Week 2 Story: Pygmalion and Galatea
Pygmalion and Galatea
Once upon a time in a faraway placed called Cyprus, there lived a young man named Pygmalion who lived a lonely life. Of course, he had friends he would hang out with and do activities with, but he felt empty because he did not have a woman to call his own. All day long he longed to have the intimate connection with someone that he could share his life with but alas, it wasn’t meant to be or so he thought. Now even though he was young and saddened he was a gifted man who was able to create great works of art from stone. He was well known for creating masterpieces and helping out others on the island who needed anything. Even though he was in a rough spot he still always gave his thanks to the Gods for the life they had given him and the talent they had blessed him with. You see, Pygmalion was not one to constantly complain and mope about, he would always carry around a smile and was pleasant to all who knew him. Everyone knew that at night he would go to Aphrodite temple and say prayers about wanting to find true love. Unlike most people who prayed to her, Pygmalion never demanded anything and always stated he was OK if he never found anyone.
One night after doing his usual prayers to Aphrodite he went home and started to work on a new sculpture. He started working on all hours of the day and his friends and family wondered what had become of him because they had not seen him in a long time. For Pygmalion, the week and half he worked on the statue seemed like mere hours to him. Once he was done, he stood back and became in awe of what he had created. What stood before him was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, even though she was not real. From the day he finished her Pygmalion would bring the statues gifts and put the finest jewelry he could find on her and talk to her. His friends thought that he was losing his mind and they were probably almost right. Aphrodite noticed how much time Pygmalion spent with the statue of the woman and decided that she would bless him with a special gift. She had her eye on him for the longest time, since he had started to come to her temple because she noticed right off the bat that he was not like the other people who prayed to her. He was always humble and honest and gave her thanks when she had done nothing for him. So, one night when he was deep in sleep next to his statue, she transformed the statue into a living woman.
When Pygmalion awoke the next morning, he stepped out for his usual breakfast, but he sensed something was different. When he returned home, he went to hug the statue like he usually did and was shocked to feel flesh against his. He then kissed his statue and was amazed when he noticed her lips were just as soft as his and then he was aware that she was actually alive, and he ended up naming her Galatea. In the days that followed Pygmalion took Galatea out into the world and introduced her to anyone he could. Most were in shock that Pygmalion had finally found the woman of his dreams because they all felt it was hopeless. As weeks and months passed by Pygmalion and Galatea were wed and Aphrodite even came to the wedding disguised as a guest. After being wed for a while they had a son named Paphos which was a tribute to Aphrodite. As Pygmalion grew old, he never stopped praising Aphrodite for helping him find his true love. The legend of Pygmalion and Galatea still lives on to this day. It is the kind of love that everyone struggles to find but once they find it, they know they have met the right person.
Pygmalion and Galatea. (1890)
Jean-Léon Gérôme: Source: Wikimedia Commons
Authors Note: The story I am retelling is called Pygmalion and Galatea. Almost everyone knows this story but I feel like there is not a lot of detail when describing who Pygmalion is so I have added a ton of backstory for him and Galatea so that way they seem more human than just characters. The plot of the story is the same I have just added my own twist to it to give it a more human feel.
Bibliography: The Myth fo Pygmalion and Galatea: Story Source: Greek Myths and Greek Mythology. (There doesn't not appear to be an author in this site)
Hi Andrew! I really liked your story and the amount of detail you added in order to give it a more "human" feel. I have not heard of this story previously, however I really appreciate how clear it is to read and understand. It made me happy that Pygmalion finally found his love and thought it was so cool that he is the one that created her himself. Great work!
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this story whenever I read the original version, so it was really cool to read your version of it. First off, I was wowed by how you went into extreme detail when talking of the main character, Pygmalion. It really struck me how you really wanted to delve into who he was as a person. I liked the concept for the story, but there were a couple of times where the writing could have been improved just a tad bit – there were times when you repeated a word within a sentence, which makes it repetitive and sound dull, “he had friends he would hang out with and do activities with”. Another critique I had, would be giving more examples rather than just stating that everyone liked him – maybe show that everyone liked him next time? Overall, your story was very strong and I can’t wait to see what else you have to offer throughout the semester!
Hi Andrew! I chose the same myth for my Week 2 story! I chose to completely change the ending to focus more on Galatea. You can read it here if you like: http://catehowell.oucreate.com/blog/fall-2019/week-2-story-galateas-awakening/
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you went into detail on who Pygmalion is and even changed him to make him more likable. In the original myth, he's kind of a dick who hates women, so this was a nice change to see that he could be a good person who's just lonely and misunderstood.
Thanks for sharing!
- Cate
Hi Andrew! I really liked what you did with the myth of Pygmalion. This is the first retelling of it that I've read that's focused more on Pygmalion himself, rather than on Galatea. I like that you gave him more depth as a character -- especially since that depth, as Cate commented, made him kind and humble when in other tellings he is a bit of a jerk :)
ReplyDeleteHi Andrew! I liked how you gave it more of a human feel! In the original one supplied they just kinda said "he built a statue and fell in love with it" which still is creeping me out. Your version creeps me out a whole lot less, thank you!!
ReplyDeleteHowdy,
ReplyDeleteI really liked all of the detail that you added into the story. I felt really connected to Pygmalion. I could see how genuine and kind he was. I loved the fact that he continued to pray to Aphrodite and was fine with nothing in return. I also loved the fact that he continued to ;ray and give thanks after she bestowed him with love.
Hi Andrew! I really enjoyed your story and all the depth that you went in to with it. I am familiar with Pygmalion and Galatea, but I liked your retelling of it. I think you did a great job of molding the source material into a story that is all your own.
ReplyDelete