WetOwl_GM

Summary: Sea Nymph Thetis, daughter of Nereus, and leader of Nereids was admired by both Poseidon and Zeus until they found out the prophecy. Her son will be greater than his father. So they decided to marry her off to a mortal king named Peleus as to avoid any danger. Peleus tracks down Thetis and does not release his grasp of her as she tries to shake him off by transforming into various of shapes, and it was soon enough that she would surrender to him and marry him. Zeus throws a huge feast to celebrate their marriage which is being illustrated in the painting.

Date: 1589-1632

Museum: Statens Museum for Kunst

Analyzation: Looking at this painting a lot is going on, but if we look closer and not focus on everything at once we can notice which god is which and little details that make this painting come together. Starting in the front left we can see Hebe bringing an amphora of likely wine. The small baby who is looking up at her is Eros which is notable by his wings, sash of arrows and the bow and in his hand. It also looks like he is playing in his father’s, Ares, armor.

The women and man on the start of the left side of the table who seemed to be a couple are likely Thetis and Peleus, and we can see Thetis doesn’t seem to happy and is talking (maybe venting?) as Peleus listens with an enamored look. The many women behind them and those deeper in the cave dancing are nymphs as they don’t have any symbolic objects or that suggest that they are a predominant deity.

Going down the left side of the table we can see more recognizable olympians, such as Hera and Hermes chatting and Demeter next to Hermes putting down a plate of lobster. In the hollow corner of the cave we can see Apollo and the muses playing music and a muse leaning down to who can be assumed as Artemis, and looking over her shoulder as if trying to see what she is reading. Next to Artemis we can see Athena who is looking over the feast.

Moving to the Font right of the painting we can see Poseidon looking down at who can be assumed the erotes who are causing chaos and you can see the some of them floating above. Poseidon is also sitting on some type of sea creature (maybe a crocodile or alligator) with his trident under it (possibly to protect it). Going down to the end of the right side of the table we c an finally see Aphrodite and Zeus talking, which Aphrodite seems to be pointing to Hera, maybe she is possibly giving some love advice to Zeus on how to make it up to Hera knowing their relationship.

Going outside of the cave we can see a couple nymphs out there lounging.

Summary: The Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne (Memory), are mentioned by the Greek poets Hesiod and Homer as sources of inspiration for poets and musicians. Ovid (Metamorphoses 5.250–678) tells us that when Minerva (the Greek Athena) visited the sisters to see the miraculous fountain created by Pegasus, they told her about their victory over the nine daughters of the Macedonian king Pierus in a singing competition. Some of the Muses in this etching point upward, perhaps to the defeated Pierides, who were transformed into magpies.

Date: circa 1540s

Museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), The British Museum (London), The Blanton Museum of Art (University of Texas, Austin), The Dayton Art institute (Dayton, Ohio).

Summary: Jupiter, Crowned with Myrtle By the Hours, Proffers a Goblet to Ganymede to Be Served Nectar.

Collection: Pinacoteca di Brera museum in Milan, Italy.

This painting kinda made me giggle because of how Hera is looking at Zeus, which she seems so done with her husbands smugness as he is being crowed by the hours (Roman goddess of the seasons, natural justice and order). Also considering Ganymede is here serving him it would be explainable as to why she looks a bit deadpanned.

In the background to the bottom right you can recognize a few gods and goddess, like athena and possibly the Erotes so the person maybe next to them is Ares. However the figure seems to be resting their head on a bat like weapon so more likely Heracles.

I wanted to talk about this piece because of how cute it looked with Jupiter holding his son and the gods surrounding them promising what they would teach his son.

I tried to get a more in depth understanding of this painting and while who is said to be Jupiter’s son is not obvious, the context surrounding this painting is according to the text that came with the fable

English Translation of French poets, Jean de la Fontaine, poem:

“Jupiter had a son who felt the place

From which he derived his origin

Had a divine soul.

Childhood doesn't like anything: that of the young God

Was doing his main business

Sweet care of loving and pleasing.

In him love and reason

Were ahead of time, whose light wings

Don't bring too soon, alas! Every season.

Flora with laughing looks, charming manners,

First touched the heart of the young Olympian.

What passion can inspire in address,

Delicate feelings filled with tenderness,

Crying, sighing, everything was: in short, he forgot nothing.

The son of Jupiter had to by his birth

To have another spirit and other gifts from Heaven,

That the children of the other Gods.

It seemed that he only acted out of reminiscence,

And that he would once have done the profession of lover,

So much he did it perfectly.

Jupiter, however, wanted to have him educated.

He gathered the Gods, and said: I knew how to drive

Alone and without companion so far the universe:

But there are various jobs

That I distribute to the new Gods.

So I looked at this darling child.

It's my blood: everything is already full of its Altars

In order to deserve the rank of immortals,

He has to know everything. The Master of Thunder

Had barely finished that everyone applauds.

To know everything, the child had too much wit.

I want, said the God of war,

Show him this art myself

By whom many Heroes took part

To the honours of Olympus and enlarged this empire.

I will be his lyre master,

Said the blonde and learned Apollo.

And I, said Hercules with the skin of a Lion,

His master to overcome vices,

To tame transport, poison monsters,

Like hydras constantly reborn in hearts.

Enemy of soft delights,

He will learn from me the untread paths

Which lead to honours in the steps of virtues.

When it came to the God of Kythera,

He said he would show her everything.

Love was right: what doesn't come over

The spirit combined with the desire to please?”

— Jean de La Fontaine, Fables de La Fontaine, The Gods wanting to instruct a son of Jupiter, text written by Jean-Pierre Collinet, Fables, tales and short stories, Gallimard, "Library of the Pléiade", 1991, p. 427

The son might be depicted as Louis XIV as the painter behind this art piece, Jean-baptiste oudry, was an official painter of the royal hunts of the house of bourbon, but this was published in 1678 before he was appointed as that, so this was likely just a art piece and poem dedicated to the young Louis XIV depicting how his education would work in a mythological lens.

Marble votive tablet of the Three nymphs, ll-lll century, in the collection of Stara Zagora's Regional history museums. (I know nymphs aren’t exactly predominant Greek deities but they are minor ones and they were to cute to leave out)

Marble Votive tablet of Zeus Helios, lll century, in collection of the National Archaeological Museum.

Marble votive tablet of Dionysus, II-III century , in the collection of Stara Zagora's Regional history museum.

IDC I JUST WANT OMEGA ZEUS PLSSSSSS😭😭😭🥹🥹

For anyone who likes this show I made a fanfic of them, which I believe there are basically no fanfics of them on ao3.