the story of love and adventure

1. STORY
OF
LOVE
AND
ADVENTURE
(GREEK AND
ROMAN)

2. UNIT III: STORIES OF LOVE
AND ADVENTURE (GREEK
AND ROMAN)
1. Cupid and Psyche
2. Pyramus and Thisbe
3. Orpheus and Euridyce
4. Ceyx and Alcyone
5. Pygmalion and
Galatea
6. Daphne

3. Pygmalion and Galatea

4. PYGMALION
Pygmalion was a
sculptor who
made a statue so
beautiful that he
fell in love with
it. Aphrodite
brought her to life
for him. She was
named Galatea.
GALATEA
One of the fifty
Nereides and the
goddess of calm
seas. The statue
carved of ivory
by Pygmalion of
Cyprus.
In ancient Greece
their lived a handsome young
lad. He was a talented sculptor
and artist, who loved his
artwork. He would sculpt
statues out of ivory and spend
hours on his work.
He was always happy
when consumed in his work.
He loved his artwork so much,
that he vowed never to marry.
Unlike most men, Pygmalion
had no interst in women. He
felt that women were pretty
and immoral. So he did not try
to find a wife to fall in love
with, or visit the temple of
Aphrodite.

5. One day Pygmalion found a
large piece of flawless Ivory. He
decided that he would carve a
beautiful women from the
beautiful piece. When he was
finished, the statue was the image
of the perfect women.
Pygmalion fell in love with
his creation, and treated her like a
real women. He named his
gorgeous statue Galathea. He
draped the nonliving women in
gifts such as pearl, jewelry and
shells, items cherished by real
women.
After Pygmalion had found
truelove in the statue, he decided
he would go to the temple of
Aphrodite and pray that she
blessed the statue,
and let it
become real.
One day while
Pygmalion
was away, the
goddess
Aphrodite
visited his
studio to see
his creation.
The statue was
an image of her the goddess was
flattered by it and decided to
answer Pygmalion’s prayers and
make the statue a real women.
When Pygmalion returned
home, he was shocked to find that
his beautiful creation had come to
life. He was amazed by the beauty
of the perfect women he had
created.

6. For a moment, it seemed to
Pygmalion that it was just a
figment of his imagination. He
rubbed his eyes and looked
again. But no. there was no
mistake this time, Galatea was
smiling at him.
He laid his hand upon the
limbs; the ivory felt soft to his
touch and yielded to his fingers
Like the wax
of Hymettus.
It seemed to
be warm. He
stood up; his
mind
oscillated
between
doubt and
joy.
Fearing he
may be mistaken ,
again and again
with a lover’s
ardor he touches
the object of his
hopes. It was
indeed alive! The
veins when
pressed yielded to
the fing-
er and again resumed their
roundness. Slowly it dawned on
Pygmalion that the animation of
his sculpture was the result of his
prayer to Goddess Aphrodite who
knew his desire. At last, the
votary of Aphrodite found words
to thank the goddess. Pygmalion
humbled himself at the Goddess
feet.

7. Soon Pygmalion and Galathea
were wed, and Pygmalion never
forgot to thank Aphrodite for the
gift she had given him. Aphrodite
bleesed the nuptials she had
formed, and this union between
Pygmalion and Galathea produced
a son named Phapos, from whom
the city of Paphos, sacred to
Aphrodite, received its name. He
and Galathea brought gifts to her
temple throughout their life and
Aphrodite blessed them with
happiness and love in return.

8. The unusual love the
blossomed between Pygmalion
and Galathea enthralls all.
Falling in live with one’s
creation and then getting the
desired object as wife- perhaps
this was destined for
Pygmalion. Even tp this day,
countless people and young
lovers are mesmerized by this
exceptional love that existed
between two persons at a time
when civilization was in its
infancy.
THE END

9. DAPHNE and APOLLO

10. DAPHNE
APOLLO
Greek dryad, or tree spirit,
and daughter of Peneus,
the river god.
God of The Sun
and Light, but he
is also the God of
poetry, healing,
music, plagues,
knowledge,
order, prophecy,
beauty,
agriculture and
archery!
The myth of Apollo and
Daphne is a story describing what
happens when lust faces rejection.
It’s a tale about the power of love,
the power of Cupid (or Eros in
Greek) who can even blind the
most powerful amongst the Greek
Gods. In the myth, Apollo falls
madly inlove with Daphne, a
woman sworn to remain a virgin.
Apollo hunts Daphne who
refusesto accept his advances.
Right at the moment he catches her,
she turns into a laurel tree.

11. The story of Apollo and
Daphne in Ovid’s
Metamorphoses took place right
after Apollo killed the Python,
the great snake that terrorized
mankind. Apollo, called Phoebus
by Ovid, pierced the Python
with1,000 arrows and founded
the sacred Pyhtian games named
after the serpent. The sanctuary
of Delohi, home to the famous
oracle, called Pythia, was built on
top of the Python’s dead body.
After his triumph over such
a powerful enemy, Apollo was
full of arrogance. Seeing the god
of love, Eros, better known as
cupid, who was also a famous
bowman, Apollo dmaking fun of
him.
“ impodent boy, what are you doing
with a man’s weapons?”
Cupid was often depicted as a
winged boy which explains Apollo’s
comment. Apollo felt that Cupid was
stealing his glory by gaining fame as a
famous archer. Having degeated the
Python, he believed that he and only
he was worthy of holding a bow and a
quiver.

