Life Boeo (or Boio) of Delphi (Βοιὼ ἡ Δελφίς) was a poetess from Delphi, likely active in the 6th century BCE. She is known solely from a later account by Pausanias, which identifies her as the author of a hexameter poem on the founding of the Delphic oracle [1]. No biographical details survive.

Works Her only attested work is the lost hexameter poem Foundation of the Oracle at Delphi, cited by Pausanias. It presented an alternative foundation myth where Apollo was received by a man named Cretines, differing from the standard narrative involving the serpent Python [1].

Significance Boeo is significant as a rare named female poet from the early Greek tradition. Her work preserves a distinct, possibly local Delphic version of the oracle's origins, contrasting with the dominant Panhellenic myth. Her existence, attested only through fragmentary transmission, highlights the limited traces of women's contributions to early epic poetry.

Sources 1. Perseus Digital Library: Pausanias, Description of Greece, 10.5.7-8. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Paus.+10.5.7&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160