Arethusa_1

Arethusa, a nymph of Elis, who was unfortunate enough to excite the amorous ardour of the river-god Alphaeus. Pursued by her admirer, she prayed to Artemis and was changed into a fountain. Plunging into the earth, she came up again in Ortygia, an island off Syracuse. Cicero tells us that in his day the spring was clear, abundant, and full of fish. It has been brackish since an earthquake in the 17th century - an indication that it is really supplied by a subaqueous conduit from the mainland.