In ancient Corinth, near the road leading from the agora to the port of Lechaeum, travelers would come upon the Pirene fountain, a place woven deeply into myth and poetry. Pausanias, writing in the 2nd century, described the scene: gilded chariots of Helios and his son Phaethon atop a gateway, a bronze Heracles nearby, and beyond them, the entrance to the sacred waters of Pirene. The story told most often was of a woman named Pirene, transformed into a spring by her own endless grief. She mourned her son Cenchrias, accidentally killed by Artemis, and her tears became the flowing waters that poets and craftsmen would seek. This spring, framed in white marble and cave-like chambers, not only quenched thirst but inspired creativity. Poets came to drink in hopes of receiving the favor of the Muses. The water was so pure it was said to temper the finest Corinthian bronze. Another version of the tale tells of Pegasus, the winged horse, striking the earth with his hoof and creating the spring. Though less widespread than Pirene's story of mourning, this legend tied the fountain to the sky and divine flight, reinforcing its connection to inspiration and divine favor. Nearby, a sanctuary to Apollo stood with a painting of Odysseus’ battle against the suitors, blending myth, heroism, and divine patronage in one place. Above, on Acrocorinth, the Upper Pirene spring added another layer to the lore, with its own myth and its own waters feeding the legacy of a city steeped in story.

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Peirene Fountain