PYGMALION & THE STATUE

PYGMALION & THE STATUE

Cited Sources

Latin of Pygmalion and the Statue:

http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/ovid/ovid.met10.shtml

Both Genevieve Liveley's[University of Bristol] lectures- "A Cyborg Geneology: Science Fiction in Classics" & "Ovid's Cyborg: Pygmalion and the Statue"

English Translation of Pygmalion and the Statue:

Brookes More. Boston. Corhill Publishing Co. 1922

[The Nationall Endowment for the Humanities provided support for entering this text]

Earliest Pygmalion Stories

Conclusion

• One of the first accounts of the Pygmalion Story was from Philostephanus, a Hellenistic writer in the 3rd century, later translated by Clement of Alexanraia(AD 150-211)
• His version told of a King of Cyprus by the name of Pygmalion. This king fell deeply in love with a statue of Aphrodite, secludidng himself from this world to be with the statue of a goddess he could never be wit
• These earlier histories of Cyprus, such as Philostephanus', were written to undermind Greek culture, to make the Roman look like they were controlling the 'Barbaric Greek
• Made of evory, rather than marble.

• In later version of Pygmalion, th statue is given the name Galatae and also Elise, to parrell her to Dido. Why did Ovid leave out a name?
• Dr. Genevieve Liveley [University of Bristol], a long term researcher of Pygmalion calls his a cyborg, and Talos as well. She also claims that we are all cyborgs, due to our inhancement. Where is the line between human and cyborg?

Ovid's "Pygmalion and the Statue"

• Ovid's Pygmalion story was written in his Magnum Opus, Metemorpheses, a group of narative poem that spanned from te creation of the world to the deification of Julius Caesar
• This story tells of a artist that creates a beautiful statue that is more pure and beautiful than the women around him and he falls in love with the statues
• After praying to Aphrodite, she comes to life and they have a son, Paphos
• Helps Romans think about what is human

In Other Greco-Roman Mythology

Part 1: The Skill of Pygmalion

• We see similar beings of a statuesque form-turned-being in myths such as Talos
• Talos was a creation of Hephestus that attacked the Argos, the ship that Jason and the Argonauts sailed
• Another version says he's the son of the creator of wine, greatgrandson of Dionysus. Wine is considered a version of Pharmaca
• Also, the person who defeats Talos is Medea,who is a witch. The only beings that are said to be able to remove pharmaca from a living statue are witches

• "He carved a statue out of snow-white ivory" (Met. X Lines 247-248)
• Ivory is more skin like than marble
• Ovid claimes that he had fallen in love with his creation
• "A perfect virgin with the grace of life"(Met. X Lines 250)
• "ars adeo latet arte sua"(Met. X 252)
• "Pygmalion gazed, inflamed with love and admiration for the form, in semblance of a women, he had carved" (Met. X Lines 252-253)

Part 2: Ivory Flesh

• "And wonders if it can be ivory, because it seems... truly flesh."(Met. X Lines 254-255)
• "He kisses and feels his kisses returned... he fears he then my bruise her"(Met. X Line 256-258)

Part 6: The Son She Bore

• She slowly becomes human, indecating her metemophsis, as each story in Ovid's poems have, signalled by the term in latin "sensit", or "she felt"(Met X. Line 293)
• "Pariter cum caelo vidit amantem"(Met. X Line 294)
• This is the first stage of her vivification, as she now makes her own observation
• Venus blesses the marriage and they have a son names Paphos, whom the island is named after

Part 3.5: Pharmaca

• People in Ancient times believed that they could make a statue come to life
• φκείαία pronouced Pharmekia or sometimes called Pharmaca
• We found recipes of Hephestus in Oxyrhynchus, listing what he put in a bronze lion [Also listed on Greek Magical Papyri]
• Became a automata or "cyborg" to help mankind, or that's what Hephestus intended

Part 3: Courting the Statue

• Ovid lists a long group of things that Pygmalion brings for the statue
• An odd array of these things being birds, amber tears of Heliads[poplar], and smooth round pebbles
• He also lays with her on his couch, adorning her with Tyrian purple cloth, something worn by royalty
• He also names her the consort of his couch.

Part 5: Kiss of Life

• When he retured from the festival, he goes right to his statue and kisses her, and "she seemed to gather warmth from his lips." (Met. X Lines 280-281)
• "As honey-wax of Mount Hymettus turns to many shapes."(Met. X Lines 284-286)
• "And yet again, he gives trial to his hopes by touching with his hand. It must be flesh[body]!"(Met. X Lines 288-289)
• "saliunt temptatae pollice venae. tum vero Paphius plenissima concipit heros verba"(Met. X 289-291)

Part 4: Appeasing Aphrodite

• Cypus' Festival of "Venus"
• Heifers are to be sacrifices to her [Menelous forgot to sacrifice his cattle]
• He asked for a wife "but he did not dare to add "my ivory statue-maid"" but he asks for one like her (Met. X 274-276)
• Flame flickers three times to show that Aphrodite heard him