Melinno

Melinno was a minor chthonic goddess or nymph in Greek mythology. She is primarily known from a single Orphic Hymn, specifically Hymn 51, which invokes her. The hymn describes Melinno as a saffron-veiled deity who brings nightmares and madness.

Details about Melinno are sparse beyond the hymn. The hymn mentions her as having a mixed appearance, suggesting a combination of light and darkness, symbolizing the dual nature of dreams which can be both pleasant and terrifying. Her parentage is unclear, though the hymn hints at a connection to Persephone and potentially Zeus. Some interpretations suggest she represents the liminal space between the world of the living and the underworld.

The Orphic Hymn to Melinno calls upon her to avert the nightmares and insanity she is capable of inflicting. This suggests that while she could bring negative experiences, she also possessed the power to protect against them, further emphasizing her ambiguous and complex nature. Due to the limited information, Melinno remains a somewhat enigmatic figure within the Greek pantheon.