Part 3
As the female semblance of Bacchus, Ariadne appears to have been a promoter of vegetation. She alternated between the joy of spring and the melancholy of winter. By some mythologists she is thought to have been connected with star-worship.
ART.
This statue is the most celebrated work of the distinguished German sculptor, Dannecker (1758–1841). It is known to many people the world over through the generosity of Herr Bethmann of Frankfort, who admits visitors to his gallery, and from the many casts and pictures made of it.
The author did not choose the more touching and poetic character in which to represent Ariadne. She is here no longer the deserted and desolate one, but the triumphant bride of the god of the vintage.
The figure, which is larger than life, reclines on the back of a clumsy panther. The body and limbs are finely modeled, and the attitude is graceful and pleasing. Some critic has remarked that this statue makes the conduct of Theseus inexcusable.
Minerva.
“The Wise.”
“_From his awful head Whom Jove brought forth, in warlike armor drest, Golden, all radiant._”
--SHELLEY.
STORY.
THE DIVINITY OF ATHENS.
“Her home was on the radiant shores Where snow-white Athens shines; How beautiful her servitors, How stately were her shrines!
And how from farthest east and west, And by the unknown sea, What goddess was so well beloved, So much revered as she?”
Minerva was the daughter of Jupiter and was said to have leaped forth from his brain mature and in complete armor. She was warlike in her tendencies, but it was defensive war only with which she was in sympathy.
As a goddess of storms and battles the Greeks called her Athene, and as she also possessed gentle characteristics, she was styled Pallas.
She was the goddess of wisdom, of weaving and of agriculture, and was forever a virgin, scorning the affections which were frequently offered her. As the especial divinity of the people of Athens she put to flight a deity named Dullness, who had ruled there.
“Ere Pallas issued from the Thunderer’s head, Dullness o’er all possessed her ancient right, Daughter of Chaos and Eternal Night.”
--_Pope._
Many temples and altars were dedicated to Minerva, the most celebrated of all being the Parthenon at Athens.
INTERPRETATION.
Minerva is a dawn goddess. Her Greek name, Athene, from the Sanskrit _ahana_, means the “light of daybreak.” She springs from the “dark forehead of the broad heavens,” searches out the dark corners, and fills all with her light. This conception of penetrating scrutiny passes readily into the idea of wisdom. The Latin _Minerva_, is connected with _mens_, the English _mind_.
ART.
It is easy to recognize statues of Minerva, as she wears an ægis or mantle of goatskin (the emblem of the storm-cloud), the clasp of which is the head of Medusa, won for her by Perseus. It has been suggested that this head so worn has an inner meaning, and that it is intended for a symbol of evil which, though always present, may be made powerless by virtue.
This well executed statue of Minerva in the Capitol, Rome, is a direct offspring of the colossal creation in ivory and gold by Phidias which stood in the Parthenon. The energetic, warlike figure is short and thick-set. The folds of the drapery, especially that of the upper garment, are sharp and angular.
Euterpe.
“The Charmer.”
“_Who can bar the way of song? Who can do the Muse a wrong? Sooner may the stream be reined, Or the noonday sunbeams chained._”
--EDITH M. THOMAS.
STORY.
THE NINE MUSES.
“Nine sisters, beautiful in form and face, Came from their convent on the shining heights Of Pierus, the mountain of delights, To dwell among the people at its base. Then seemed the world to change. All time and space, Splendor of cloudless days and starry nights, And men and manners, and all sounds and sights Had a new meaning, a diviner grace.”
--_Longfellow._
The Muses were the daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne (memory), and were born at Pieria on Mt. Olmypus. To each was assigned some particular department of literature, art or science, over which she reigned as goddess.
Euterpe presided over the art of music and was called the “mistress of song.” Thalia was Muse of comedy and burlesque, Melpomene of tragedy, Urania of astronomy, Terpsichore of dance, Erato of love poetry, Polyhymnia of sacred poetry, Calliope of heroic poetry, and Clio of history.
INTERPRETATION.
Euterpe is the personification of those lofty aspirations of mortals which find expression in music. The name Euterpe means giver of pleasure.
ART.
This finely executed statue of Euterpe is in the Louvre and is believed to be a copy from Scopas. The pose and attitude are remarkable for regal grace. The arrangement of the draperies is unique.
