This story is about Jupiter and Juno arguing about who gains more from the pleasures of love. Jupiter says it's Juno, while Juno believes the opposite. They have a son named Bacchus, who was born twice. That's an interesting idea that I might be able to use in my own story! Tiresias had disturbed two snakes who were mating in the forest and that changed him from a man to a woman. After eight years of living as a woman, he ran into the snakes again. This time, once again, he decided to disturb them and was changed back to his former sex. Tiresias agreed with Jupiter that women enjoy lovemaking more. This decision upsets Saturnia, and damned Tiresias. However, instead Tiresias gains knowledge of the future. The nymph Echo can only repeat the last of what is spoken and repeats the words she hears. She is rejected by Narcissus, for whom she has a deep longing. She ends up withering away in the forest, with only her voice remaining.
Narcissus
After going near a fountain Narcissus falls in love with himself. He struggles and longs to grab the image of himself in the water and begins to feel the pains of unrequited love. Eventually Narcissus turns into a flower.
Pyramus and Thisbe
They grow up together and end up falling in love with each other. They would marry, but their parents forbid it. They talk to each other through a shared hole in the wall wall that connects their neighboring houses. The two decide to run off together in the middle of the night. However, while Thisbe is waiting for Pyramus at their designated spot, a lioness appears and spooks Thisbe into the caves. Pyramus appears and sees the lioness and also Thisbe's veil that was left in a rush for her to leave. On it is the blood from the lioness, which Pyramus mistakes as being Thisbe's blood. He thinks she died and proceeds to kill himself. Thisbe sees what has happened and is wrought with pain and longing and misery. She also proceeds to end her life with the same sword. And thus, their love story ends on that fateful, misunderstood night.
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| Pyramus & Thisbe's fateful love story; Wikimedia |
Ovid's Metamorphoses (Books 1-4) by Tony Kline
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