Week 2 Story: Another Metamorphosis

Another Metamorphosis

Pygmalion was happier than ever after his sculpture was brought to life. He had created her body and given her a fitting name, Ivory, after the beautiful stone she was carved from. She was the perfect wife for him, the perfect mother to their son, always tending to what he needed and always at his beck and call. He was perfectly content with his life, but Ivory was not.

Though Pygmalion had created her physical form, her soul was hers alone. And she was restless. She felt that she was not meant to live the life she had been born into. Ivory felt she had more to offer the world than just bringing her husband his meals, caring for their child, and tending to their home. She longed to escape her husband, take their child and discover what the world had to offer. Pygmalion was not the good man that he once was. The gift from the gods had corrupted him and filled him with hubris. He was crass, demanding, and saw her still as his creation. Due to this, he found it irritating when she spoke out of turn, disagreed with him, or really showed any behavior he did not deem proper. He constantly reminded her that he was the reason she existed at all, and thus she should use her gift of existence to serve him.

After struggling for years with her growing unhappiness at home, Ivory began to pray at the shrine of the goddess Athena for wisdom. She asked often what she could do with her life that would make her happy, and how to change her husband so that he supported her. After many, many prayers, Athena took pity on Ivory. After seeing how Pygmalion had been corrupted, she too agreed it was time for him to change. So Athena appeared to Ivory and told her that when she returned home that day, Pygmalion would be a changed man, and would support her in her search for happiness. And true to Athena’s promise, when Ivory returned home, she called for Pygmalion, but he did not answer. She searched the house for him and finally came upon a statue in the courtyard. It was a statue of beautiful ivory that bore an uncanny likeness to Pygmalion.  

Exactly one year later, Ivory and her son were setting sail to see the world, thanks to a large sum of money she had obtained from the sale of a sculpture that was praised by many for how incredibly realistic it looked.

Pygmalion and His Creation

Authors note: The original story involves a sculptor named Pygmalion who is a perpetual bachelor, because he doesn't think that any of the women he knows are good enough for him. So he makes a sculpture of his perfect woman and falls in love with it. Then after making an offering to the gods, the sculpture is brought to life and they marry and have a child. When I read the story I felt it was unfair to the woman, because she was created purely for him and was then whatever he needed or wanted her to be. So I thought I would change the ending and give her a little justice.

Bibliography: Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000)Web Source