Digital Maps of the Ancient World

Ganymede

Ganymede, the Trojan shepherd boy chosen by Zeus, became the cupbearer of the gods on Olympus.

Ganymede pouring Zeus a libation. Attic red-figure calyx krater by the Eucharides Painter, c. 490–480 BC. (c) David L. Moran

Residence: Mount Olympus
Symbol: Pitcher and a hoop
Parents: Tros and Callirhoe
Siblings: Ilus, Assaracus, Cleopatra and Cleomestra

A handsome Trojan prince, Ganymede was carried off to heaven by Zeus, disguised as an eagle. Appointed cupbearer to the gods on Mount Olympus, he was granted immortality. Ganymede’s story is immortalized in the stars: Aquarius, the constellation, represents him, his cup is Crater, and the eagle that carried him is Aquila. Often depicted as a playmate of the love gods Eros and Hymenaeus, Ganymede’s myth reflects the complex dynamics of power and desire within Greek mythology.

Art

Statue of Ganymede and Zeus’ eagle,2nd-3rd c. AD, Mainz. Mainz Landesmuseum.
Relief of the eagle of Zeus abducting Ganymede. (c) Sailko
Statue of Ganymede and Zeus’ eagle, 2nd c. AD, Cologne. Bonn Landesmuseum
Statue of Ganymede and Zeus’ eagle, Rome.
Vatican Museum.
Relief of Ganymede, Pecs-Aranyhegy, 2nd c. AD. Hungarian National Museum.
Statue of Ganymede and Zeus’ eagle. Petwork House.
Statue of Ganymede watering the eagle, 1817, by Bertel Thorvaldsen. (c) Carsten Norgaard
Bust of Ganymede, 2nd c. AD, Rome. The Louvre.
Statue of Ganymede and Zeus’ eagle, 1804, by Jose Alvarez Cubano. (c) Luis Garcia

Blog at WordPress.com.