In Greek mythology, Pygmalion was a king of Cyprus who fell in love with a statue. Far from being a hopeless case, his love was so great that finally his wish was granted, and his beautiful statue became a real woman.
Although in most versions of the story Pygmalion is king of Cyprus, the legends do not include his family background. Cyprus is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of Greece, and for much of ancient history it was populated by Greeks. However, it is unclear whether the mythical Pygmalion was based on a real person. There could have been a real King Pygmalion at some point in history, but the magical story by which we remember him is a work of fiction.
Right: The moment at which the statue comes to life is masterfully captured in Jean-Leon Gerome’s Pygmalion and Galatea (1890).
Right: In this painting by Bronzino (1503—1572), Pygmalion sacrifices a bull to Aphrodite in front of his beloved statue.
According to legend, Pygmalion found real women rude, sinful, and full of terrible faults. This was partly as a result of his unhappy experience with the Propoetides, a group of women from the city of Amathus on Cyprus. They refused to worship the goddess of love, Aphrodite, who was also patroness of Cyprus. Pygmalion was shocked by their wickedness and eventually decided that he had so little time for women that he would not marry at all. He resolved to be a lifelong bachelor.
World History
