A clutch of myths about individual Amazons reveal more about their role in affirming role models in Greek and subsequent society. With some fine paintings too.
myth
More popular today than in classical Greece, these warrior women could have been an opportunity to redress the balance between genders. Here they are at war.
A lighter and formerly very popular story brings to light some masterly paintings, including a superb work by Jan Brueghel the Elder.
Niobe had seven sons and seven daughters, which must have made her better than Latona, who only had 2 children. Snag was, there were Apollo and Diana.
Wherever you are on earth, you should be able to see the constellation of Orion, when clouds permit. What was his story? Only one painting helps.
Rich in wordplay, this story is almost unique to Ovid. It was oddly prescient of his own later banishment too.
The final story in Book 5 tells of the spread of grain cultivation through Europe, and attempted murder.
The story of how the nymph Arethusa escapes pursuit by a river god, thanks to the divine intervention of Diana.
A shocking story of the abduction of a young girl by the king of the underworld, but told with sensitivity. And accompanied by some outstanding paintings.
Was Cyrus an evil conqueror with a lust for blood? How a legendary queen became a role model for European monarchs, with the visual support of Rubens.
The Eclectic Light Company 