STORIES OF LOooooooooooooooooooooooooVE.pptx

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1. STORIES OF LOVE

2. Cupid and psyche

3. Cupid is the Roman god of love. He is often depicted as a young boy with wings, armed with a bow and arrows. Psyche was a mortal woman whose beauty was so great that it threatened the goddess Venus.

4. Psyche, known for her unrivaled beauty, was the youngest of three daughters of a King of ancient Greece. So startling was Psyche’s beauty it stopped people in their tracks, so much so, they soon began to compare her with Aphrodite.

5. Upon hearing this the green-eyed monster of Jealousy awoke within the real Aphrodite and in a fit of rage she at once sent her son, Eros, the god of love and desire, to secretly administer a magic potion to Psyche, which would make sure no man would ever fall in love with her.

6. Eros, being the good son that he was, carried out his mother’s orders, however, whist performing his task, he accidentally shot Psyche with one of his arrows.

7. 1. Golden Arrow: This arrow is said to instill uncontrollable love and passion in the person who is struck by it. Being hit by a golden arrow means falling deeply and madly in love.

8. 2. Lead Arrow: Contrary to the golden arrow, the lead arrow induces indifference and repulsion. When someone is hit by a lead arrow, they are turned off by or indifferent to the person who loves them.

9. Psyche was hit by one of Eros’ golden arrows, an arrow of love. Realizing his blunder and in a state of panic Eros let fly another golden arrow this time shooting himself.

10. Before his golden arrow of love had hit its target, the potion secretly administered to Psyche by Eros, had worked its magic; any man who now set eyes on Psyche was repulsed by her.

11. Psyche’s predicament caused her father the king much distress as he had no solution to the problem so he decided to consult the Oracle at Delphi.

12. Apollo ordered Psyche’s father that she must be dressed in black, taken to the top of a far away mountain, where she would remain alone, until a designated husband would be delivered to her.

13. With the help of Zephyrus, god of the west wind, the forsaken Psyche was spirited away to Eros’ palace where she was to be attended to by an army of servants, her every wish would be their command.

14. “This is the life”, thought Psyche , “my father did the right thing in consulting the oracle; I’m living the life of luxury with a husband who is an excellent lover, I only wish he would let me see his face, why all the mystery, why does he only come to me at night?”

15. Time passed peacefully for Psyche her nights were exciting, however her days were empty and so she asked her husband’s permission for her sisters to visit, he agreed, in hindsight, he wished he hadn’t.

16. They suggested to her that when her husband is sleeping she should take an oil lamp and have a look for herself and being the beast they know he is, she had better take a knife as well, just in case things turn nasty.

17. The truth is indeed revealed and is not what she expected, her husband is no hairy beast but Eros, the god of love. Shocked and trembling at this revelation a drop of oil from the lamp falls upon Eros’ shoulder.

18. In fear for his life Eros flees the scene with a distraught Psyche running after him, shouting her apologies for not trusting him. Feeling betrayed Eros rejects her apologies and swears she will never see him again.

19. Mortified after being abandoned by Eros, Psyche attempts to drown herself but the river nymphs take pity on her and she is washed ashore. When she comes to her senses she sets off to find Eros.

20. All this time, Aphrodite, who has been watching from the side lines, aware of her son’s defiance towards her, orders a servant to find Psyche and bring her before the goddess.

21. Aphrodite gives Psyche an ultimatum, to atone for her actions and to save her life, she is to complete three tasks.

22. The first is to sort a mountain of poppy seeds, chickpeas and lentils into separate piles, which, with help from some nearby ants, Psyche manages to complete quickly.

23. Secondly Psyche is to skin the fleece from a ferocious man-eating golden sheep. A passing river nymph suggested she wait until the sheep falls asleep and then carefully remove loose bits of fleece

24. The third task set by Aphrodite, which was also a trap, nearly defeated Psyche. She was to visit the Underworld and bring back Persephone’s box which contained the elixir of beauty.

