Marpessa

The beautiful and sought-after Marpessa is jealously guarded by her father, who challenges every suitor to a chariot race to the death. When Idas proposes to her, the father is at a loss, as Idas wins the race and takes Marpessa as his wife.

What does the name Marpessa mean?

The story of Marpessa tells of her beauty and popularity, which is monitored by her jealous father. After Idas competes for her favor and wins the race, Marpessa becomes his wife. The couple lives happily together until Apollo, the god of beauty, sees Marpessa and abducts her. However, Idas does not give up, and Marpessa remains strong, resisting the temptations of Apollo and staying true to Idas. She is aware of the transience of life and prefers the limited life with a mortal to the adventure with an immortal lover.

Where does the name Marpessa come from?

The name Marpessa has its roots in ancient Greek and is a female first name.

How do you pronounce Marpessa?

Marpessa is pronounced approximately as 'Mar-pessa'.

Popularity

In Germany, Marpessa is a rare first name. It has not yet found a place in the German first name charts. Its best ranking was in 2005 at 1,998th place in the Italian first name charts. Between 1999 and 2024, Marpessa was given less than 10 times in Italy, placing it at 7,492nd. In the last ten years, no child has received this name.

Famous people

• Marpessa Dawn (actress from America)