Greek Mythology in Art: Scenes That Have Inspired Artists (Part III)

Greek Mythology in Art: Scenes That Have Inspired Artists (Part III)

Greek mythology is a great place to start if you're looking for incredible, timeless stories to inspire you. There are so many fascinating tales from this ancient culture, and we've selected some of our favourites for you here. This blog post will share the story of Odysseus and the sirens, explain who the Moirai were, and discover how Perseus saved Andromeda from a gruesome end. We've also included some beautiful illustrations from our pictorial archive, Greek and Roman Mythology: An Image Archive for Artists and Designers, which will help bring these stories to life - read on and enjoy!
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Greek mythology is a great place to start if you're looking for incredible, timeless stories to inspire you. There are so many fascinating tales from this ancient culture, and we've selected some of our favourites for you here. This blog post will share the story of Odysseus and the sirens, explain who the Moirai were, and discover how Perseus saved Andromeda from a gruesome end.
We've also included some beautiful illustrations from our pictorial archive, 
Greek and Roman Mythology: An Image Archive for Artists and Designers, which will help bring these stories to life - read on and enjoy!

How Did Odysseus Outwit the Sirens?

Odysseus was the legendary hero of Homer's Odyssey, an epic poem written in Ancient Greek. He is renowned for his courage and cunning on a quest to return home after ten years of strife and hardship. He was a king of Ithaca, a small island off mainland Greece, who had been away from home fighting with the Greeks in the Trojan War.

The sirens were beautiful creatures with human heads and bodies but wings of birds or sometimes fins like fish. They lived on an island surrounded by sharp rocks and were known for their mesmerising songs, which could cause sailors to become entranced and steer their ships towards destruction. The sirens could also be cannibals, and the goddess Circe described them in Homer's  Odyssey as surrounded by heaps of rotting corpse; "lolling there in their meadow, round them heaps of corpses rotting away, rags of skin shrivelling on their bones." 

In modern times, the phrase 'siren's song' has been used to describe any situation superficially appealing yet has potentially dire consequences if pursued. 
To get home to Ithaca, Odysseus had to sail past the island where the sirens lived. Circe prepared him for this journey and gave him a block of beeswax to seal the ears of his crew. Odysseus wanted to hear this famous and deadly music, so he lashed himself to the mast of the ship, allowing him to listen to it but not fall under its spell. He commanded his crew to row furiously and ignore his pleas to sail closer or loosen his bonds. His actions allowed the ship to pass safely without being drawn into danger as they navigated through treacherous waters surrounding the island where the sirens dwelled. In a later text, the Latin author Hyginus said that when a mortal could resist their call, it compelled the Sirens to die by suicide. Below, Odysseus and the Sirens, anonymous, after Abraham van Diepenbeeck, 1622 - 1725 from Greek and Roman Mythology: An Image Archive for Artists and Designers

Who Were The Moirai, and What Was Their Role?

The Moirai were the personifications of fate in Ancient Greek religion and mythology. Known in English as The Fates, people believed they were three mysterious figures who would dictate an individual's destiny – Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the allotter) and Atropos (the unturnable). 

The word "moira" refers to someone's fair share or portion. In ancient times, this referred to a share of the loot from a battle, distributed among the group following a rigid traditional process. The concept began to apply to one's fair share in life. Obtaining more than one's fair share (ὑπὲρ μοῖραν "over the portion") was achievable, but it would have severe consequences because it was considered a violation of the natural order. 

Clotho, also known as Klotho (Greek: Κλωθώ), is the youngest of the three goddesses in the Greek Fate mythology. She was responsible for spinning the thread of life from her distaff onto her spindle and had the power to decide when gods or mortals could be saved or killed. She presided over conception and birth in some accounts, choosing who would be born and when. Her Roman counterpart is Nona, or "The Ninth, " originally a goddess called upon during the ninth month of pregnancy. 

Lachesis (Greek: Λάχεσις) was the second goddess of fate. Her role was to calculate each person's allotted thread of life using her measuring rod and assign different tasks to people according to their futures. Her Roman counterpart, Decima or "the Tenth", was believed to distribute rewards and punishments according to a person's destiny. People thought Lachesis planned people's destinies by talking to individual souls before they were born to establish their intertwined journeys in life.

Atropos (Greek: Ἄτροπος), was the eldest Fate goddess and the one who ended each life by cutting its thread with her shears. People thought that the time of an individual's death was preordained, and Atropos could not be swayed or changed by any means; she represented unalterable fate or destiny. Her Roman counterpart Morta or "The Dead One", embodied death. It was said that she would never allow the wheel of fortune to turn backwards; once someone's fate is chosen and sealed, any attempt to change it will fail miserably.
Below,The Three Fates by Paul Thumann.

 

How Did Perseus Save Andromeda?

Andromeda was a young princess from Greek mythology and the daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiopeia of Ethiopia. Her story is an example of what would become known as the 'princess and dragon' motif, which appears across cultures throughout history. 

Andromeda was famed for her astonishing beauty. Her mother made the fatal error of boasting that princess Andromeda was even more beautiful than the Nereids, the sea nymphs and companions of Poseidon, the god of water. If there's one thing the Greek gods don't like, it's humans thinking they are better than them. As punishment for her conceit, Poseidon sent Cetus, a monstrous sea creature, to ravage the coast of Ethiopia.

An Oracle told King Cepheus that he must sacrifice his daughter to appease the creature. Andromeda was chained to the rocky shore and left for Cetus to devour her. Fortunately, she was saved at the last minute by Perseus, who was flying home after slaying the gorgon Medusa. He unchained Andromeda, which summoned Cetus. Accounts vary about how he killed the monster, either using a sword or Medusa's head to turn it to stone. Andromeda married Perseus (despite opposition from her uncle, to whom she was already betrothed. However, offering him a quick glimpse of Medusa's head solved that problem!). They went back to Greece, where Perseus founded and ruled the city of Mycenae. Athena immortalised her and Perseus as constellations in the sky when they died. 
Below, Perseus and Andromeda, by 
Jan Saenredam, after Hendrick Goltzius, 1601 from Greek and Roman Mythology: An Image Archive for Artists and Designers

 

Interested in Learning More?

Get Greek & Roman Mythology, available as a physical book or eBook. This pictorial archive from Vault Editions brings the tales of Greek and Roman mythology to life. This volume contains 135 downloadable images of your favourite gods, goddesses and heroes, including, Hercules battling vicious monsters, Theseus slaying the minotaur, the torture of Prometheus, Medusa's downfall at the hands of Perseus, Atlas carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and Zeus hurling lightning bolts from his fists. It also features beautiful renderings of Mercury, Poseidon, Apollo, Hera, Athena, Achilles, Artemis and many more.

Image Download Included:
Each book has a unique download link providing instant access to 135 high-resolution files of all featured images. These images can be used in art and graphic design projects or printed and framed to make stunning decorative artworks. We promise you will love this impressive pictorial archive. 
Plus, each copy includes a free Vault Editions Skulls and Anatomy sample pack.
This book is an essential resource for any graphic designer, tattooist, fantasy artist, illustrator or collage artist looking to take their artwork to the next level. 
 book cover for Greek and Roman Mythology depicting Hercules dragging the hound of the underworld

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