It's the Day of Hermes aka Mercurius Day aka #Wednesday! 🐏
#Mosaic of #Hermes-Mercurius, easily recognisable by the wings on his head, representing the planet Mercury or the fourth day of the ancient Roman week, diēs Mercuriī (Wednesday).
🏛 #Mercurius as Planet Mercury in The House of the Planetarium, Italica, #Spain
The famous god of healing is depicted here in Poynter’s 1880 painting ‘A Visit to Aesculapius’ as examining the injured Venus. She is accompanied by the Graces while the woman drawing water is thought to be Hygieia.
The painting is based on a poem by Thomas Watson and so we have layers of reception here as Watson used the Latin names of gods though the origin of these divinities is quite Greek!
This skeleton is determined to make the best of their situation. They are reclining to dine and there’s clearly plenty of wine and bread to add to the feast. The ancient Greek reads “ΕΥΦΡΟΣΥΝΟΣ”: “Be cheerful, enjoy your life”
#Selene driving her moon chariot, here shown as a team of four horses. She has a shining aureola around her head and the reins and her riding crop in hand. She is followed by her brother #Helios, the fish around them suggesting that one is descending and the other rising.
🏛️ Canosa, Italy, ca. 330 – 310 BCE; now at Munich, Antikensammlung
A devastating myth of a father and son and the tragedy of loss. This painting ‘The Lament for Icarus’ by Herbert James Draper (1898) reimagines the grief at the heart of this myth.
Jason owed his heroic successes to Medea. In this moment from their story, Waterhouse reimagines the moment Medea uses her skill in pharmakia to aid Jason on the quests set by Aeëtes.
Known famously as the tutor of Achilles, his wisdom set him apart from the other centaurs. I love the gorgeous artistry of @tylermlockett in bringing together this classic scene complete with astrological reference (a skill of Chiron’s).
Hubris, cursing by the gods, wolves, and city founding… the story of the King of Arcadia has it all. The key moral lesson: never underestimate the divine.
Asterion is both the name of Minos’ foster-father and the name sometimes given to the Minotaur. In this poignant portrait by George Frederic Watts (1885), Asterion looks out to beyond the labyrinth that is his prison.