Melina (died 48 BCE) was an Egyptian resident of Krokodilopolis in the Faiyum Oasis, during the 1st century BCE.
Biography[]
When she was younger, Melina claimed to have had dogs. At least some of them died after she fed them hibiscus flowers, because "they looked so pretty, I thought they'd taste good." She did admit that she fed the flowers to the dogs, in the end, because of research. She also claimed that said experiment gave her her name.[1]
Sometime after, Melina moved from dogs on to using people, testing poisons and what reactions different mixes caused. Due to her notoriety, Melina was hired by Sehetep, the High Priest of the Temple of Sobek, to increase the offerings given to the temple around 48 BCE. To that end, Melina was tasked with poisoning the sacred crocodiles in the temple, especially Petsuchos, in a way that could not be detected, and would not kill, but be dramatic. Her act was eventually discovered by the Medjay Bayek of Siwa who infiltrated the Neorion Naval Arsenal where she was staying and assassinated her.[1]
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