Myrice (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Myrice (Μυρίκη ) is a minor figure from the island of Cyprus. Like both of her siblings Myrrha and Amaracus, she was transformed into a plant bearing her name.

Family
She was the daughter of Cinyras, a king of Cyprus, and thus sister to Myrrha and Amaracus, thus aunt/half-sister to Adonis.

Mythology
The mournful Myrice was transformed into a tamarix tree (μυρίκη in ancient Greek), possibly by Aphrodite, as the tamarisk was her sacred tree. The implication seems to be that Myrice was grieving the death of her kinsman Adonis, who was gored by a boar during hunting. Additionally, a Hellenistic and Roman-era cult dedicated to Myricaean Apollo (Μυρικαίος Ἀπόλλων, "Apollo of the Tamarisk") is attested on the Northeastern Aegean island of Lesbos.