Orpheus and Eurydice.
“_But give them me, the mouth, the eyes, the brow; Let them once more absorb me! One look now Will lap me round forever, not to pass Out of its light, though darkness lie beyond: Hold me but safe within the bond Of one immortal look! All woe that was, Forgotten, and all terror that may be Defied,--no past is mine, no future: look at me._”
--BROWNING.
STORY.
A PATHETIC LEGEND.
“Such notes as warbled to the string Drew iron tears down Pluto’s cheek And made Hell grant what Love did seek.”
Orpheus and his beloved wife, Eurydice, were constant companions, but one day Eurydice trod upon a poisonous snake, was bitten on the foot, and soon died. Her spirit was borne into Hades by Mercury. The husband, left desolate, boldly made his way into the land of shadows, presented himself before the throne of Pluto and Proserpine, and, with the aid of his lyre, persuaded them to again unite the thread of Eurydice’s life.
“Hell consented To hear the Poet’s prayer; Stern Proserpine relented And gave him back the fair.”
--_Pope._
Eurydice was permitted to return to earth on condition that, as she followed her husband from the regions of the dead, he should not look behind him. Conducted by Mercury, they had all but passed the fatal limits of that gloomy world when Orpheus, no longer able to restrain his impatience, looked back, and so lost once more and forever his beloved Eurydice.
INTERPRETATION.
Eurydice, whose name comes from a Sanskrit word denoting the broad-spreading blush of dawn across the sky, is a personification of that light slain by the serpent of darkness at twilight.
Orpheus is sometimes considered as the sun, and the dawn (Eurydice) reappears opposite the place where he disappeared; as the dawn is no longer seen after the sun has fairly risen, the ancients said, “Orpheus has turned round too soon to look at Eurydice, and so is parted from the wife he loves.”
ART.
This marble relief, in the Villa Albani, Naples, is a fine illustration of one of the leading principles of Greek art--extreme moderation in the expression of passion. The greatest grief is most delicately yet most intensely expressed by a few voiceless gestures.
Orpheus, guided by Mercury, is leading Eurydice back from Hades. Contrary to his contract, he turns with irresistible longing to look at her before they are entirely past the portals. Eurydice lovingly puts her hand on his shoulder. But now their parting must come. Orpheus’ bitterness at his fate is expressed by his hand, which moves toward the hand of his beloved. Mercury, sad and pitying, takes her by the other hand to lead her again “down the darkling ways.”
Bacchus.
“The God of Many Names.”
“_The jolly god in triumph comes; Sound the trumpets, beat the drums; Flushed with a purple grace He shows his honest face; Now give the hautboys breath: he comes, he comes, Bacchus, ever fair and young._”
--DRYDEN.
STORY.
THE GOD OF WINE.
“In chorus we sing of wine, sweet wine, Its power benign, and its flavor divine.”
--_Martenz de la Rosa._
Bacchus, the youngest of the gods, was the son of Jupiter and Semele. His mother, instigated by the jealous Juno, who appeared to her in disguise, demanded of Jupiter that he should reveal himself to her in all his power and majesty. Jupiter unwillingly complied and, making his thunder bolts milder than usual, appeared before her. The lightning which played about his head set fire to the palace and Semele was consumed. The child, Bacchus, was snatched from the flames by his brother Mercury and borne away to the nymphs, who guarded him most faithfully.
While still a youth Bacchus was appointed god of wine. Spring was a season of gladness for him, winter a time of sorrow. He delighted in roaming over the world borne by his followers or riding in his chariot drawn by wild beasts. His train was composed of men and women, nymphs, fauns and satyrs who drank wine made from water and sunshine, ate grapes, and sang the praises of their leader.
“We follow Bacchus! Bacchus on the wing, A-conquering! Bacchus, young Bacchus! good or ill betide, We dance before him through kingdoms wide.”
--_Keats._
INTERPRETATION.
Semele is the personification of a fertile soil in spring which brings forth the productive vine. Bacchus is regarded as the spiritual form of the new vernal life, the sap of vegetation as manifest in the juice of the grape.
