As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate disclosure.

Home / People / Galatea

Historical person

Galatea

Galatea is a figure of Greek mythology whose identity varies between traditions. She is best known as the sea-nymph loved by the Cyclops Polyphemus and by the mortal Acis, while in the later Pygmalion story the name is conventionally given to the statue brought to life.

In the best-known version of the Acis and Galatea myth, preserved by Ovid, Galatea loves the shepherd Acis while the Cyclops Polyphemus desires her. Polyphemus kills Acis in jealousy, and Galatea transforms her lover’s blood into a river. The story became a major subject in later European painting, poetry, opera and pastoral drama, often emphasising the contrast between beauty, violence and unrequited desire.

Madeline Miller’s Galatea retells the Pygmalion myth from the perspective of the woman brought to life from marble. Galatea is no passive miracle: confined by a husband who treats her beauty and supernatural origin as reasons for obedience, she conceals her strength, protects her daughter and plans an escape. The novella turns the traditionally unnamed ideal woman into the speaking subject of the story and makes her struggle for autonomy the point of the myth.

Series

Historical novels and book series featuring Galatea (1 series)

Penguin Classics: Ancient World in Order

by various authors 32 books 4.6(13,212)

Penguin Classics: Ancient World brings together foundational works of literature, history, philosophy, drama and poetry from the earliest civilisations through classical Greece and Rome. The wider Penguin Classics series began in 1946 with E. V. Rieu’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey, reflecting its original aim of making important texts…

All books in this series

Standalone books

Standalone books featuring Galatea (1 book)