Leda and the Swan
Mixed media
Leda and the Swan is a myth of ancient past. It is depicted in Greek mythology as a story about the attraction of Zeus for Leda the Spartan queen, who had protected Zeus from a pursuing eagle as he disguised himself in a form of a swan. It is told that one night Zeus came to Leda in this form and seduced her while she lay with her King, Tyndareus. She then bore two eggs from which hatched Clytemnestra, the twins Castor and Pollux, and Helen, later to be known as the beautiful 'Helen of Troy'. Although the legend is often referred to as The Rape of Leda, many great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo had portrayed it in such graceful and beautiful manners, revealing passion and emotional correlations between the two subjects.
This mythical story was brought up to my attention by a very intelligent friend whom I've met from blogging. Despite his sometimes puzzling and eccentric comments (^_^), I decided to look up my old college notes (yes, I still have them!) to discover that I had in fact briefly studied it in one of my classes. I suppose the reason for my ignorance would be my tendency to day dream during lecture, as always. Well, either that or I must have fallen asleep :) ... (Yes, yes, thank you, old chap, for the reminder!)
A word of caution: If you decided to visit this friend of mine, make sure you keep your guard at all time, as you may come across pirates and witches or even turned into stone by the gaze of Medusa. And be careful where you click, because you might end up with splinters or seeing 'inappropriate' things! :D
