The island where Ariadne was left when deserted by Theseus was a
favorite haunt of Bacchus, the young god of wine. In wandering over the
rocks one day, he came across Ariadne as she sat lamenting her fate.
Her distress appealed to him, and in consoling her he became charmed
with her beauty. His devotion and admiration caused her to forget her
faithless lover, and, after a short courtship, Bacchus won her for his
wife.
The bridegroom presented the bride with a golden crown adorned with
seven glittering gems. Shortly after the marriage, however, Ariadne
sickened and died. The broken-hearted Bacchus took the crown and flung
it into space, where, growing in brightness, it became a beautiful
constellation known as Ariadne’s crown or corona.
“And still her sign is seen in heaven,
And, midst the glittering symbols of the sky,
The starry crown of Ariadne glides.”
--_Apollonius Rhodius._