Baucis.
A welcome made from very little
Baucis: Greek Myth of Hospitality with Philemon and the Godsis the elderly woman who welcomes and when wealthier neighbors refuse them. Her shared household with makes modest hospitality the center of a story about divine visitation.
More than a myth.
Baucis prepares the welcome
In , and arrive as travelers seeking a place to rest. and admit them to a small home and prepare what they can offer. Baucis tends to the practical work of the meal, turning limited provisions into a welcome that depends on willingness rather than abundance.
When the wine reveals the guests
The couple realizes the wine vessel keeps filling itself. Afraid their welcome has been inadequate, they try to offer the household goose, but the gods stop them. The visitors lead them away from the settlement before a flood, while their own home becomes a temple. Their treatment of strangers is what distinguishes them from the neighbors.
The wish to remain together
The couple asks to serve the temple and to die at the same time so neither must bury the other. Years later and become neighboring trees. Her linden and his oak preserve a shared life in the landscape. The transformation is a mutual ending, rather than a reward of wealth that would replace the home they valued.
Questions about Baucis
Which gods visited Baucis?
and in , commonly called Zeus and Hermes in Greek retellings.
What tree does Baucis become?
A linden, beside the oak associated with . The pair’s final wish is to remain together through the end of life.
It’s a family affair.
Baucis
Hospitality & lifelong companionshipNo children represented in this edition.
The stories of Baucis.
Ancient voices.
Enduring stories.
Myths have many tellings. These are the ancient works behind this profile, linked to freely available English translations.
Metamorphoses
Book 8.611–724