EP 41: Pygmalion — From Ivory to Flesh

Send us a text

Welcome to Episode 41 where we meet the ancient King of Cyprus, Pygmalion. The sculpture he creates of a beautiful woman changes his life — and provides inspiration for artists for another 3,000 years.

King Pygmalion falls madly in love with the statue. Praying to Aphrodite to find him a woman as beautiful, the king is shocked to find that instead, the goddess breathes life into the statue itself. As Pygmalion gently kisses the carving, she steps off the base and into his arms. The king and his bride are united in marriage …

As we see in the episode, the theme of man trying to transform woman into his own ideal captured the imagination of later writers, artists and numerous sculptors.

Narrated by mythologist and best-selling author, Patrick Garner, Garner's Greek Mythology is unlike any other Greek history series.  Here these divine beings are viewed as if they were anything but mythical...

If you love this podcast, you'll also enjoy Garner's audible novel about the gods, Homo Divinitas, now available on Amazon.com and Audible.com.

Support the show

Tweet me comments at @Garner_images, or email any episode suggestions to [e-mail]