25. Aphrodite warned her (knowing all the time her curiosity would get the better of her) that under no circumstances was she to open the box. Aphrodite knew that the potion inside the box was no beauty elixir but instead a curse of eternal sleep.

26. Psyche actually manages to retrieve the box and feeling pleased with herself thinks a little magical beauty potion can only help her to win back the love of Eros and opens the box whereupon she collapses instantly into a deep sleep.

27. As Psyche has been busy with her tasks, Eros, whom Aphrodite had imprisoned in her mansion, to prevent him rushing to the aid of Psyche, manages to escape and searching for his true love finds her flat on her back sleeping the sleep of the dead.

28. Thinking quickly he uses his magical arrows to bring Psyche out of her trance-like sleep. Reunited with his love Eros begs Zeus to deem their marriage, which was conducted in secret, as legitimate.

29. Zeus not only grants his wish but grants Psyche immortality and declares her “Goddess of the Human Soul”.

30. Psyche is often depicted with wings to symbolize her transformation and ascension to the divine. Her wings represent her journey from being a mortal woman to becoming a goddess.

31. Psyche and Cupid had a daughter named Voluptas , also known as Hedone . Her name translates to "Pleasure" or "Delight." She is often associated with the personification of bliss and sensual pleasure, reflecting the joyous and harmonious union of her divine parents.

32. Eight brief tales of lover

33. Pyramus and Thisbe

34. Often considered the original "Romeo and Juliet," they were forbidden lovers who tragically died for each other.

35. Pyramus was the handsomest youth, and Thisbe the fairest maiden, in all Babylonia, where Semiramis reigned. They are madly in love and live in houses next to each other.

36. Their parents, however, forbid their romance and build a wall between the houses. The lovers find a chink in the wall through which they speak and kiss one another.

37. One night they decide to run away together, meeting at the Tomb of Ninus. Thisbe arrives first, and she sees a terrifying lioness with blood on its mouth. She runs away in fear, dropping her cloak.

38. The lioness tears up the cloak and bloodies it. When Pyramus arrives, he sees the cloak, assumes his lover has died, and kills himself in sorrow. Thisbe returns, sees Pyramus' body, and kills herself with the same knife.

39. "O Pyramus," she cried, "What has done this? Answer me, Pyramus; it is your own Thisbe that speaks. Hear me, dearest, and lift that drooping head!" At the name of Thisbe, Pyramus opened his eyes, then closed them again. She saw her veil stained blood and the scabbard empty of its sword.

40. "Thy own hand has slain thee, and for my sake," she said. "I too can be brave for once, and my love is as strong as thine. I will follow thee in death, for I have been the cause; and death which alone could part us shall not prevent my joining thee. And ye, unhappy parents of us both, deny us not our united request. As love and death have joined us, let one tomb contain us. And thou, tree, retain the marks of slaughter. Let thy berries still serve for memorials of our blood."

41. The two bodies were buried in one sepulcher. From then on, mulberries take on the dark red color of their blood, making the lovers' bond eternal.

42. Orpheus and Eurydice

43. Orpheus is known as the most talented music player of the ancient times. It is said that god Apollo was his father, from whom took his extreme talent in music, and the Muse Calliope was his mother.

44. Orpheus had a divinely gifted voice that could charm everyone who heard it. When he was presented first the lyre as a boy, he had it mastered in no time at all. The myth says that no god or mortal could resist his music and even the rocks and trees would move themselves to be near him.

45. Eurydice, she’s also the daughter of Apollo. Her father gave her divine blood, but she’s most often thought of as a simple nymph.

46. It was at one such gathering of humans and beasts that his eyes fell on a wood nymph. The girl was called Eurydice, she was beautiful and shy.

47. She had been drawn to Orpheus enamored by his voice and such was the spell of beauty in music and appearance that neither could cast their eyes off each other.