The orgies were but a poetic incarnation of blithe, spiritual youth. The idea of Bacchus is not a simple one. His many titles have given rise to an almost endless number of variations of his story which are in many cases inconsistent and complicated.
ART.
Of the many representations of Bacchus this statue in the Naples Museum is considered one of the most lovely. It is full of gladness and is simple, delicate and beautiful. The child Bacchus is carried on the shoulders of a faun. He holds a bunch of grapes in one hand and clasps the head of the faun with the other. The faun is playing on cymbals and looks back and up at Bacchus with a happy smile.
Apollo and Daphne.
“_Was it not well, Apollo, for revenge Of thine, my stronghold should imprison me? Surely thou art content. No dream of thine For mockery, because I loved thee not, Could have matched bitterness with this, this spell That holds me fast in answer to my prayer._
_Then crown thy lyre, if thou wilt so, With my unwilling leaves. And let them be Symbol to men, of triumph; nay, but hear; To thee, memorial that I whisper now: The eternal thing thou shall not overtake, Token of Daphne whom thou couldst not thrall, And Song that hath the sov’reignty,--not thou._”
--J. P. PEABODY.
STORY.
APOLLO’S FIRST LOVE.
One bright morning Daphne, a charming nymph with flowing hair and sparkling eyes, was sporting in the forest. Apollo, passing by, saw the maiden and forthwith fell in love with her. He longed to obtain her, but before he could reach her side she fled. He called to her to dismiss her fears and listen to his love. He assured her of his sincerity, of his standing.
“You fly, alas, not knowing whom you fly, No ill-bred swain, nor rustic clown am I.”
--_Prior._
But Daphne continued her flight, pausing not a moment to listen to his plea. Apollo pursued and gained upon her in the race. She called upon her father, the river god, for protection. “Help!” she cried, “open the earth to enclose me or change my form which has brought me into this danger.” A moment more and her feet seemed rooted to the ground. A rough bark enclosed her quivering limbs. The woodiness crept upward and by degrees invested her whole body. Her trembling hands were filled with leaves. She was changed into a laurel tree. Apollo, reaching out to embrace her, clasped the still warm tree and showered kisses on its leaves.
“I espouse thee for my tree; Be thou the prize of honor and renown; The deathless poet and the poem crown: Thou shalt the Roman festivals adorn, But after poets be by victors worn.”
--_Dryden._
INTERPRETATION.
Daphne is a personification of the morning dew which vanishes beneath the sun’s hot rays and leaves no trace of its passage except in luxuriant verdure.
ART.
This remarkable group was executed by Bernini--sometimes called Michael Angelo the second--when he was but eighteen years old, and is now in the Villa Borghese, Rome. Near the close of his long life Bernini declared that he had made little progress after its production.
The flying nymph is seized by the young god and is already being changed into a laurel tree. The upraised hands are terminated by twigs and leaves instead of fingers. The wonderful manner in which the lower limbs are barked about is difficult to describe.
The technical details and mechanical skill of this group excel anything of the kind ever attempted, and the work is such as would beforehand have been pronounced an impossibility.
Proserpine.
“The Maiden.”
“_What ails her that she comes not home? Demeter seeks her far and wide, And gloomy browed doth ceaseless roam From many a morn till eventide. ‘My life, immortal though it be, Is naught!’ she cried, ‘for want of thee, Persephone, Persephone.’_”
--JEAN INGELOW.
STORY.
THE ABDUCTION.
“’Tis he! ’tis he! he comes to us From the depths of Tartarus. For what of evil doth he roam From his red and gloomy home?”
--_Barry Cornwall._
Pluto, the king of Hades, stole Proserpine from her mother, Ceres, while she was playing in the flowery fields and bore her away to reign with him as his queen in the gloomy regions of the dead. For days the sorrowing mother wandered far and wide searching for her dearly loved child. The earth which had so long obtained her favors was neglected. The cattle died, the seed failed to germinate, there was drought, thistles and brambles were the only growth and famine threatened the people.
One day a water nymph, who heard the lament of Ceres, told her that as she had passed through the lower parts of the earth in her endeavor to escape from a too ardent lover, she had seen Proserpine reigning as the bride of the monarch there.
Ceres hastened to Jupiter and implored him to restore her daughter, promising that when she beheld her again the earth should be restored to fruitfulness, and
“At last Zeus himself Pitying the evil that was done, sent forth His messenger beyond the western rim To fetch me back to earth.”
