'hymn') is a young shepherd who fell in love with the nymph Nicaea,[1] was rejected by her, and ended up dying by her hand.
Hymnus ("hymn") was a young shepherd whom Eros, the god of love, made fall in love with a nymph named Nicaea with a single arrow; Nicaea however was a virgin who wished to remain unmarried, and shunned all possible suitors.
[2] One day, a lovesick and desperate Hymnus stole Nicaea's hunting gear, her arrows, her nets, her lance, and quiver, lamenting his misfortune.
Nicaea caught him in the action, and he pressured her to shoot him in the heart, so that he might be freed from the soreness of unrequited love.
[3] Hymnus was greatly mourned; Adrasteia, a goddess of justice, alerted Aphrodite and Eros of Nicaea's deeds.