Women, Weird and Wonderful: Phyllis, the Witch in the Hazel

Demophon was the son of Theseus and thus the future king of Athens, which made him a good catch by all accounts. But instead of marrying some aristocratic Athenian heiress, he fell in love with the Thracian princess Phyllis. Phyllis must have known that marital bliss was not in the stars for her, but accepted his proposal anyway. Their happiness only lasted for a few weeks, when a furious Theseus called his son home. Demophon vowed to come back for Phyllis, and she so desperately wanted to believe him. In tears, she handed him an urn, only to be opened when he had given up on her. And then she waited. And waited. Until, somehow, she knew he had opened it. She attempted to take her own life, but was changed into a hazelnut tree instead. Not a witch hazel – they’re not native to Greece – but it would be beautiful if it was. Because, when the tragic news reached Demophon, he did return, and embraced the tree, weeping. At that very moment, with other plants and trees still barren and covered with snow, the hazel blossomed.

Phyllis and Demophoön, Edward Burne Jones, Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery, UK

Phyllis and Demophoon, John William Waterhouse, Private Collection