 |
| romantic |
TITLE |
+ |
- |
|
FILE NAME |
+ |
- |
|
DATE |
+ |
- |
|
POSITION |
+ |
- |
|
|
|
Abelard and EloiseThe philosopher Peter Abelard was famed as a brilliant theologian and teacher during the medieval ages. Abelard quickly became known for mastery of philosophical dialogue and independence of thought; he even went against church policy and took positions sympathetic to pagan traditions. However none of these scandalous acts could compare to the tempest created when Abelard fell in love with Eloise. The story of their forbidden love is set out in Abelard’s 1130 book, History of My Calamities.
|
|
Ariadne and DionysusPrincess Ariadne of Crete helped Theseus slay her monstrous half-brother, known as the Minotaur, by teaching him to use a golden thread as a path within the labyrinth where the Minotaur lived. Theseus then claimed Ariadne for his own but soon abandoned her. However, fate had a greater plan for the heartbroken girl when Dionysus, god of divine intoxication, married her and made her a goddess.
|
|
Guinevere and ArthurThe complex legend of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere appears in various forms in British, Breton, and Roman history and folklore. He was born of Queen Igraine, wife of King Uther Pendragon, at the moment of his father’s death and was immediately taken from his mother by the magician Merlin to be raised in anonymity. Merlin protected the young monarch from the lords who battled to gain Uther’s throne. The arrival of King Arthur ushered in a golden age of England.
|
|
Cupid and Psyche/The AwakeningThe myth of Cupid and Psyche is viewed as an allegory representing the emotional awakening of a woman. Psyche’s outstanding beauty won her admiration—as well as the jealousy of Venus. To seek revenge on the mortal girl, the goddess of love instructed her son Cupid to pierce Psyche with his arrow, so she would foolishly love the first creature she stumbled upon. As he stared at her, the god of love’s hands shook, and his arrow fell, grazing his thigh. That moment on, Cupid loved Psyche above all others.
|
|
Cupid and Psyche with chapter head borderThe myth of Cupid and Psyche is viewed as an allegory representing the emotional awakening of a woman. Psyche’s outstanding beauty won her admiration—as well as the jealousy of Venus. To seek revenge on the mortal girl, the goddess of love instructed her son Cupid to pierce Psyche with his arrow, so she would foolishly love the first creature she stumbled upon. As he stared at her, the god of love’s hands shook, and his arrow fell, grazing his thigh. That moment on, Cupid loved Psyche above all others.
|
|
Brunnhilde and SiegfriedThe legend of Brunnhilde and Siegfried illustrates how love can strengthen us to do deeds far beyond our normal capacities. The valkyrie Brunnhilde was the favorite child of her father Wotan, ruler of the gods and goddesses. An immortal warrior, she followed her father’s will by bringing the bodies of fallen warriors to Valhalla. Wotan had purchased Valhalla with a magical gold ring, which gave the power of all the world to any who wore it. Fallen into the wrong hands, the end of the world would arrive.
|
|
Cupid and Psyche/Awakening with borderThe myth of Cupid and Psyche is viewed as an allegory representing the emotional awakening of a woman. Psyche’s outstanding beauty won her admiration—as well as the jealousy of Venus. To seek revenge on the mortal girl, the goddess of love instructed her son Cupid to pierce Psyche with his arrow, so she would foolishly love the first creature she stumbled upon. As he stared at her, the god of love’s hands shook, and his arrow fell, grazing his thigh. That moment on, Cupid loved Psyche above all others.
|
|
Cupid and Psyche sleepingThe myth of Cupid and Psyche is viewed as an allegory representing the emotional awakening of a woman. Psyche’s outstanding beauty won her admiration—as well as the jealousy of Venus. To seek revenge on the mortal girl, the goddess of love instructed her son Cupid to pierce Psyche with his arrow, so she would foolishly love the first creature she stumbled upon. As he stared at her, the god of love’s hands shook, and his arrow fell, grazing his thigh. That moment on, Cupid loved Psyche above all others.
