reared the goddess Hera in her youth, before incurring the wrath of the goddess and being banished by her.
Family
Mythology
Macris became the nursemaid of the young goddess Hera, who was brought up in Euboea, an island off the coast of Boeotia. One day Hera was carried off by her brother Zeus who concealed themselves in Mount Cithaeron.[2] Macris crossed over the mainland looking for her young ward, but when she attempted to search the place and in particularly the spot the two were hiding, the mountain king-god Cithaeron prevented her from doing so, lying that Zeus was taking his pleasure with Leto there, so Macris went away and Hera escaped discovery. Later Hera shared an altar with Leto in gratitude.[3]
Some time later, Hermes or Zeus himself took the infant Dionysus and brought him to Macris, who nursed him and fed him honey.[1] As punishment, Hera exiled Macris who fled to the island of Corcyra,[4] where Demeter taught the Titans the art of agriculture for Macris' sake.[5] The island was called Macris ("long") after her,[6] and the cave she chose to dwell in later beheld the wedding and consummation of Jason and Medea, so it was called Medea's Cave thereafter.[4]
Macris, along with the rest of Dionysus' retinue, is said to have lamented Lycurgus' violent rejection and expulsion of Dionysus and his rites from Thrace.[7]
Symbolism
The island of Euboea was sacred to Hera, and thus one of the several—but far from only—places that claimed to be the site of Zeus and Hera's first prenuptial union.[8]
