In
Greek mythology,
Macris was a daughter of
Aristaeus and
Autonoe. She gave newborn
Dionysus honey to eat on
Euboea after
Hermes saved him. Macris was expelled from
Euboea by
Hera as punishment. Macris fled to a cave on a small island where she was helped by the goddess
Demeter. Demeter taught the residents of the island how to grow cereal grain. According to a
scholiast commenting on verses in
Argonautica, the island she fled to was subsequently named after her.
Apollonius Rhodius, who composed
Argonautica, only refers to the island as
Drepane but he does mention its connection with Macris and Demeter. Modern Scholars have identified the island with modern
Corfu, the historical
Corcyra. According to Apollonius of Rhodes, the cave where Macris once lived was later the marriage chamber for
Jason and
Medea, and the marriage was consummated there on the Golden Fleece. Thereafter Macris's cave was called
Medea's Cave.