48. On their wedding day dawned bright and clear. Hymenaios , the god of marriage, blessed their marriage and then a great feast followed. The surroundings were filled with laughter and gaiety.

49. Aristaeus is the Greek god of beekeeping. His parents are Apollo and Cyrene. Aristaeus, a shepherd, who was despising Orpheus and desired Eurydice for his own.

50. He had plotted a plan to conquer the beautiful nymph. He was, waiting in the bushes for the young couple to pass by. Seeing that the lovers were approaching, he intended to jump on them and kill Orpheus.

51. As the shepherd made his move, Orpheus grabbed Eurydice by the hand and started running pell-mell through the forest. On and on they ran and suddenly, Orpheus felt Eurydice stumble and fall, her hand slipping from his grasp.

52. He rushed to her side but stopped short in dismay, for his eyes perceived the deathly pallor that suffused her cheeks. Few steps away, Eurydice had stepped on a nest of snakes and had been bitten by a deadly viper.

53. After the death of his beloved wife, Orpheus was no more the same carefree person he used to be. His life without Eurydice seemed endless and could do nothing more than grief for her. This is when he had a great but yet crazy idea: he decided to go to Underworld and try to get his wife back. Apollo, his father, would talk to Hades, the god of the Underworld, to accept him and hear his plea.

54. Armed with his weapons, the lyre and voice, Orpheus approached Hades and demanded entry into the underworld. He played his lyre and sang out to King Hades and Queen Persephone that Eurydice was returned to him. Not even the most stone-hearted of people or Gods could have neglected the hurt in his voice.

55. The voice of Orpheus was so moving that Hades promised to this desperate man that Eurydice would follow him to the Upper World, the world of the living. However, he warned Orpheus that for no reason must he look back while his wife was still in the dark, for that would undo everything he hoped for. He should wait for Eurydice to get into the light before he looked at her.

56. With great faith in his heart and joy in his song, Orpheus began his journey out of the underworld, joyful that he would once again be reunited with his love. As Orpheus was reaching the exit of the Underworld, he could hear the footfalls of his wife approaching him. He wanted to turn around and hug her immediately but managed to control his feelings.

57. As his was approaching the exit, his heart was beating faster and faster. The moment he stepped on the world of the living, he turned his head to hug his wife. Unfortunately, he got only a glimpse of Eurydice before she was once again drawn back into the underworld.

58. When Orpheus turned his head, Eurydice was still in the dark, she hadn't seen the sun and, as Hades had warned Orpheus, his sweet wife was drowned back to the dark world of the dead. Waves of anguish and despair swept over him and shuddering with grief he approached the Underworld again but this time, he was denied entry, the gates were standing shut and god Hermes, sent by Zeus, wouldn't let him in.

59. From then on, the heart-broken musician was wandering disoriented, day after day, night after night, in total despair. His songs were no more joyful but extremely sad. A group of irate women, furious for his scorn towards them, chanced upon him. Orpheus was so desperate that he did not even try to repulse their advances. The women killed him, cut his body into pieces and threw them and his lyre into a river.

60. It is said that his head and his lyre floated downriver to the island of Lesvos. There the Muses found them and gave Orpheus a proper burial ceremony. People believed that his grave emanated music, plaintive yet beautiful. His soul descended down to Hades where he was finally reunited with his beloved Eurydice.

61. Ceyx and Alcyone

62. The story of Alcyone and Ceyx is very touching and portrays the love that triumphs over tragedy. This young couple was so much in love that neither the gods nor death could set them apart. Alcyone followed her husband to the other life and did so with her free will.

63. The lovely Alcyone was the daughter of Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind, and her mother was either Enarete or Aegiale . She was the devoted wife of Ceyx , King of Trachis , in central Greece. Ceyx ruled his kingdom with justice and in peace.

64. Alcyone and Ceyx were admired by gods and mortals alike for their great physical beauty, as well as the profound love they had for each other.

