The young Meliboea lived with her parents in the city of Ephesus, an ancient Greek colony on the western coast of
Asia Minor. She had fallen in love with a boy her own age, called
Alexis, and both had given an oath to marry each other when time was ripe. But Meliboea's parents decided to betroth her to someone else of their own choosing instead, and they would not change their minds. Heartbroken over the news, Alexis decided to embark on a self-imposed exile and leave from Ephesus forever, while Meliboea stayed behind. On the day the maiden was to be married to her betrothed, she decided to take her life and jumped off the roof of her house, but this failed and she landed on the ground uninjured. Instead she decided to flee, and arriving at the seashore she boarded a boat she found there. Immediately the ropes untied themselves on their own accord. By the will of the gods the boat brought Meliboea to the land where Alexis was living, while he was holding a feast for friends, and the two lovers were finally reunited and allowed to marry. The happy couple then erected a temple in honour of the love-goddess
Aphrodite Automate ("the spontaneous", or "the one acting on her own will", after the ropes that allowed them to be together) and Epidaetia ("she of the feast", because Meliboea had arrived during a feast). == See also ==