- 174 Phaedra is an asteroid. Phaedra is also the title of a 1974 album by the avant-garde rock group Tangerine Dream.
In Greek mythology, Phaedra was the mother of Demophon and Acamas by Theseus.
Phaedra fell in love with Hippolytus, Theseus' son by his ex-wife, Hippolyte. According to some sources, he had scorned Aphrodite to become a devotee of Artemis and Aphrodite made Phaedra fall in love with him as a punishment. He rejected her. Alternatively, Phaedra's nurse told Hippolytus of her love, and he swore he would not reveal her as a source of information—even after Phaedra killed herself and blamed his seduction of her in her suicide note. In revenge, Phaedra wrote Theseus a letter that claimed Hippolytus raped her. She then killed herself. Theseus believed her and cursed Hippolytus with one of the three curses he had received from Poseidon. As a result, Hippolytus' horses were frightened by a sea monster and dragged their rider to his death. Alternatively, after Phaedra told Theseus that Hippolytus had raped her, Theseus killed his son and Phaedra committed suicide out of guilt for she had not intended for Hippolytus to die. Artemis later told Theseus the truth. In a third version, Phaedra simply told Theseus this and did not kill herself; Dionysus sent a wild bull which terrified Hippolytus' horses.
Virgil, Aeneid VII.765; Ovid, Metamorphoses XV.497
The Phaedra story in literature
Phaedra's story appears in several major works of literature, including:
Phaedra in Music
Phaedra is also the subject of a number of musical works, including:
Phaedra, Benjamin Britten, 1976
Phaedra, Tangerine Dream, 1974