65. They were so happy in their marriage that they used to often playfully call one another Zeus and Hera. This infuriated the chief of the gods who regarded it an audacity. Zeus waited for the proper time to punish the arrogant couple who dared to make themselves comparable to gods.

66. Ceyx was still in mourning over his brother's death and deeply troubled over some ominous signs that had observed. So, he decided to consult the oracle of Apollo at Carlos in Ionia (Western Anatolia).

67. Daedalion , the brother of Ceyx , was turned into a hawk, when he threw himself from a rock on Parnassus in grief at the death of his daughter Chione.

68. Alcyone, however, tried to dissuade her husband from his decision to travel through the dangerous seas to consult the oracle. She reminded him of the danger from the fury of the winds which even her father, the god of the winds, often found difficult to control: she put pressure over her husband to take her along with him.

69. But Ceyx wouldn't put his beloved wife through unnecessary danger. Alcyone watched with a bad feeling as the ship carrying her husband was getting away from the harbor.

70. Zeus, the chief god, decided this was an opportune time to punish the couple for their sacrilege. He launched a thunderbolt that raised a furious hurricane engulfing the ship which began to sink.

71. Ceyx realized that the end had come for him and, before he got drowned, he prayed to the gods to allow his body be washed ashore so as to enable his beloved Alcyone to perform the funeral rites. As Ceyx gasped his last breath, his father Esophorous , the morning star, watched helplessly, shrouding his face with clouds, unable to leave the heavens and rescue his son.

72. The lovely Alcyone waited for her husband for a long time, praying continually to the gods, especially Hera, queen of the gods, for the safe return of Ceyx . Hera felt profound sorrow for the tragic fate of Ceyx .

73. She sent her messenger Iris, goddess of the rainbow, to look for Hypnos, the god of Sleep and comforter of the afflicted, to whom was assigned the mission of gently informing Alcyone about the death of her husband. Hypnos, in his turn, entrusted the mission to his son Morpheus, an expert in forming apparitions.

74. Morpheus created a life-like specter of Ceyx which revealed to Alcyone the tragic circumstances concerning the shipwreck and death of her husband. In profound grief, Alcyone ran to the seashore beating her breasts and tearing her garments. She suddenly beheld the body of a man that had been washed ashore.

75. Coming closer, she realized it was the body of her beloved Ceyx . After performing the last rites and unable to continue living without her husband, Alcyone threw herself into the sea and got drowned, determined to join her husband in the land of the dead.

76. The gods on Olympus were profoundly affected by the tragic fate of Alcyone and Ceyx , as well as their wonderful love for one other which not even the frosty hands of death could extinguish. In order to atone for his rash action that was responsible for this tragedy, Zeus transformed the couple into the Halcyon birds (kingfisher).

77. The phrase halcyon days owes its origin to this beautiful myth of Alcyone and Ceyx . According to the legend, for tow weeks every January, Aeolus, father of Alcyone, calms down the winds and the waves so that Alcyone, in the form of a kingfisher bird, can safely make her nest on the beach and lay her eggs. Hence, the term "halcyon days" comes to signify a period of great peace and calm.

78. Pygmalion and Galatea

79. The story of Pygmalion and Galatea is quite known and popular till nowadays. Pygmalion, a famous sculptor, falls in love with his own creation and wishes to give this creation life.

80. Pygmalion was a sculptor par excellence, a man who gave to every one of his ivory a life-like appearance. His deep devotion to his art spared him no time to admire the beauty of women. His sculptures were the only beauty he knew.

81. For reasons known only to him, Pygmalion despised and shunned women, finding solace only in his craft. In fact, he was so condemning to women that he had vowed never to marry.

82. One fine day, Pygmalion carved the statue of a woman of unparalleled beauty. She looked so gentle and divine that he could not take his eyes off the statue. Enchanted with his own creation, he felt waves of joy and desire sweeping over his body and in a moment of inspiration he named the figurine, Galatea, meaning "she who is white like milk".

