In Greek and Roman mythology, Peristera (Ancient Greek: Περιστερά, romanized: Peristerá, lit. 'dove') is a nymph who was transformed into a dove, one of Aphrodite's sacred birds and symbols, explaining the bird's connection to the goddess. This myth survives in the works of the first of the three anonymous Vatican Mythographers, whose works were discovered in a single manuscript in 1401.
The etymology of the Greek word περιστερά, meaning the common pigeon or dove,[1] is ultimately unknown, although it could be related to the word πελιός, meaning "dark, blue."[2] One suggestion is that it may be derived from a Semitic phrase peraḥ Ištar, which means "the bird of Ishtar", a Semitic love-goddess sharing some elements with Aphrodite.[3][4]
One day Aphrodite and her son Eros arrived in a bright meadow, and for fun they held a contest on which could gather the most flowers. Eros, bearing swift wings, easily outdid his mother, until Peristera stepped in and handed to Aphrodite the flowers she herself had picked, giving Aphrodite the victory. Eros, in anger over his victory being snatched away from his hands, transformed Peristera into the bird bearing her name, the dove.[5] Accordingly, the dove came under Aphrodite's protection thereafter.[6][7] According to Paul M.C. Forbes Irving, Peristera's tale is a very late one, and is more in line with inventions of a scholar who creates comprehensive narratives than local aetiological myth.[8]
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