(c. 455-450 BC)]]Niobe (?????) is a mortal woman in Greek mythology, daughter of Tantalus and Euryanassa, Eurythemista, Clytia, Dione, or Laodice, and the wife of Amphion of Thebes. Life She boasted of her superiority to Leto because while the goddess had only two children, the twins Apollo and Artemis, Niobe had fourteen children (the Niobids), seven male and seven female,The number varies. According to Iliad XXIV, there were twelve, six male, six female. Aelian (Varia Historia xii. 36): "But Hesiod says they were nine boys and ten girls— unless after all the verses are not Hesiod but are falsely ascribed to him as are many others." Nine would make a triple triplet, triplicity being character of numerous sisterhoods (J.E. Harrison, A Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion (1903), "The Maiden-Trinities" pp 286ff). Ten would equate to a full two hands of male dactyl. Apollo killed her sons as they practi

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