83. He draped over her the finest of cloths and bedecked her with the most dazzling of ornaments, adorned her hair with the prettiest of flowers, gave to her the choicest of gifts and kissed her as a sign of adoration. Pygmalion was obsessed and madly in love with his creation.

84. The spell the lifeless woman cast on him was too much to resist and he desired her for his wife. Countless were the nights and days he spent staring upon his creation.

85. In the meanwhile, the celebration of goddess Aphrodite was fast approaching and preparations were well under way. On the day of the festival, while making offerings to goddess Aphrodite, Pygmalion prayed with all his heart and soul, beseeching the goddess that she turns his ivory figurine into a real woman.

86. Touched by his deep veneration, Aphrodite went to the workshop of Pygmalion to see this famous statue by herself. When he looked upon the statue of Galatea, she got amazed by its beauty and liveliness. Looking better at it, Aphrodite found that Galatea looked like her in beauty and perfection, so, satisfied, she granted Pygmalion his wish.

87. Upon returning home the master-sculptor went straight to Galatea, full of hope. At first, he noticed a flush on the cheeks of the ivory figurine but slowly it dawned upon him that Aphrodite had heard his pleas. Unable to restrain himself, he held Galatea in his arms and kept her strongly.

88. Their love blossomed over the days and before long, wedding vows were exchanged between the two lovers with Aphrodite blessing them with happiness and prosperity. The happy couple had a son, Paphos , who later founded the city of Paphos in Cyprus. Some say that Pygmalion and Galatea also had a daughter, Metharme . The bottom line is that the couple lived happily ever after.

89. Baucis and Philemon

90. In a hilly land, called Phrygia, there is a steep-sided valley. Most of the valley is filled with a dark lake. Beside the lake grow two trees, an oak and a linden, their branches entwined. Hanging from every bough and branch there are ribbons.

91. Long ago, great Zeus, whose temple is the sky, and Hermes, the messenger of the gods, heard whispers from the House of Rumour that there was a town at the bottom of a steepsided valley in the hilly land of Phrygia where the sacred laws of hospitality were flouted, where strangers were not welcomed. They decided to see if these stories were true.

92. They changed their shapes as the gods can, so that to all the world they looked like a pair of travelers. They flashed down from the sky into the town on the night of a terrible storm. From house to house they ran in the rain begging for food, begging for shelter. Every request was greeted with kicks and curses and insults. A hundred homes they visited.

93. At last, tired, foot-sore, hungry, wet through they trudged up the side of the valley leaving the town behind. As they did so, they saw they were approaching a little hut. Standing in front of it was an old woman.

94. This was Baucis. She and her husband Philemon had met in this place, had married in this place, had grown grey and white together. Children had never come. They were very poor but they had accepted their plight and so they had made light of it. They were devoted to one another. The only thing in the world they had that they valued was a goose, who guarded their home.

95. 'You! Mighty Zeus, whose temple is the sky, has decreed anyone who approaches our home in need of food, in need of shelter, ought to be welcomed. What we have, we'll share with you. Come inside now, come inside.'

96. They were welcomed warmly by the old man Philemon. He shook them each by the hand; he gave them each a stool to sit on. They sat. The old woman, she blew into the ashes at the bottom of the grate so that the grey glowed red again. The old man put on his cloak. He hobbled out into the storm to pick some vegetable from his garden.

97. The old woman cut a hunk from their lump of long-cherished pork. She threw it into the pot. The old man threw in the vegetables. They poured on water, sprinkled on herbs, threw in garlic, and then they talked about whatever they could, in the hope they could keep their guests' minds off the long delay before it was time to eat.

98. The old man gave them a beech wood bowl, full of warm water, to wash off the dust and grime of their journey. The old woman dragged a table from the shadows into the center of the room so that they could sit around it when the time came to eat. One leg was far too short: the table wobbled very badly.

