Women, Weird and Wonderful: Rhodopis, the Egyptian Cinderella

Let’s talk about “rosy-cheeked” Rhodopis. What exactly happened to her varies according to the source, but all agree on this: she was a slave girl and she was pretty. (So pretty in fact, that the brother of famous poet Sapho would have spent his entire fortune on setting her free. And that she became the muse of fable writer Aisopos. All of which would kill the story too soon.) In a popular version, recorded by Straboon and Aelianus, she would have been the servant of the king of Egypt, envied and bullied by the other members of the household for her exceptional beauty. One day, while washing clothes, her slippers get wet and she leaves them to dry. One of them is immediately snatched by the falcon-god Horus. The bird drops the slipper in the pharaoh’s lap. The king recognises an omen when he sees one. The slipper paints a picture of the maiden that goes with it. Elegant and stylish… as he would wish his bride to be. So he sends out messengers to find the girl the slipper belongs too. And ends up marrying her. As you do.

Rhodopis marble, Charles Francis Fuller, Private Collection

Rhodope in Love with Aesop, print, Francesco Bartolozzi after Angelica Kaufmann,

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands