Merope of Chios- Greek FigureMortal

The Wooing of Merope

Merope was the daughter of Oenopion, king of Chios and son of Dionysus and Ariadne. When the giant hunter Orion arrived on the island, he was struck by her beauty and sought her hand in marriage. To prove his worth, Orion set about ridding Chios of its wild beasts, presenting the skins of lions and bears to Oenopion as bride-gifts — a service that cleared the island of predators but failed to win the bride. Oenopion kept postponing the wedding, putting Orion off with one pretext after another despite the growing pile of pelts. He never intended to honor the promise.

The Blinding of Orion

Frustrated by the endless delays and drunk on Dionysus's wine, Orion forced himself upon Merope. Oenopion's retribution was devastating. With the aid of his divine father Dionysus, who sent satyrs to drug Orion with more wine until he fell into a helpless stupor, Oenopion put out the giant's eyes and cast him onto the seashore. Parthenius and Apollodorus both record the episode, though they differ on whether Oenopion acted while Orion slept or overpowered him with divine help.

Blinded and abandoned on the coast, Orion made his way to Lemnos, where Hephaestus took pity on him and gave him his assistant Cedalion as a guide. The boy rode on the blind giant's shoulders as they crossed the sea, guiding him toward the place where Helios rises. There the sun god restored Orion's sight. The hunter returned to Chios seeking revenge, but Oenopion had already hidden in an underground bronze chamber that Hephaestus had built for him, and Orion searched the island in vain. Merope vanishes from the story after the assault — the sources follow Orion into his wanderings among the stars and say nothing further of her fate.