99. But she kept a shard of tile, just for this purpose, and she slid it under the short leg. She rubbed the surface of the table with stalks of fresh mint so that it smelled fragrant. They sat around it. She gave them things to nibble while they waited: olives, wild cherries that had been steeped in wine, lumps of cheese, radishes, eggs that had been roasted in the embers.

100. One jug full of wine was all they had. She poured it out carefully between the four of them. They sipped it, making it last as long as they could. Then came the stew, and, after the stew, they had nuts and grapes and figs and dates and a slice of sweet honeycomb.

101. All through the meal there was talk, there was laughter, and, outside, the rain came down in black sheets. The woman Baucis looked at the wine jug. She was sure it had been empty and yet it was full. She poured it out between the four of them and still it was filled to the brim.

102. She turned to her husband and whispered, 'These are gods, two of the great Olympian gods, here in our home. What kind of meal was this to give to two of the great Olympian gods? We have no choice. Husband, go outside and kill the goose! We will pluck it and roast it in their honour .'

103. The husband stood. He smiled at the strangers and shuffled out of the cottage. Inside the old woman raised her voice, hoping she could drown out the squawking and the honking of the dying goose. But the old man was old. Age had made him slow, and the goose could tell something was wrong.

104. He chased the goose back and forth, then back and forth. Inside the cottage, by now the old woman was shouting. In burst the goose. It took shelter behind the strangers. The two travelers stood. ‘ There is no need for you to kill this creature whom you love so much. We are gods but already you've given us far more than we could have hoped for. Old man, old woman, follow us now.'

105. Puffing and grunting, Baucis and Philemon followed the travelers to the top of the valley. When they reached the ridge, they turned and they sank to their knees in awe. For the town at the bottom of the valley had gone. 'We have punished this town. Only you were spared. We were touched by the warmth of your welcome. We will give you both a wish. Speak now! Anything will be granted you. Speak now!'

106. The old woman spoke first: 'Mighty Zeus, transform our hut into a golden temple, that we might worship there for however many years of life we have left.’ Zeus bowed his head. 'Another wish!'

107. It was the old man who spoke then, but it could have been his wife – they were of one mind. 'Will you make us die together? Will you make us die in the same moment, so that I will not have to stand beside her grave, so that she will not have to bury me?'

108. Both of their wishes were granted them. For many more years, they were priestess and priest of a golden temple. Then one morning, early, the old man was digging his garden before the heat of the sun was too fierce.

109. His wife called to him. He saw her standing outside the temple staring at her feet, and, when he looked, her toes had taken root and brown bark was spreading up her legs. He hobbled towards her. He put his arms around her waist; she put her arms around his back.

110. As they embraced, they could feel buds emerging from the tips of their fingers. He could feel leaves growing from the bald crown of his head. As the bark spread across their faces, they looked into one another's eyes for the last time and said, 'Goodbye, dear one.'

111. The lake can still be found even now. The temple is long gone; but beside the lake still grow two trees, an oak and a linden, their branches entwined as though they are embracing. And hanging from every bough and branch there are ribbons, offerings, gifts left by lovers.

112. Endymion and Selene

113. Selene was the goddess of the moon. She was the granddaughter of Gaia, or Mother Earth, and Uranus, or Father Sky. Selene was one of the Titans, the immortal children of Gaia and Uranus, the daughter of their son Hyperion.

114. Endymion was a mortal of striking beauty, often depicted as a shepherd, hunter, or even an astronomer. His allure caught the eye of Selene, the moon goddess, who would gaze upon him from her celestial realm. Night after night, Selene descended from the skies to watch over Endymion as he slept in a cave on Mount Latmus .

115. Selene who visited him every night while he lay asleep in a cave on Mount Latmus in Caria; she bore him 50 daughters. A common form of the myth represents Endymion as having been put to sleep by Selene herself so that she might enjoy his beauty undisturbed.

