Telling the myth of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela (in a condensed version), we start with the Atheni…

Telling the myth of Tereus, Procne, and Philomela (in a condensed version), we start with the Athenian king Pandion, who married his daughter Procne to the Thracian king Tereus as a thank you for his help. They had a son, Itys. Years later, Procne asked her husband to bring her sister, Philomela, to visit. Tereus went to Athens and, upon seeing Philomela, became consumed by passion for her. On the way back to Thrace, Tereus assaulted Philomela. In different versions of the myth, he either tricked her by saying Procne had died or simply used force. To prevent Philomela from revealing what happened, Tereus cut out her tongue and hid her away in a secluded place – a forest or a shepherd's hut. He told Procne that her sister had died on the journey. Philomela, unable to speak, found a way to tell of her plight. She wove a message into a garment (a peplos), describing everything Tereus had done to her. She gave this cloth to Procne. After reading the weaving, Procne understood the truth and went to find her sister. Upon finding Philomela, she freed her. The two sisters planned a terrible revenge. They killed Procne and Tereus's young son, Itys. Procne then cooked his body and served it to the unsuspecting Tereus at a feast. When Tereus realized what he had eaten, he grabbed an axe (or sword) and chased after the sisters. The sisters tried to escape, but Tereus caught up with them. When all hope was lost, they begged the gods for salvation. The gods, hearing their plea, turned all three into birds. Procne became a nightingale, Philomela a swallow, and Tereus a hoopoe.