story of Baucis and Philemon

E384293

Greek myth classical myth hospitality myth

The story of Baucis and Philemon is a classical myth about an elderly couple whose humble hospitality to disguised gods is rewarded with miraculous blessings and transformation.

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All labels observed (3)

Label	Occurrences
Baucis and Philemon	1
myth of Philemon and Baucis	1
story of Baucis and Philemon canonical	1

How this entity was disambiguated

This entity first appeared as the object of triple T3745075 — resolving that mention is where its identity was fixed. The disambiguator weighed these candidate entities and picked the highlighted one (or “None”, minting a new entity). This is how homonymy is resolved: the same surface form can point to different entities.

NED1 Entity disambiguation (via context triple) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: story of Baucis and Philemon
Context triple: [Ovid’s Metamorphoses, containsEpisode, story of Baucis and Philemon]

A. Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are the legendary twin brothers of Roman mythology who were raised by a she-wolf and are credited with the origins of Rome.
B. Samaritan
"Samaritan" is a novel by Thomas Hoover, likely a thriller or suspense work characteristic of his style blending historical or technological intrigue with fast-paced storytelling.
C. myth of Orpheus and Eurydice
The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is an ancient Greek legend about a gifted musician who descends into the underworld to retrieve his beloved wife, only to lose her forever when he looks back too soon.
D. Apollo's purification at Tempe
Apollo's purification at Tempe is the mythic episode in which the god undergoes ritual cleansing in the Vale of Tempe after killing the serpent Python, marking his transition to a purified and law-giving deity.
E. Perseus and Andromeda
Perseus and Andromeda is a Baroque-era sculptural group by French artist Pierre Puget depicting the mythological hero Perseus rescuing Andromeda from a sea monster.
F. None of above. chosen
G. Unsure - the case is ambiguous/there is not enough information to decide.

NED2 Entity disambiguation (via description) gpt-5-mini-2025-08-07

Target entity: story of Baucis and Philemon
Target entity description: The story of Baucis and Philemon is a classical myth about an elderly couple whose humble hospitality to disguised gods is rewarded with miraculous blessings and transformation.

A. Romulus and Remus
Romulus and Remus are the legendary twin brothers of Roman mythology who were raised by a she-wolf and are credited with the origins of Rome.
B. Samaritan
"Samaritan" is a novel by Thomas Hoover, likely a thriller or suspense work characteristic of his style blending historical or technological intrigue with fast-paced storytelling.
C. myth of Orpheus and Eurydice
The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is an ancient Greek legend about a gifted musician who descends into the underworld to retrieve his beloved wife, only to lose her forever when he looks back too soon.
D. Apollo's purification at Tempe
Apollo's purification at Tempe is the mythic episode in which the god undergoes ritual cleansing in the Vale of Tempe after killing the serpent Python, marking his transition to a purified and law-giving deity.
E. Perseus and Andromeda
Perseus and Andromeda is a Baroque-era sculptural group by French artist Pierre Puget depicting the mythological hero Perseus rescuing Andromeda from a sea monster.
F. None of above. chosen

Statements (46)

Predicate	Object
instanceOf	Greek myth ⓘ classical myth ⓘ hospitality myth ⓘ
appearsInBook	Metamorphoses Book 8 ⓘ linked to: Ovid’s Metamorphoses
associatedTree	linden ⓘ oak ⓘ
authorOfCanonicalVersion	Ovid ⓘ
containsMotif	divine disguise ⓘ faithful old couple ⓘ miraculous transformation ⓘ theoxeny ⓘ
culturalOrigin	Ancient Greek mythology ⓘ linked to: Greek mythology
explains	origin of a sacred grove or trees at a temple ⓘ
featuresDeities	Hermes ⓘ Zeus ⓘ
hasMainCharacters	Baucis ⓘ Philemon ⓘ
includedIn	Roman adaptations of Greek myths ⓘ
influenced	later European literature ⓘ visual arts depicting hospitable couples ⓘ
literaryGenre	etiological tale ⓘ mythological narrative ⓘ
literaryLanguage	Latin ⓘ
moral	hospitality to strangers is sacred ⓘ the gods reward humble generosity ⓘ
narrativeFunction	exemplum of ideal hospitality ⓘ warning against impiety ⓘ
plotElement	destruction of impious neighbors ⓘ gods visit mortals in disguise ⓘ hospitality to strangers ⓘ miraculous replenishing of food and wine ⓘ transformation of cottage into temple ⓘ transformation of couple into intertwined trees ⓘ
primarySource	Ovid’s Metamorphoses ⓘ
relatedConcept	xenia ⓘ
relatedWork	other theoxeny myths in Greek tradition ⓘ stories of Lot and the angels ⓘ
rewardForCharacters	metamorphosis into trees ⓘ priesthood of the temple ⓘ wish to die together granted ⓘ
settingRegion	Phrygia ⓘ
theme	divine reward and punishment ⓘ hospitality ⓘ marital devotion ⓘ piety ⓘ
timeOfComposition	early 1st century CE ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ovid’s Metamorphoses → containsEpisode → story of Baucis and Philemon ⓘ

Metamorphōsēs → containsStory → Baucis and Philemon ⓘ

linked to: story of Baucis and Philemon

Jupiter and Mercury with Philemon and Baucis → basedOn → myth of Philemon and Baucis ⓘ