Pygmalion

Pygmalion was a sculptor of Cyprus in Greek mythology who carved a woman out of ivory and fell in love with her. After he prayed to Aphrodite at her festival, the statue came to life. The story is best known from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the couple’s daughter Paphos gave her name to an island.

The Story of Pygmalion

Why Pygmalion Lived Alone

Ovid begins at Amathus in Cyprus. The Propoetides, women of that place, denied that Venus (Aphrodite) was a goddess; the goddess's anger made them the first to sell their bodies, and when they lost all shame they were turned to stone. Pygmalion saw them living in sin, and, disgusted by the faults that nature has given to women, he lived for a long time unmarried (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.238–245).

The Ivory Statue

During this time he carved a snow-white statue of ivory so skilfully that it looked like a real girl who wished to move. He admired her and fell in love with his own work. He often touched her to find out whether she was flesh or ivory, kissed her, spoke to her, brought her gifts such as shells, polished pebbles, birds and flowers, dressed her in clothes, put jewels on her fingers and a necklace round her neck, and laid her on a couch covered with purple, calling her his companion in bed (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.243–269).

The Festival of Venus

When the festival of Venus, the most celebrated festival in all Cyprus, came, heifers with gilded horns were sacrificed and incense smoked on the altars. Pygmalion made his offering and prayed. He did not dare ask for the ivory girl, but said: “may my wife be like my ivory one”. Venus, who was present at her festival, understood what he meant, and she sent a sign of favour: the flame on the altar leaped up three times (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.270–279).

The Statue Comes to Life

When Pygmalion returned home he kissed the statue on her couch, and she seemed warm. He kissed her again and touched her breast, and the ivory softened under his fingers like Hymettian wax in the sun. He found that she had a body with pulsing veins. He thanked Venus, and the girl felt his kisses, blushed, lifted her eyes and saw the sky and her lover together. Venus attended the marriage she had made (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.280–295).

Children

After nine months, the woman bore a daughter, Paphos, from whom, Ovid says, the island took its name. Paphos in turn was the mother of Cinyras, who would have been counted among the fortunate if he had been childless (Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.295–299); Ovid goes on to tell the story of Cinyras’ daughter Myrrha. Ovid does not give the statue a name.

Apollodorus knows a different Pygmalion, a king of Cyprus, whose daughter Metharme married Cinyras, the founder of the city of Paphos, and bore him Oxyporus and Adonis (Apollodorus, Library 3.14.3).

Other Living Statues

Greek poets tell of several made things that move or live. Homer describes the golden handmaids of Hephaestus, who look like young women with minds, voices and strength (Homer, Iliad 18.417–420). Hesiod says Hephaestus made Pandora from earth at Zeus’ command (Hesiod, Works and Days 60–82). In the Argonautica, Talos is a man of bronze whom Zeus gave to Europa to guard Crete, striding round the island three times a day (Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.1638–1644). Socrates speaks of the statues of Daedalus, which were said to run away if they were not tied down (Plato, Euthyphro 11).

Pygmalion Sources

The story of Pygmalion is told by Ovid, Metamorphoses 10.238–299. Related passages are Apollodorus, Library 3.14.3; Homer, Iliad 18.417–420; Hesiod, Works and Days 60–82; Apollonius of Rhodes, Argonautica 4.1638–1644; and Plato, Euthyphro 11.

See Also: Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Pandora, Talos, Daedalus