12. “ I can hit wild beasts of a
certainty, and wound my
enemies, and not long ago
destroyed with countless
arrows the swollen Python that
covered many acres with its
plaque-ridden elly. You should
be intent on stirring the
concealed fires of love with
your burning brand, not laying
claim to my glories!”
Cupid did not take the
offence lightheartedly: “ you
may hit every other thing
Phoebus, but my bow will
strike you: to the degree that
all living creatures are less
than gods, by that degree is
your glory less than mine.”
The next thing Cupid did was
something Apollo did not see
coming. The god of love stroke his
wings and flew next to the god of
music. He then shot him on the
chest with a “golden arrow with a
shar[p glistening point”. Tgis
arrow did not kill or hurt Apollo.
The true injury was not corporeal,
it was sentimental, but Apollo
would learn that soon.
With a second arrow, a “blunt one
lead beneath its shaft”, Cupid shot
Daphne, a nymph who also
happened to be a virgin huntress of
the goddess Artemis. Daphne was
very beautiful and many men came
tp ask her hand. However, she was
devoted to hunting and following
the laws of the goddess Artemis,

13. who demanded chastity and
virginity. Ovid writes thtat her
father, the river god Peneus,
disagreed with her ;ife and asked
her to settle down and give him
grandchildren: “it is my due,
child of my heart, to be given
grandchildren”, said Peneus.
Dearest father, let me be a virgin
forever! Diana’s father granted it
to her”, Daphne always replied.
Coming back to cupid’s
arrow, they both had special
abilities. The one that hit Apollo,
was an arrow of love and intense
passion. The moment he got hit by
the arrow, Apollo spotted Daphne
hunting in the wild and unable to
contain his passion went after her.
However, the arrow that hit
Daphne, was an arrow that filled the
nymps’s heart with disgust for the
god who appeared in front of her.

14. Cupid’s revenge was cruel.
Apollo was madly in love with a
woman who hated him with
every ounce of her being.
Apollo’s love for Daphne was so
strong that the god of prophecy
was unable to fortell his future
but still, his emotions were
uncontrollable. He approached
the nymph whom he now saw
more beautiful and virtuous than
she actually was. He started
praising her again and again. But
Daphne could not even stand his
presence. Before Apollo could
even get a proper response,
Daphne had fled.
“Wait nymph, daughter of
Peneus, I beg you!”, screamed
Apollo but Daphne did not look
back.
The god keep begging Daphne
to stop. He tried to explain that he
posed no threat to her and that his
intentions were good.
“ I who am chasing you am not
your enemy. Nymph, wait! This is
the way asheep runs from the wolf,
a deer from the mountain lion, but
it is love that is driving me to folow
you! Pity me!”
The chace went on as Apollo
was becoming more and more
paranoid. He wasafraid that Daphne
might fall and get hurt. In a
hopeless attempt to make her stop
he started explaining to her who he
was. Besides, he was the god of
beauty, prophecy, medicine, and
music, no woman should be able to
resist him:

15. “Rash girl, you do not know, ypu
cannot realize, who yu run from,
and so you run. Delphi’s lands are
mine, Claros and Tenedos, and
Patara acknowledge me, king.
Jupiter is my father. Though me
what was, what is , and what will
be, are revealed. Through me,
strings sound in harmony, to the
song. My aim is certain, but an
arrow truer than mine has
wounded my free
Heart! The whole wold calls me
the bringer of aid; medicine is my
invention; my power is in herbs.
But love cannot be healed by any
herb, nor can the arts that cure
others cure their lord!”
Apollo focused on catching
Dahne. He was running and
running while the nymph coould
see that she was getting closer
and closer to getting caught. At
times Apollo could almost grab
her but she escaped him at the last
second. However, it was
becoming clear that Daphne
would be caught sooner or later.
As moments passed daphne was
becoming exhausted. And then,
finally, Apollo grabbed her.

16. Right at that moment Daphne
saw the waters of her father’s
river, Peneus and screamed:
“help me father! If your streams
have divine powers change me,
destroy this beauty that pleases
too well!”
Peneus helped his daughter
who was now firmly in the hands
of Apollo. Daphne started
transforming into a tree. Her hair
becsme leaves, her arms
branches, and her kegs roots.
Before Apollo could have a look
at her face, she was gone. The
only thing standing where
Daphne stood was a beautiful
laurel tree.

17. Even after Daphne’s
transformation, Apollo’s love did
not wither away. The god took
thenleaves of the tree in his hands
and kissed the wood of the tree. He
then whispered:
“since you cannot be my bride, you
must be my tree! Laurel, with you
my hair will be withered, with you
my lyre, with you my quiver. You
will go with Roman generals
when joyful voices acclaim their
triumph, and the Capitol
witnesses their long processions.
You will stand outside Augustus
doorposts, a faithful guardian,
and keep watch over the crown of
oak between them. And just as my
head with its uncropped hair is
always young, so
you also
will be
beauty of
undying
leaves.”
And
truly since
then, the
laurel
became the
sacred tree
of Apollo.

18. In the Delphi, the oracle
would chew laurel leaves
before receiving the divine
wisdom that she translated
into a prophecy. Also, the
prize of the Pythian Games,
the second most important
Games in antiquity after the
Olympics was a crown of
laurel. THE END