Herse and Aglaurus. Circling above the temple of Athena (Minerva), the winged god Hermes (Mercury) espied the beautiful Herse, daughter of King Cecrops of Athens. He fell in love with her and asked her sister Aglaurus (or Agraulus) for assistance, but she demanded a fortune of gold in return. Athena, angry with Aglaurus for opening the chest in which the goddess had hidden the child Erichthonius, afflicted the girl with jealousy for Herse’s happiness. When Hermes approached Herse’s door, Aglaurus sat outside and refused the god entrance. With his wand, Hermes opened die door and turned Aglaurus into a black stone. According to Apollodorus, Herse bore Hermes a son called Cephalus, who is sometimes confused with the huntsman loved by Eos. Classical Sources. Euripides, Ion 23ff., 27off. Ovid, Metamorphoses 2.552—834. Apollodorus, Biblioteca 3.14.2—3. Pau-sanias, Description of Greece 1.18.2-3,126. Hyginus, Fabulae 166. See also Erichthonius.