In Ovid's Book IV of the Metamorphoses, he tells the story of Venus and Mars, a forbidden love story between the God of War and the Goddess of Love. Venus was married to Vulcan, the god of fire, but her heart belonged to Mars. One day, the Sun-god, Sol, discovered Venus and Mars together and told Vulcan of their infidelity. Furious and heartbroken over the news, Vulcan created a trap from the thinnest thread to catch them. When Venus and Mars came together on the bed, they were trapped together in an embrace. However, Vulcan did not stop there. He invited all of Olympus to watch the pair as they sat in shame. The Gods mocked and laughed at them, and made many rude comments about their infidelity. Their story was a known amusing tale all throughout Olympus.
Following Venus and Mars' tale, Ovid tells the tale of Helios and Leucothoe. Helios, the god who caught Venus with Mars, also suffers from love. He falls for Leucothoe daughter of the nymph Eurynome and King Orchamus of Persia. From his obsession with Leucothoe, Helios begins to abandon his responsibilities as the sun-god. One night, he disguises himself as Leucothoe's mother, Eurynome, and sneaks into her bedroom chambers. After ordering all her handmaidens to leave, he reveals his true identity and proceeds to seduce and rape her. Hearing about their affair, the oceanid, Clytie, who was a former lover of Helios, was angered with jealousy. As revenge, she told King Orchamus of Leucothoe's rendez vou with Helios and he flew into a fit of rage. Immediately, he ordered for his daughter to be buried alive. When Helios learns of the king's actions, he desperately tries to save Leucothoe. However, he is too late and she is crushed by the weight of the world. Grief struck, Helios decides to honor her by morphing her corpse into a sweet smelling flower, similar to the ones grown in her hometown. The flower named, Leucothoe Axillaris, is more commonly referred to as swamp-dog laurel today.
Following Venus and Mars' tale, Ovid tells the tale of Helios and Leucothoe. Helios, the god who caught Venus with Mars, also suffers from love. He falls for Leucothoe daughter of the nymph Eurynome and King Orchamus of Persia. From his obsession with Leucothoe, Helios begins to abandon his responsibilities as the sun-god. One night, he disguises himself as Leucothoe's mother, Eurynome, and sneaks into her bedroom chambers. After ordering all her handmaidens to leave, he reveals his true identity and proceeds to seduce and rape her. Hearing about their affair, the oceanid, Clytie, who was a former lover of Helios, was angered with jealousy. As revenge, she told King Orchamus of Leucothoe's rendez vou with Helios and he flew into a fit of rage. Immediately, he ordered for his daughter to be buried alive. When Helios learns of the king's actions, he desperately tries to save Leucothoe. However, he is too late and she is crushed by the weight of the world. Grief struck, Helios decides to honor her by morphing her corpse into a sweet smelling flower, similar to the ones grown in her hometown. The flower named, Leucothoe Axillaris, is more commonly referred to as swamp-dog laurel today.