Selemnus

A handsome shepherd who was loved by the naiad Argyra. She used to come up out of the sea to visit him, sleeping by his side, but after some time the lad no longer seemed so handsome and she stopped visiting him. Selemnus, deserted by Argyra, died of love, and Aphrodite turned him into a river. As Selemnus continued to love Argyra even when he was turned into water, just as Alpheus in the legend continued to love Arethusa, Aphrodite bestowed on him a second gift, by erasing the memory of his beloved naiad.

Legend has it that the waters of the river ease the pain of a broken heart.

References

Source

  • Pausanias. Description of Greece vii, 23.1-2.