--_Lewis Morris._
But the release of Proserpine was not complete. Jupiter’s law must be obeyed, but Pluto, before he let her go, persuaded her to eat a morsel of pomegranate by which he cast upon her a spell that would oblige her to return to him, for half of the year, while the other half she could spend with her mother. As soon as Proserpine returned to earth Ceres cheerfully and diligently attended to her duties and all was blessed with plenty. But when six months were gone all nature mourned and wept, for Proserpine left the bright world and returned to the darkness of Hades.
INTERPRETATION.
Pluto, “the unseen,” “the wealth giver,” greedily drew all things down to his dismal abode. Hades was a prison or storehouse containing the germs of all future harvests, and in spite of its darkness was regarded as a land of great riches. Ceres, the earth mother, expresses the gloom which falls on the earth during the cheerless months of winter. Proserpine, spring, typifies the yearly blooming of the flowers and the growth of the corn from the seed, and hence was obliged to dwell in the dismal underworld during the dark days of winter, but could return with each spring to give gladness and fertility to the mourning earth.
ART.
This group, called the “Rape of Proserpine,” the work of Bernini, is in the Villa Ludovisi, Rome. It has received much adverse criticism, but has also been greatly admired. It represents Pluto holding Proserpine in his brawny arms and, in spite of her struggles, carrying her off to Hades. In artistic excellence it does not compare with “Apollo and Daphne,” which Bernini executed much earlier in life.
Cupid.
“The Child Angel of Mythology.”
“_Though little be the God of love, Yet his arrows mighty are, And his victories above What the valiant reach by war. Nor are his limits with the sky; O’er the Milky Way he’ll fly, And sometimes wound a deity._”
--SHIRLEY.
STORY.
THE BOY-GOD OF LOVE.
“For Venus did but boast a son, The rosy Cupid was that boasted one. He, uncontrolled thro’ heaven extends his sway, And gods and goddesses by turns obey.”
--_Eusden._
Cupid was the beautiful but mischievous son of Venus. He was never without his bow and quiver of arrows, and whoever was hit by one of his magic darts straightway fell in love. The wound was at once a pain and a delight. Some traditions say that he shot blindfold, his aim seemed so often at random.
“With bandaged eyes he never sees Around, below, above. His blinding light He flingeth white On God’s and Satan’s brood, And reconciles By mystic wiles The evil and the good.”
--_Emerson._
Although nursed with tender solicitude, he did not grow as other children, but remained a small, rosy, chubby child with gauzy wings and dimpled face. Alarmed for his health, Venus consulted Themis (Law), who oracularly replied, “He is solitary; if he had a brother he would grow apace.” In vain the goddess strove to catch the subtile significance of the answer. When Anteros, god of passion, was born, the secret was revealed. When with his brother, Cupid grew until he became a graceful, slender youth, but when away from him he always resumed his childlike form and bewildering pranks.
INTERPRETATION.
Cupid was the lord of the dawn. To a youthful race of men love was like a “morn radiating with heavenly splendor over their souls, pervading their hearts with a glowing warmth, purifying their whole being like a fresh breeze, and illuminating the whole world around them with a new light.” To express this feeling, the dawn of love, there was but one similitude,--the blush of day, the rising of the sun. They said “The sun has risen” where we say “I love.”
ART.
Cupid makes one of the most attractive subjects in sculpture. We know him at a glance, whether beside his mother, with Psyche, or alone.
The Cupid of the illustration is the work of Michael Angelo. It was discovered forty years ago hidden away in the cellars of the Ruccelli Palace, Florence, and passed by purchase into the possession of the English nation and is now in the South Kensington Museum.
Cupid is seen in the statue as a well-grown youth, a noble conception of the young god. He seems to stand for a love that is determined, for a love that conquers every obstacle. He has dropped on one knee to take an arrow from the ground. In his raised left hand he holds the bow.
Vulcan.
“The Crippled Artist God.”
“_He made the gods their golden shoes, And shod their steeds with brass._”
STORY.
THE GOD OF FIRE.
“Those who labor The sweaty forge, who edge the crooked scythe, Bend stubborn steel, and harden gleaming armor, Acknowledge Vulcan’s aid.”
