96 pages • 3 hours read
Bernard EvslinHeroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Fiction | Short Story Collection | YA | Published in 1966A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Part 4Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 4: “Fables”
Part 4, Chapter 1 Summary: “Midas”
Midas was a king who loved gold above all else. Watching Apollo scatter golden rays of sunshine at sunrise provoked Midas to complain that the god was wasting gold that only kings should have. Hearing his complaints, Apollo appeared to Midas in a dream and granted him his wish to have everything he touched turn to gold. When he woke up, Midas discovered that his wish had indeed come true.
At first, he was delighted when the roses in his garden and the bee that tried to sting him turned to gold. He became slightly concerned when he touched his daughter and turned her into gold but did not truly despair until he tried to eat and found that he could not. Since everything that touched him turned to gold, Midas could neither drink nor eat, no matter how thirsty and hungry he became.
Enraged, Midas went into his garden and called Apollo, who asked the king if he repented for his greed. Midas declared that he would never again wish for gold or accuse the gods. Apollo revoked his gift but left Midas with donkey ears so that he would always remember not to waste the most valuable gift: his life.
Midas hid his donkey ears under a hat; only his barber knew the truth. Unable to resist sharing the secret, the barber dug a hole and whispered the secret into it, but the river reeds heard and passed it on. When word reached Midas, he was tempted to punish the barber but chose to be merciful, as Apollo had been with him. Apollo rewarded Midas’s mercy by turning his ears human again.
Part 4, Chapter 2 Summary: “Pygmalion”
Pygmalion was a young sculptor who lived on the island of Cyprus. His life revolved around sculpting, sleeping, and eating. He was not concerned with making money from his creations or with getting married, which “irritated the mothers and daughters of Cyprus exceedingly” (208). Because Cyprus was dear to Aphrodite, it being the first ground her feet touched after she emerged from the sea, the women of the island prayed to the goddess to compel Pygmalion to choose a wife from among them.
That night, Aphrodite appeared to Pygmalion in a dream, informed him that she had “to marry [him] off,” and asked if he had any preferences (209). He replied that he only wanted to marry Aphrodite herself and praised her ardently. The goddess was so pleased that she granted Pygmalion’s request to remain unmarried until he completed a sculpture of her, paying homage to his love for her. Intending to work slowly and thus forestall marriage, Pygmalion began by creating a hundred small clay sculptures of Aphrodite in various poses and scenes. The work took on a life of its own, though, after he began sculpting in marble. He worked day and night, to the point of exhaustion, until the sculpture was finished. At night, moonlight illuminated the statue’s perfection. Pygmalion called her Galatea and dressed her in jewels that had been his mother’s.
When Aphrodite returned, reminding Pygmalion that he now had to choose a bride, he asked to marry Galatea. At first, Aphrodite refused, since Galatea was marble, not human, but Pygmalion’s impassioned declaration that he would prefer to become marble himself rather than marry anyone else moved Aphrodite. As he embraced and kissed the statue, it came to life. He promised to sing Aphrodite’s praises, and Galatea, looking around his wrecked studio, declared that it was now her turn “to work on [him]” (215).
Part 4 Analysis
Ancient Greek and Roman myths are set in the Heroic Age, the age (according to the early Greek poet Hesiod) that predated the audiences that preserved and passed on these stories in writing. The two mythical figures whose stories Evslin tells here, Midas and Pygmalion, should also be recognized as hero figures: They are both extremely gifted and flawed, and their exploits are remarkable enough to become subjects of narrative. Evslin calls Midas and Pygmalion’s myths “fables,” perhaps because they lend themselves to conveying what modern readers might call moral concerns: Midas learns to have piety and to value life over wealth, while Pygmalion learns to be less self-absorbed.
Familiar themes run through these two fables, amplified to convey moral lessons. In their self-absorption, heroes fail to heed the gods or to respect their place in the mortal world. Midas’s exceptional greed provokes him to criticize Apollo and to disregard his own daughter, whose transformation into a gold statue upsets him less than not being able to eat when he is hungry. Pygmalion’s self-absorption seems harmless enough, but it causes him to live only for himself. He does as he pleases, unconcerned with setting down roots in his community through marriage and family.
By telling these stories, Evslin illuminates a popular misconception about the ancient world—that only women were pressured to marry while men enjoyed unlimited freedom. In fact, both men and women were expected to marry and to produce children to sustain and expand their communities. Neither Midas’s disregard for his daughter nor Pygmalion’s for marriage would have been acceptable, as family and communal bonds were considered sacred.
In both stories, the gods’ presence is benevolent. Here—in a contrast to many stories earlier in the book where gods exert extreme power on a whim—the gods ensure restraint and moderation when mortal characters adopt extreme behaviors. Apollo’s punishment is only harsh because Midas’s request is foolish. When Midas learns mercy, Apollo in turn rewards him with mercy. Aphrodite does not force marriage on Pygmalion: She warns him that he cannot escape getting married and offers the favor of choice. Ultimately, she follows through on her promise, allowing Pygmalion to choose Galatea because he has learned to put love of someone else (even if that someone is a goddess or a statue) above personal interest.
