Perigune

Perigune, also rendered Perigouna or Perigone, appears in Greek mythology as the daughter of the notorious bandit Sinis. Although a relatively obscure figure, she occupies a small but notable place within the mythic cycle of Theseus. Her story survives only in scattered references, the fullest account being preserved by Plutarch. Literary echoes of her name appear even into the Renaissance, where Shakespeare refers to her as Perigenia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Perigune’s myth centres on her encounter with Theseus following the death of her father, and on her role as mother to Melanippus, a figure linked to later genealogical traditions. Though details are sparse, the fragments that survive offer insight into the ways in which ancient authors used minor characters to expand heroic narratives and trace the origins of particular regional groups.

Mythological Background

Perigune’s father, Sinis, was one of the violent malefactors Theseus defeated during his journey from Troezen to Athens. Known for his brutal method of killing travellers by bending pine trees and hurling victims to their deaths, Sinis was a threat Theseus famously overcame. Perigune’s role emerges in the aftermath of this encounter.
Plutarch recounts that after Theseus slew Sinis, the frightened Perigune fled and concealed herself in a thicket of rushes and wild asparagus. Theseus, promising her safety, persuaded her to emerge from hiding. According to Plutarch, she later bore Theseus a son, Melanippus, who became the ancestor of the Ioxides of Caria. These descendants, he adds, continued to honour the plants that had sheltered Perigune: they refrained from burning rushes and asparagus in reverence for her experience.
Afterwards, Theseus is said to have given Perigune in marriage to Deioneus of Oechalia, integrating her into a broader network of heroic genealogies.

Alternate Sources

While Plutarch provides the most detailed narrative, several other ancient authors briefly refer to Perigune or the unnamed daughter of Sinis:

• Pausanias notes that Theseus fathered Melanippus with Sinis’s daughter but does not provide additional elaboration.
• Athenaeus, in his Deipnosophistae, includes her among the women associated with Theseus, citing Istros’ Attika as his source. Here too she is described only as the daughter of Sinis, with no expanded narrative.
• Shakespeare’s use of the name Perigenia reflects Renaissance familiarity with classical mythological catalogues, though he does not recount her story.

These brief mentions highlight her status as a marginal figure, significant primarily for her connections to Theseus and for her place in mythic genealogies.

Genealogical Significance

Melanippus, the son of Theseus and Perigune, occupies a position in regional mythmaking. His descendants, the Ioxides of Caria, represent how Greek genealogical traditions often traced the origins of particular families, ethnic groups or cult practices to unions between heroes and local women. The reverence for rushes and asparagus said to be practised by Melanippus’s descendants suggests an aetiological motif, linking natural symbolism to ancestral identity.
Perigune’s marriage to Deioneus further integrates her into mythic kinship structures, although no surviving texts elaborate on this portion of her life.

Literary and Cultural Context

Perigune’s relative obscurity reflects a broader pattern within Greek myth, in which numerous female figures appear briefly as part of heroic narratives, their primary significance tied to lineage, hospitality or local customs. Her story is characteristic of how mythic traditions evolved: minor characters acquired genealogical importance or became embedded in ritual explanations preserved by later authors.