Niobe

[ nahy-oh-bee ]

noun

, Classical Mythology.

1. the daughter of Tantalus and wife of Amphion of Thebes. She provoked Apollo and Artemis to vengeance by taunting their mother, Leto, with the number and beauty of her own children; Niobe's children were slain and Zeus turned her into stone, in which state she continued to weep over her loss.

Niobe

/ ˈnaɪəbɪ; naɪˈəʊbɪən /

noun

1. Greek myth a daughter of Tantalus, whose children were slain after she boasted of them: although turned into stone, she continued to weep

Derived Forms

• Niobean, adjective

Other Words From

• Nio·bean adjective

Example Sentences

Haggard leant from the window, waving his hand; his wife gazed after the vanishing train, standing like Niobe, dissolved in tears.

From Project Gutenberg

Niobe was the daughter of Tantalus, and was born on Mount Sipylus.

From Project Gutenberg

When his rays have overcome them, Niobe dissolves in tears, and the cold snows melt and disappear.

From Project Gutenberg

Latona called upon her children to punish Niobe for her pride, and they shot their arrows at the children of the boasting Niobe.

From Project Gutenberg

Niobe grieved so over the loss of her dear children that she turned into stone, but her tears still continued to flow.

From Project Gutenberg