Ovid opens the first book of his Metamorphoses by stating his aim, to tell us tales of bodies changed into new forms, the meaning of the title. He then starts at the literal beginning, with his short account of the creation, and its origins in chaos (his word, and ours).

Chaos (c 1875–82) is one of George Frederic Watts’ early symbolist paintings, part of an intended series of murals representing what he referred to as ‘the progress of the cosmos’. Chaos itself is here represented by the giants at the left, who are struggling to free themselves from the elements of fire and vapour; on the right other figures struggle for release from the earth. The chain of much smaller figures at the lower right represents the establishment of ordered time and space.

This leads Ovid into a short summary of pre-history through four ages, starting in the Golden Age, and ending in the Iron Age, in a perceptive metaphorical account of human pre-history, considering the very limited knowledge of the Romans. Ovid then mentions what is generally known as the Age of the Titans or gigantomachy, preceding the reign of the classical gods.

Cornelis van Haarlem’s The Fall of the Titans from 1588-90 shows the classical myth in which the gods have defeated the Titans who preceded them. As a result the Titans fell from the heavens and were imprisoned in Tartarus, or Hell, as shown here. It was claimed that flying insects, even butterflies, were associated with the fire of the underworld, although the two butterflies and one dragonfly appear out of place to the modern eye.

This leads the text in to the first mythical story involving a metamorphosis: that of Lycaon, narrated by Jupiter himself.

Jupiter, god of the sky, atmosphere, and thunder, and the king of the gods, hears of the infamy of the last of the four ages on earth, the Iron Age. Among that infamy, Jupiter picks out that of Lycaon, King of Arcadia, whose name is derived from the Greek word for wolf, lycos (λύκος). However, Lycaon has decided to try Jupiter out too. To do that, the earthly king kills a hostage, cooks his body, and serves it up as a meal for Jupiter, following which Lycaon intends to kill the god.

Jupiter is outraged by this behaviour, and destroys Lycaon’s palace with thunderbolts. As Lycaon flees, so he is transformed into a wolf.

Hendrik Goltzius was one of the few visual artists to produce a full set of images, in this case engravings, to Ovid’s text. Lycaon Transformed into a Wolf (1589) is actually the ninth plate of the first book. It shows Jupiter sat at Lycaon’s table, his eagle at his feet, with the cannibalistic dish in front of him. Amid the burning buildings, Lycaon flees: as he does so, his head is already transforming into that of a wolf.

Jan Cossiers recomposes the same basic elements into his impressive Jupiter and Lycaon from about 1640. Jupiter’s eagle vomits thunderbolts at Lycaon, who sits opposite the god. Lycaon’s head is thoroughly wolf-like already, as he hurriedly gets up from the table. Thunderbolts are seen behind the pillar in the background.

Mediaeval folk mythology also developed stories of humans turning into wolves, although these were temporary transformations associated with cannibalistic episodes. They became progressively refined and popularised into the Gothic ‘horror’ stories of werewolves feeding on human blood, although those didn’t reach painting until the twentieth century.

Stuart Pearson Wright’s magnificent Woman Surprised by a Werewolf (2008) was inspired by the movie An American Werewolf in London (1981), itself a further transformation of werewolf stories into comedy horror form. The artist intended “to explore that uncharted place where the mystery and sublime of the romantic landscape meets the high camp and melodrama of Hammer horror”, which has come a long way from Ovid’s original story of lycanthropy.

In a strange twist to Ovid’s story, others (Pausanias in particular) claimed that lycanthropic rituals originated in an Arcadian cult at the temple of Zeus, the Roman god Jupiter.

At the end of his story of Lycaon, Jupiter proposes to a counsel of the gods to destroy humanity because of its behaviour. However, they quickly realise that without mankind, there would be nobody to worship them. Jupiter therefore agrees to transform humans into something better.

I wish to thank Stuart Pearson Wright for permitting the use of his image here.