Hero and Leander

Hero and Leander, tragic lovers in Greek folklore. Hero was a virgin priestess of Aphrodite. Every night Leander would swim across the Hellespont, or Dardanelles, to meet her, guided by a light from her tower. One night a storm blew out her lamp and Leander, unable to see his way across, drowned. The next morning, when Hero saw his body floating in the water, she drowned herself in sorrow.

See also: Mythology.