Real
Kythira
Cythera, recalled as a mountain in Purg. XXVII 95, is the island linked to the cult of Venus, from which the star of the planet takes its poetic name Cytheria.
Description
The name Cytheria designates Venus and derives from the cult that the goddess received on the island of Cythera, near which, according to myth, she was born from the foam of the sea. Dante uses it in Purgatorio XXVII, v. 95, to indicate the star of Venus which, in the hour before dawn, is the first to radiate its light upon the mountain of Purgatory, while the poet, overcome by sleep, is about to dream. The note to the verse specifies that the star is called Cytheria with reference to that island, following an onomastic usage parallel to that by which Diana is called Delia because she was born and worshipped in Delos.
In the text
Linked verses
1 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purgatory | Canto XXVII | 95 | prima raggiò nel monte Citerea, | Open verse |