Ephesus, Widow of. In his Satyricon, Petronius tells the tale of an unnamed Ephesian matron, a woman of notable virtue and devotion who, upon the death of her husband, was inconsolable. She remained at his tomb for days, wailing and pulling out her hair. A man set to guard several crucified thieves heard her cries and tried to console her. Eventually she was won over, accepting his offers of food and drink and finally yielding to him amorously. While the guard was thus occupied, the relatives of one of the crucified men stole his body for burial. Upon discovering the theft, the terrified guard threatened suicide. The widow saved him by offering the corpse of her husband to replace that of the missing thief.

Voltaire and other writers took up a version of the story that was reported in Jean-Baptiste Du Halde’s description of China (published c.1736), which may have been either an indigenous tale with a similar plot or a Chinese adaptation of the Roman original.

Further Reference. Peter Ure, “The Widow of Ephesus,” Durham University Journal 18 (iç>$6): 1—9.