--_Prior._
Vulcan, the son of Jupiter, was born lame. He was flung from Olympus by his mother, Juno, who hated him for his deformity, and he fell into the sea, where the mother of Achilles found him. He made for her son a shield, which was a wonderfully clever piece of handiwork. Many celebrated pieces of metal work were ascribed to Vulcan. In revenge for his mother’s cruel treatment of him, he fashioned a cunningly devised throne which held her by invisible bonds against her will. The thunder bolts of Jupiter, the trident of Neptune and the girdle of Venus all came from his workshop.
INTERPRETATION.
The word Vulcan means the brightness of the flame. Vulcan is represented as lame and puny at birth because the flame comes from a tiny spark. He dwells in the heart of volcanoes where the intense heat keeps the metals malleable so that he can mould them at will.
ART.
“At Venus’ entreaty for Cupid, her son, These arrows by Vulcan are cunningly done. The first is Love, as here you may behold, His feathers, head and body are of gold, The second shaft is Hate, a foe to Love, And bitter are his torments for to prove; The third is Hope, from which our comfort springs, His feathers they are pulled from fortune’s wings; Fourth, Jealousy in basest minds doth dwell: His metal Vulcan’s Cyclops sent from Hell.”
--_Peake._
Thorwaldsen’s favorite branch of sculpture was bas relief, in which he excelled. One of his numerous works in this department shows Vulcan forging arrows for Cupid. He is represented as an aged man hammering at his forge and indicating by his attitude the lameness with which, according to the myth, he was afflicted, but with such delicacy as in no wise to detract from the god-like dignity of his figure.
Perseus.
“Child of the Morning.”
“_For now behind her unseen, Perseus passed, And silently whirled the great sword round; And when it fell, she fell upon the ground, And felt no more of all her bitter pain._”
--WM. MORRIS.
STORY.
THE SLAYING OF THE GORGON.
Perseus was sent by the tyrant, Polydictes, to attempt the conquest of the Gorgon, Medusa, a terrible monster, whose hair was hissing, writhing snakes, and who possessed petrifying power sufficient to turn all beholders into stone.
Perseus, favored by the gods and well equipped by them, sought the home of the Gorgons. He was rendered invisible by Pluto’s helmet, and drew near without detection. Minerva had loaned him her mirror-like shield and, watching in it the reflected form of Medusa, he severed her head and seizing it, bore it swiftly away to Polydictes, who, upon beholding it, turned to stone.
INTERPRETATION.
Perseus, the sun, “destroyer of evil and noxious things,” is forced by Polydictes, darkness, to journey to the home of the Gorgons, gloaming, and conquer Medusa, the star-lit heaven marred by ghastly vapors which stream like dark serpents across it.
ART.
This Perseus, by Canova, is in the Belvedere of the Vatican. It is a beautifully finished statue in which the artist evidently imitated the Apollo Belvedere. The head of Medusa is that of a young and lovely woman, with the serpents arranged about her face like curling hair--yet Canova has succeeded in giving her that expression of “freezing disdain which pierces the very soul.”
Hebe.
“The Ever Young.”
“_Hebe honored them of all Ministered nectar and from cups of gold They pledged each other._”
--HOMER.
STORY.
THE CUP-BEARER.
Hebe was the daughter of Jupiter and Juno. She waited upon the gods and filled their cups with nectar with which it was their wont to pledge each other. But one day she awkwardly tripped and fell, and was forced to resign her office to Ganymede.
She married Hercules after he was received among the gods. Later traditions represent her as a divinity who had it in her power to make aged persons young again.
INTERPRETATION.
Hebe, the goddess of youth, embodies the fleeting nature of human existence, particularly the delightful and elusive stage of youth.
“Coy Hebe flies from those that woo And shuns the hands would seize upon her: Follow thy life and she will sue To pour for thee the cup of honor.”
--_Lowell._
ART.
This poetic creation in the National Gallery, London, was executed by Canova. The buoyant Hebe is purely beautiful as she springs away like the joy of youth. The light drapery does not interfere with the floating movement. In one hand she lifts high the vase of ambrosia, and in the other holds a goblet.
Ganymede and the Eagle.