copyright 2003-2023 Study.com. While not nearly as well known as her sister Helen, Clytemnestra also played a major role related to the Trojan War. Several famous painters during the Italian Renaissance created striking depictions of Leda, the swan, and in some cases, the twins hatching from their eggs. Read Poem Read Analysis Cite William Butler Yeats Nationality: Greece Rhiannon Goddess History, Mythology & Symbols | Welsh Horse Goddess. [10], There were also significant depictions in the smaller decorative arts, also private media. The Graces of Greek Mythology: Origin & Role | What are the Charites? Icarus Overview & Greek Mythology | What is the Story of Icarus? Its like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. Ogma, Irish God of Language: Mythology & Family | Who was Ogma? This composition is known from many copies, including an ambitious engraving by Cornelis Bos, c. 1563; the marble sculpture by Bartolomeo Ammanati in the Bargello, Florence; two copies by the young Rubens on his Italian voyage, and the painting after Michelangelo, ca. [1] Her myth gave rise to the popular motif in Renaissance and later art of Leda and the Swan. As a swan, Zeus fell into her arms for protection from a pursuing eagle. The story of Leda and the swan was a fairly ubiquitous subject for dwellings in Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which were leveled when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79. Bull p. 167. But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?, Image Credit: Antonio da Correggio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Chaos in Greek Mythology: Overview & Facts | Who was Chaos? Warburg Institute Iconographic Database (ca 200 images of Leda), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leda_(mythology)&oldid=1148793364, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking in-text citations from May 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Husband/Second-Cousin (Zeus's Great-Grandson), Granddaughter/first cousin once removed (Helen's daughter), Grandson/first cousin once removed (Helen's son), Grandson/first cousin once removed (Pollux's son), This page was last edited on 8 April 2023, at 10:47. [citation needed], Leda and the Swan, ancient fresco from Pompeii, Drawing by Cornelis Bos after the lost original by Michelangelo. Retrieved from, Dior. Leda & the Swan WebLeda was a beautiful woman, and her beauty attracted Zeus' attention from his throne on Mount Olympus. 66 years later, at the 2001 Academy Awards, Icelandic singer Bjrk wore a dress by Marjan Pejoski in nude mesh and a white tulle skirt. Greek Ophiuchus: Mythology & Facts | What is Ophiuchus? Learn how and when to remove this template message. [citation needed], A version of the Leda and the Swan story is the foundation myth in the Canadian futuristic thriller television series Orphan Black which aired over 5 seasons from 2013 to 2017. Webthe myth that somehow men are superior still stands true. There are other stories of Zeus transforming himself into other forms as a means of seduction or deception, so the idea of Zeus as a swan is not outside the realm of the normal in Greek myth. Leda LEDA WebLeda and the Swan William Butler Yeats Published in Yeats collection of Later Poems in 1926, Leda and the Swan is a sonnet based on a myth from Greek mythology. Yeatss Poetry She was the wife of Tyndareus, the king of Leda & the Swan. The same night Leda slept with her husband Tyndareus as they were trying to conceive and to prosper their family with children. Sometimes, Zeus is said to have seduced Leda on the very same night she slept with her husband King Tyndareus. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. "Art Facts: a mix of media on Wells Street", Third Vintage Contemporaries Edition, 2008, pg106, This Was Hollywood [@thiswashollywood]. Celtic Goddess Brigid | Origin, Symbols & Mythology. A daughter of Thestius, whence she is called Thestias; 1 but others call her a daughter of Thespius, Thyestes, or Glaucus, by Laophonte, Deidamea, Leucippe, Eurythemis, or Paneidyia. Da Vinci's work is notable because it shows the children hatching from their eggs alongside Leda and the swan, whereas Michelangelo's version shows Leda and the swan against a backdrop of red cloth. Sleipnir in Norse Mythology | Origin, Role & Depiction, Nerthus in Norse Mythology | Origin, Family & Role, Idun in Norse Mythology | Origin, Role & Symbol, Pax, Roman Goddess of Peace | Mythology, Family & Role, Mythology vs. immortal. This Spartan princess would eventually be granted immortality by Artemis. The film retains the classical motif, portraying, for most of its duration, a young woman embracing a swan. The king of the Gods, Zeus, transforms into a swan. We want people all over the world to learn about history. WebDESCRIPTION. His sonnet was composed in 1923, beginning: A sudden blow: the great wings beating still Golems Origin & History | What is a Golem? Zeus, still in the guise of a swan, laid down next to Leda and proceeded to give her children. The Later