Mythology is teeming with tales of tragedy and romance! On the occasion of this Valentine’s day we wanted to mension some of the most famous love stories in ancient Greek myths.
AMORE E PSICHE
The myth of Eros and Psyche is probably one of the best love stories in classical mythology. Eros, son of Aphrodite, was the personification of intense love desire and he was depicted throwing arrows to people in order to hit their heart and make them fall in love. Psyche, a beautiful maiden, personifies the human soul. In fact, she is the symbol of the soul purified by passions and misfortunes and who is, from now on, prepared to enjoy eternal happiness.
In the love story of Eros (Cupid in Latin) and Psyche (meaning “soul” in Greek), we can see the perseverance of a man even when he is possessed by passion and the effort of a woman to overcome many obstacles in order to achieve the happiness of love.
APOLLO E DAFNE
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 in love with Daphne, a woman sworn to remain a virgin. Apollo hunts Daphne who refuses to accept his advances. Right at the moment he catches her, she turns into a laurel tree, a scene famously depicted in Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne sculpture
LE TRE GRAZIE
The Three Graces were called Aglaia, Euphrosyne, and Thalya, and they were always together. Besides love and beauty, the girls were also associated with nature, creativity, fertility, charm, splendor, and joy, in other words, graces.
In some myths they appear on top of Olympus, singing and dancing with the Muses and Apollo; in others they are always in the company of Aphrodite.
Even though in myths the Three Graces have always appeared as the assistant of the goddess, in art they have become protagonists of countless works, from antiquity to the present day. And with that, they served to represent not only the mythological characters, but also the ideal of female beauty of each period and for each artist.