Mullet and Procris

Cephalus was the son of god Hermes and daughter Cecropa, Khersa. Far across Greece, the Mullet was famous for its wondrous beauty, and it was also famous as a tireless hunter. Early, before sunrise, he left his palace and his young wife Procris and went hunting in the mountains of Hymetas. Once the rosy-fingered goddess of the dawn Eos saw a beautiful Mullet, kidnapped him and took him far from Athens, to the very edge of the earth. Cephalus loved only Prokrida, he thought only of her, her name did not leave his lips. He longed for separation from his wife and prayed to the goddess Eos to let him go back to Athens. Eos was angry and said to the Mullet:

- OK, go back to Procris, stop complaining about fate! Someday you will regret that Procrida is your wife, you will even regret that you recognized her! Oh, I foresee that this will happen!

Released Eos Kefala. Saying goodbye to him, she persuaded him to test his wife's loyalty. The goddess changed the appearance of Cephalus, and he returned to Athens unrecognized by anyone. By cunning, the Mullet entered his house and found his wife in deep sadness. And in sorrow, Procris was beautiful. The mullet spoke to his wife and tried for a long time to persuade her to forget her husband, leave him and become his wife. Prokrid did not recognize her husband. For a long time she did not want to listen to the stranger and kept repeating:

- I love Mullet alone and I will remain faithful to him. Wherever he is, alive or dead, I will remain faithful to him forever!

Finally, Mullet shook her with rich gifts. And she was already ready to bow to his pleas. Then, assuming his real image, the Mullet exclaimed:

- Incorrect! I'm your husband, Mullet! I myself am a witness of your infidelity!

Prokrida did not answer a word to her husband. With her head bowed low in shame, she left the house of Kefal and went into the forested mountains. There she became a companion of the goddess Artemis. Procrid received a wonderful spear from the goddess as a gift, which always hit the target and returned to the one who threw it, and a dog Laylapa, from which no wild animal could escape.

For a short time Cephalus was able to live in separation from Procrida. He found his wife in the woods and persuaded her to come back. Prokrida returned to her husband, and they lived happily for a long time. Prokrida gave her wonderful spear and dog Laylap to her husband, who, as before, went hunting before dawn. Alone, without a guide, the Mullet hunted, he did not need helpers - after all, he had a wonderful spear and a Laylap with him. One day, a Mullet was hunting early in the morning; at noon, when the scorching heat came, he began to seek protection in the shade of the heat. The Mullet walked slowly and sang:

- Oh, sweet coolness, come to me soon! Cover my open chest! Hurry up to me, coolness, full of bliss, and dispel the scorching heat! Oh, heavenly one, you are my joy, you enliven and strengthen me! Oh, let me breathe in your sweet breath!

One of the Athenians heard the singing of the Mullet and, not understanding the meaning of his song, told Procris that he had heard her husband calling some nymph Coolness in the forest. Prokrida was saddened, she decided that the Mullet no longer loved her, that he had forgotten her for another. Once, when the Mullet was hunting, Prokrida secretly went into the forest and, hiding in the thickly overgrown bushes, waited for her husband to come. Here the Mullet also appeared among the trees. He sang loudly:

- Oh, the coolness full of affection, come and banish my fatigue!

Suddenly the Mullet stopped - he thought he heard a heavy sigh. The Mullet listened, but everything is quiet in the forest, not a single leaf moves in the midday heat. The Mullet sang again:

- Hurry to me, welcome coolness!

As soon as these words were uttered, something rustled softly in the bushes. Mullet, thinking that some wild animal had disappeared into them, threw a spear into the bushes that did not know a miss. Procris screamed loudly, struck in the chest. I recognized her voice as Kefal. He rushed to the bushes and found his wife in them. Her whole breast was covered with blood; the terrible wound was fatal. Kefal hurries to bind Procrida's wound, but all in vain. Procris is dying. Before she died, she said to her husband:

- Oh, Cephalus, I conjure you by the sanctity of our marriage bonds, by the gods of Olympus and the underground gods to whom I am going now, I conjure you and my love, do not let the one you called now enter our house!

The Mullet understood from the words of the dying Procrida, which misled her. He hurries to explain to Prokrida her mistake. Prokrida is weakening, her eyes are clouded with death, smiling tenderly at Kefal, she died in his arms. With the last kiss, her soul flew away to the dark realm of Hades.

Mullet was inconsolable for a long time. As a murderer, he left his native Athens and retired to the seven-fold Thebes. Here he helped Amphitryon in the hunt for the elusive Tautesian fox. Poseidon sent her as a punishment to the Thebans. Every month a boy was sacrificed to the fox in order to somehow quench her rage. The mullet released its dog Laylap on the fox. Laylap would have pursued the fox forever if the thunderer Zeus hadn't turned both the fox and Laylap into two stones. After hunting the Tautesian fox, the Mullet took part in the war of Amphitrion with the teleboys and achieved, thanks to his bravery, power over the island of Kefalonia, named after him, - there he lived until his death.