interpretation. Brownie Folklore: Origin & History | What is a Brownie? An online exhibition presented by the National Library of Ireland on W.B. For other uses, see, The idea that the semen of more than one male might influence pregnancy, a feature in the origin myth of. A round-up of just some of the manyinterpretations of the story of Leda and the Swan in visual art. Psyche: Mythology & History | Who was the Greek Goddess of the Soul? WebThe Greek mythological story retold in Yeats' poem "Leda and the Swan" is one in which a girl, Leda, is raped by the God Zeus. Other artists have produced replicas according to surviving sketches and fragments. He famously seduced Ganymede in the form of an eagle and even appeared to Danae as a rain of gold coins. Yeatss Poetry Hel, Norse Goddess of Death: Mythology & Story | Who is Hel? World History Encyclopedia. When the egg hatched, Leda adopted Helen as her daughter. Nicaraguan poet Rubn Daro's 1892 poem "Leda" contains an oblique description of the rape, watched over by the god Pan.[32]. Leda (mythology Sign up for our free weekly email newsletter! Ullr Origins & Mythology | Who is the Norse God of Snow? The story of Leda and the swan was a fairly ubiquitous subject for dwellings in Pompeii and Herculaneum, both of which were leveled when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79. Frigg Overview, Mythology & Facts | Who is the Norse God Frigg? Greek text available from the same website. Leda (mythology Asgard Overview, Gods & Location | What is Asgard in Norse Mythology? A sudden blow: the great wings beating still. Behemoth Overview, Mythology & Description | What is a Behemoth? Nekhbet, Egyptian Goddess: Mythology & Symbol | Who was Nekhbet? WebLeda was a princess in Greek mythology, daughter of the king of Aetolia, Thestius. Chrysaor Overview & Facts | Who is Chrysaor in Greek Mythology? Leda Yes, according to Greek myth, Leda was impregnated by Zeus when he was in the form of a swan. Eris, Greek Goddess of Strife: Mythology & History | Who is Eris? The divine swans encounter with Leda was a subject depicted by both ancient Greek and Italian Renaissance artists; Leonardo da Vinci undertook a painting (now lost) of the theme, and Correggios Leda (c. 1530s) is a well-known treatment of the subject. The earliest depictions were all in the more private medium of the old master print, and mostly from Venice. Hephaestus & Aphrodite Marriage & Myth | Why Did Aphrodite Marry Hephaestus? Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed. https://www.worldhistory.org/Leda/. One set of twins is Castor and Pollux, two boys collectively called the Dioscuri. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He appears to Antiope in the form of a satyr and as a shepherd before Mnemosyne. Other versions of the story indicate that the eggs were the result of relations between Zeus and Nemesis, goddess of vengeance. On the same night, Leda sleeps with her husband, Tyndareus, the king of Sparta. Which children are the progeny of Tyndareus the mortal king, and which are of Zeus and thus half-immortal, is not consistent among accounts, nor is which child hatched from which egg. myth [18] After something of a hiatus in the 18th and early 19th centuries (apart from a very sensuous Boucher,[19]), Leda and the Swan became again a popular motif in the later 19th and 20th centuries, with many Symbolist and Expressionist treatments. Ixion Overview & Facts | Who is Ixion in Greek Mythology? His son Louis, though a great lover of painting, had periodic crises of conscience about his way of life, in one of which he attacked the figure of Leda with a knife. LitCharts Teacher Editions. William Butler Yeatss Leda and the Swan is one of the classic poems of literary modernism. The theme remained a dangerous one in the Renaissance, as the fates of the three best known paintings on the subject demonstrate. The Norns in Norse Mythology | Names, Roles & Facts. Shortly after this encounter and subsequently bedding her husband, the King of Sparta, Leda laid one or two eggs that contained four human beings in a blend of mortal and immortal vitality. According to many versions of the story, Zeus took the form of a swan and had sexual intercourse with Leda on the same night she slept with her husband King Tyndareus. She was a queen of Sparta and mother of beautiful Helen who sparked the Trojan War, and the Dioscuri twins. WebLeda, in Greek legend, usually believed to be the daughter of Thestius, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Lacedaemon. Prior to the wars beginning, Agamemnon would sacrifice Iphigenia, his daughter through Clytemnestra, as an offering to the gods, so that his fleet could have agreeable winds from the port of Aulis. WebIn Greek mythology, Leda was the daughter of Thestios, king of Aetolia, and wife of Tyndareus, king of Sparta. During the events of the Trojan War, Clytemnestra would cheat on Agamemnon with Aegisthus and the two would slay Agamemnon after his return from Troy. Leda and the Swan
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