Pygmalion and Galatea

In the sunny land of Cyprus, there lived a talented sculptor named Pygmalion. He was a sculptor par experience, a man who gave to every one of his ivory a life-like appearance. He was deeply devoted to his art. His sculptures were the only beauty he knew. Besides this, he despised and shunned women, finding solace only in his craft. As a matter of fact, he was so condemning to women that he had vowed never to marry.

One day, he carved the statue of a woman of unparalleled beauty. It was a figure of a perfect representation that no real-life woman could match up to. He couldn’t take his eyes off the statue. Enchanted with his own creation, he named the figurine Galatea, meaning “she who is white like milk”.  As Pygmalion was madly in love with Galatea, he would bring her gifts, shower her with kisses and treat her as if she were real, deceiving himself in the process. Countless were nights and days he spent staring upon his creation.

Meanwhile, the celebration of goddess Aphrodite was quickly approaching. On the day of the festival, while making offering to goddess Aphrodite, Pygmalion prayed her with all of this heart and soul, pleading with the goddess to transform his ivory figurine into a real woman. 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. After looking better at it, Aphrodite realized that Galatea resembled her in terms of perfection and beauty. Being so satisfied, she granted Pygmalion his wish.

With great hope, the master sculptor went straight home to Galatea. At first, he noticed a flush on the cheeks of the figurine, but slowly in became clear that Aphrodite had heard his pleas. Unable to restrain himself, he strongly embraced Galatea. He watched in awe as his cherished figurine came to life, smiling at him and speaking words of admiration for her creator.

As their love blossomed over the days and before long, the two lovers exchanged wedding vows with Aphrodite blessing them with happiness and prosperity. The happy couple had a son named Paphos, who later founded the city of Paphos in Cyprus. Some say that Pygmalion and Galatea had a daughter named Metharme. In the end, the couple lived happily ever after and their love story become a legend, reminding everyone that even the most unlikely dreams can turn into reality by love.