|
|
Danae and Zeus/Fortune with borderThe story of Danae offers a parable of fortune’s triumphs and travails. In ancient Rome, a King Acrisius had a daughter named Danae—a princess with a curse that one of the her offspring would kill the king. Acrisius walled her within a tower, never to marry nor to have children. One day a brilliant shower of gold poured through the tower’s windows and a tall and regal man appeared. He was Zeus, god of all gods. Zeus transformed her gloomy prison into a magnificent palace and swore his love for her.
|
|
Tristan and IsoldeThe story of Tristan and Isolde shows how desire drags everything along its unyielding path, creating unstoppable movement where there was once stagnation. Tristan had known loss—triste, sad; tristan, sad one. He pledged his loyalty to King Mark of Cornwall, who cared for Tristan as his own son. One day a dove flew into Mark’s window, carrying a strand of gold hair. He asked Tristan to find the hair’s owner, for only she would be his wife. The hair belonged to Isolde, daughter of King Mark’s fiercest enemy.
|
|
Tristan and Isolde/Desire chapter headerThe story of Tristan and Isolde shows how desire drags everything along its unyielding path, creating unstoppable movement where there was once stagnation. Tristan had known loss—triste, sad; tristan, sad one. He pledged his loyalty to King Mark of Cornwall, who cared for Tristan as his own son. One day a dove flew into Mark’s window, carrying a strand of gold hair. He asked Tristan to find the hair’s owner, for only she would be his wife. The hair belonged to Isolde, daughter of King Mark’s fiercest enemy.
|
|
Dido and Aeneas with borderThe story of Dido and Aeneas is a cautionary tale of an abandoned woman oppressed by her emotions. After the Trojan Wars, the warrior Aeneas, the mortal son of Venus, journeyed toward Italy without making the proper sacrifices to the gods. Bereft of the gods’ blessings, his ship was battered by the sea and eventually washed up in Africa like flotsam. Dido, the majestic queen of Carthage, Aeneas and was charmed by the handsome stranger, and by the stories he told of his heroic deeds.
|
|
Dido and AeneasThe story of Dido and Aeneas is a cautionary tale of an abandoned woman oppressed by her emotions. After the Trojan Wars, the warrior Aeneas, the mortal son of Venus, journeyed toward Italy without making the proper sacrifices to the gods. Bereft of the gods’ blessings, his ship was battered by the sea and eventually washed up in Africa like flotsam. Dido, the majestic queen of Carthage, Aeneas and was charmed by the handsome stranger, and by the stories he told of his heroic deeds.
|
|
Elisabeth and TannhauserThe legend of Tannhauser, the famed German minnesinger or troubadour, has roots in thirteenth-century history. Several of his song lyrics survive to this day, including a song of repentance entitled Buszlied. Contemporary stories of Tannhauser’s travels, which may have included a stint in the Crusades, took on a life of their own. In time, they inspired a sixteenth-century ballad, which in turn served as basis for Tannhauser, Richard Wagner’s romantic nineteenth-century opera.
|
|
Paola and FrancescaThe story of Paolo and Francesca was inspired by history. Francesca Da Polenta of Ravenna was married to Giovanni Malatesta to strengthen their families’ political bonds. But she loved Giovanni’s brother, the handsome Paolo. Tempted by love, Francesca and Paolo’s story could only have a tragic ending, which still moves hearts seven hundred years later. These true events inspired the poet Dante, who retold their sad story in The Divine Comedy.
|
|
Isis and Osiris/Love with borderThe myth of Isis and Osiris illustrates the power of love and how it can transform us irrevocably. Isis was worshipped in Egypt as the mother goddess of the universe. She had two brothers, Osiris who was responsible for the fertile soil and Set who ruled the barren desert. The sun god Ra married Isis to Osiris. They were blissful in their love for each other. Set observed this. Jealousy ate at his soul, granting him no rest. He trapped Osiris in a coffin and heaved him into the swirling waters of the Nile.
|
|
|
|
