some greek and roman myths and stories

1. Aitana Soria 2ºA
Alba Alonso 2ºA
Daniel Isidro 2ºA

2. 1. The rape of Proserpina
2. Atlas holding the world
3. Hercules and the Lion of Nemea
4. The rape of Helene
5. Laooconte and his sons
6. Romulus and Remus
Índex

3.  Artist: Gian Lorenzo Bernini
 Ubication: Galery Borghese
 Date of creation: 1621–1622
 Technique: Marble
 Period: Baroque
1. The rape of Proserpina

4.  The rape of Proserpina
One day, Proserpina (daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, goddess of the spring)
was picking up flowers. Pluto saw her and fell in love with her, He didn’t
know how to court her. Pluto asked his brother Jupiter for advice, and he
said that Pluto must rape her and pick her to the underworld.Pluto did
what his brother said.
Ceres was very angry and she asked for help. Hecate used her torchs to
light the night and a prince, Triptolemus, helped her too ( he was
converted in god of agriculture). Finally, she discovered that Pluto had
taken her to the underworld and she demanded to Jupiter to bring her
daughter back. Jupiter could do nothing and Ceres didn’t let the plants to
grow, so the humans were all dying.
Finally, the three parts reached an agreedment. Proserpina would remain
two thrids of the year with her mother and the rest of the year with Pluto,
in the underworld (she must remain there because she had eaten a grain
of pomegranate).
The third of the year that Proserpina stood in the underworld, Ceres was
sad and she didn’t let the plants to grow and that’s why winter exists.

5. 2. Atlas holding the world
Sculpture by Lee Lawrie, placed in
Rockfeller centre.
Roman sculpture

6.  Atlas holding the world
Atlas was a titan that was sentenced to maintain the sky separated from the Earth
(Urano and Gea).
He was the son of Japeto and the nymph Climene, another versions said that was
the son of Gea and Urano. He was the leader of the titans in the titanomaquia
that were battles occurred before there were humans in the Earth. The titans
fought against the gods for eleven years that war was also known as The Battle of
the Titans. Finally the titans were defeated so Zeus gave him a punishment that
was to carry the weight of the sky in his shoulders.

7. • Ubication: barrio de los Jerónimos, Madrid
• Technique: marble
3. Hercules and the lion of Nemea

8.  The rape of Helen
Hercules was a Greek hero who had to do ten tasks (that in the end were twelve)
for his relative, the king Eurystheus as punishment for killing his wife and sons.
One of this tasks was killing the legendary lion of Nemea. Its skin protected it
from being hurt. It was bigger than the largest horse you can imagine. Firstly
Hercules shot at him with his bow, but the lion wasn’t hurt. He also tried to cut of
his head but he couldn’t. Finally he cornered the lion in a cave and he fought with
his own hands. He killed the lion by not letting him to breath.

9. 4. The rape of Helen
• Artist: Johann Wilhelm Beye
• Ubication: Gardens of the Palace of
Schönbrunn (Viena)
• Date of creation: 1773 – 1780
• Technique: stone

10.  The rape of Helen
Everything had started because Afrodita , goddess of love, had promised the love
of the most beautyful girl in the world (Helen of Troy) to Paris, if he choose her in
the beauty contest between Afrodita, Hera and Athena.
Paris went to Sparta, where he was received with hospitality by Menelao and his
wife, Helen. However, during his stay, Menelao had to travel to Crete to assist to
the burying of his grandfather Catreo.
Afrodita caused that Helen fell in love with Paris and that they scaped together
from Sparta with the treasure of Helen while Menelao was still in Crete.

11. 5. Laocoonte and his sons
• Artist: Agesandro, Polidoro and
Atenodoro de Rodas
• Ubication: Museum Pío-Clementino
• Material: Marble

12.  Laocoonte and his sons
Laocoonte was the priest of the temple of Apollo Trimeo in Troy; he warned the
Trojans that if they let the Trojan horse enter the city, they will fall in a trap set by
the Achaean Greeks.
Laocoonte tried to destroy the horse, but the Trojans didn’t let him, because they
taught that it was a sacred image of Athena; he tried to made a sacrifice for the
god Apollo, but suddenly two sea snakes called Porces and Caribea, or Curisia, or
Peribea came from Tenedos and Calidnes; they left the sea and attacked the twin
sons of Laocoonte (called Atifante and Thymbraeus or Melanto) wounded around
their bodies. Laocoonte tried to save them, but he was caught to.
The snakes are like a divine punishment for trying to destroy the horse, so the
Trojans taught was a sign that the horse was a sacred objet.
There is another version of the myth that explains that was a punishment for
Laocoönte because he got married with Antiopa and for having sex with his wife in
front of the sculpture of the god that was a sacrilege since he made a vow of
celibacy.

13.  Artist: anonymus, the children were added
by Antonio Pollaiuolo.
 Ubication: Museos Capitolinos
 Technique: Bronze
6. Romulus and Remus

14.  Romulus and Remus
Numitor , who was descendant of Eneas (son of Venus and Anquises andfounder
of the city of Albalonga) was dethroned for his brother Amurrio. Marth, god of the
war, had two sons with the princess of the city, Rea Silvia. This two boys were
called Romulus and Remus. For saving them from death, Her mother threw them
to the river Tiber in a basket. A female wolf, called Lupa, went to drink water and
saw the twins. She breastfed them in her lair in mount Palatin.
Finally, a shepherd found them and his wife took care of them. They succeded
Numitor in the throne of Albalonga and founded a colony in the right bank of the
river, in the place where Lupa had breastfed them. Remulus and Remus fought
about the place in which they will place the city, so they decided to consult the
flight of the vultures. Romulus saw twelve vultures flying over the Palantin and
Remus saw just six vultures over the other hills.
Romulus, to delimit the city, used a plough, and sweared that he would kill anyone
who passed it. Remus disobeyed and Romulus killed him, so Romulus was the only
king of Rome. This happened in 752 b.C.