Meline (mythology)

In Greek mythology, Meline (also sometimes seen as Melinoe) is a chthonic goddess or spirit. She is described in the Orphic Hymns as being half white and half black, a representation of her dual parentage and nature. Meline is said to be the daughter of Persephone and Zeus, although some accounts claim her father was Hades. This ambiguity regarding her paternity contributes to her shadowy and somewhat ambiguous role in the Greek pantheon.

As a chthonic deity, Meline is associated with the underworld, ghosts, nightmares, and madness. She is believed to roam at night, terrifying mortals with her spectral appearances and driving them to insanity. Her bicolored appearance is often interpreted as a symbolic representation of the duality between the upper world of light and the lower world of darkness, or the conscious and unconscious mind. The white side of her is associated with purity and the day, while the black side represents darkness, death, and the night.

Meline is invoked in incantations and rituals related to necromancy and the summoning of spirits. She is a powerful figure, capable of inflicting madness and fear, but also possessing knowledge of the underworld and the secrets of life and death. While not as widely known or worshipped as other major Greek deities, Meline holds a significant place in the more esoteric aspects of Greek mythology and religious practice, representing the darker and more mysterious forces that govern the universe. Her association with crossroads further emphasizes her liminal nature, existing between worlds and realities.