Rhoeo is asteroid #5258 is known as 1989 AU1. Rhoeo is a Jupiter trojan from the Greek camp in Jupiter’s L₄ and a member of the asteroid-clan Eurybates. Rhoeo was discovered by the Japanese astronomer Ooshima Yoshiaki (大島 良明) at the Gekko Astronomical Observatory or Gekko Tenmondai (月光天文台).

Rhoeo is named after Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) from Greek mythology. Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) is the daughter of Chrysóthemis (Χρυσόθεμις) and Staphylos (Στάφυλος). This Chrysóthemis (Χρυσόθεμις), who is the mother of Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ), isn’t the daughter of Agamemnon, but a daughter of the goddess Demeter, the Greek version of Ceres. The father of Chrysóthemis (Χρυσόθεμις) and hence grandfather of Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) is Karmánōr (Καρμάνωρ), a Cretan priest. Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) had two sisters, Parthénos (Παρθένος) and Molpadia, who is known as Hēmithéa (Ἡμιθέα) because the god Apollon bestowed her with immortality, when he found that these two sisters were at committing suicide. He couldn’t rescue Parthénos (Παρθένος), so he turned her into a constellation of stars. She is the most likely candidate for the constellation of Virgo. The whole tale is reported by Diodorus of Sicily, but Parthenius of Nicaea adds that Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) wanted to become the mother of the son of a guest, who was the son of Phorōneús (Φορωνεύς). Staphylos (Στάφυλος) shall have arranged that Molpadia became this mother. This part is strange because this son of Phorōneús (Φορωνεύς), Lyrcos or Lykos or similar, isn’t mentioned in any other tale and especially not in the tales of Phorōneús (Φορωνεύς), who is either a river god or the first human, who understood the use of the fire, which was stolen by Prometheus. The part also is strange because Staphylos (Στάφυλος), when he learnt that Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) got pregnant, was so upset that he locked her up in a box and threw this box into the sea. The box was washed ashore either on the island Euboea (Εύβοια) or, more likely, the island Delos (Δῆλος). There Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) gave birth to Ánios (Ἄνιος), after whom the asteroid Anius is named. Apollon acknowledged Ánios (Ἄνιος) as his son and as a sign of this acknowledgement gave him the skill to precisely predict the future by the flight of birds. Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) married the hero Zarex (Ζάρηξ), who then adopted Ánios (Ἄνιος) as his son.

Rhoeo represents a woman getting into trouble because of getting pregnant. Just like Rhoiṓ (Ῥοιώ) got into trouble. Her story ends well because she did nothing else than to fulfill the purpose of femaleness. Hence Rhoeo also indicates that the unborn life shouldn’t be given up despite all experienced troubles. Rhoeo indicates a good outcome if not giving up.