116. Selene asked Zeus to grant him eternal sleep so she could visit him every night. They shared a strong love, but when Endymion eventually woke up, they were separated forever.

117. Daphne and Apollo

118. This charming myth talks about the platonic love of god Apollo for the beautiful nymph Daphne. It is said that Daphne was the first love of Apollo but unfortunately the girl never responded his love and died.

119. The myth says that once Apollo, the god of light and poetry, found Eros, who is nowadays known as Cupid, dealing with his bows and arrows. Eros was using bows to struck people into love.

120. Apollo had just won Python, a horrible earth-dragon that was living in the area of Delphi, and had got so arrogant from his victory that he abruptly told Eros to leave war-like weapons to mighty gods like him and stick to his own pastimes, devaluing his duty to inflate love and passion to others.

121. This infuriated the headstrong Eros who decided to take his revenge on the audacious Apollo. Eros climbed on a rock of Mt Parnassus and unleashed two arrows: one sharp and gold-tipped and another blunt and lead-tipped.

122. The sharp, gold-tipped arrow pierced the heart of Apollo inflaming his love for Daphne, a beautiful nymph, daughter of the river god Peneus, while the blunt, lead-tipped arrow struck the nymph creating an intense aversion for love in the her heart.

123. She was constantly rejecting the love of the glorious Apollo, despite his repeated pleadings and cajoleries. She similarly detested all the other men who were trying to get her. Daphne did not want any mortal or immortal lovers.

124. Apollo was persistently pursuing Daphne. The poor girl, in order to escape from him and to protect his virginity, pleaded for help from her father, Peneus. Who drew back to Daphne's prayers and transformed the nymph into a nice short plant with excellent smell.

125. Apollo was heart-broken at the loss of Daphne and to remember her for ever, he made the laurel the symbol of tribute to poets. The laurel became therefore the symbol of the god.

126. Alpheus and Arethusa

127. Arethusa was a singularly beautiful nymph, daughter of Nereus and Doris; she was also the favourite of Diana, goddess of hunting and knowledge.

128. Arethusa looked so beautiful that all men who set eyes upon her ended up desiring her: it was not long before Alpheus, son of the Ocean god, fell in love with her.

129. After a hunt Arethusa, moving away from Diana, conceded herself to bath in a river. After a short time, however, the waters began to seethe in a strangely restless manner. This was the work of Alpheus, who was madly in love and decided to become a river so he may find some consolation by wetting the limbs of the nymph and enjoying this way of her body.

130. Afraid of the vortices, the nymph started to leave the water hurriedly; it was at that moment that Alpheus appeared in his human form, coming out of the river; shaking his thick, blonde hair and appearing in all his lustful beauty.

131. Arethusa tried to run to the river bank, understanding Alpheus’ willingness to make her his own and violate her virginity; he pursued her and began to run too: when the nymph began to get tired of running, in an desperate plea she sought the help of Diana: “Transform me into water as far away as possible from here.”

132. Diana welcomed the call of Arethusa and allowed her to hide from Alpheus’ view in a dense fog, she then turned her into a fresh water spring far, far away from Greece Diana saw in Ortigia the perfect place for her beloved ward.

133. Alpheus desperate, but not repentant, asked for help to none other than Zeus; the great almighty Zeus, sensitive to loving relationships allowed him to become a river and to be closer to his beloved.

134. Alpheus had to build a culvert connecting the Peloponnese to the south of Italy and following along the whole Ionian coast, he emerged in the Great Harbour of Syracuse, right next to his beloved.

135. Today the name “Arethusa Fountain” refers to a fresh water source in Ortigia . Its origin is one of the outlets of the water table which is located in Syracuse, the aquifer that also supplies the river Ciane on the opposite side of the harbor.

136. Now it is a place of historical and touristic interest, thanks to the peculiarities of the source of fresh water on the shore of the sea, the presence of bushy papyrus and funny ducks wallowing and gorging with tourists sandwiches.

137. THANK YOU!!!