PHILEMON

[Greek] A pious, elderly man, husband of Baucis. Despite their poverty, they gave a warm welcome to Zeus and Hermes. Before they came upon the elderly people, they had been refused hospitality by wealthier and more dignified people. As punishment, the gods turned the entire region into a swamp, but they changed the cottage of their hosts into a temple. The granted the elderly couple a wish, and Philemon and Baucis asked to serve the gods as guardians of the temple. When their life came to an end, they were turned into a oak and a lime tree. Ovid VIII, 611.