Ἀνδρομέδα - Gustave Doré, 1869

Andromeda - Gustave Doré, 1869

   Ἡ Ἀνδρομέδα ἦταν κόρη τοῦ Κηφέα καὶ τῆς Κασσιόπης, βασιλέων τῆς Αἰθιοπίας. Ἡ μητέρα τῆς Κασσιόπης, καυχήθηκε ὅτι ἡ κόρη της ἦταν πιὸ ὄμορφη ἀπὸ τὶς Νηρηϊδες, γεγονὸς ποὺ προκάλεσε τὴν ὀργὴ τοῦ Ποσειδῶνα, ὁ ὁποῖος ἔριξε λιμὸ στὴ χώρα καὶ ἔστειλε ἕνα θαλάσσιο κτῆνος ποὺ κατέτρωγε τὸ λαὸ. Σύμφωνα μὲ χρησμὸ τοῦ μαντείου τοῦ Ἄμμωνα ἡ σωτηρία θὰ ἐρχόταν μόνο ἄν ὁ βασιλιάς παρέδιδε τὴν κόρη του, Ἀνδρομέδα,  στὸ κτῆνος. Ἔτσι ἡ Ἀνδρομέδα βρέθηκε δεμένη στὸ βράχο, στὸ ἔλεος τοῦ κτήνους. Ὁ Περσέας ὁ ὁποῖος ἐπέστρεφε ἀπὸ τὴ σφαγὴ τῆς Γοργοῦς, σκότωσε τὸ κτῆνος, τὴν ἐλευθέρωσε καὶ τὴν παντρεύτηκε. 

   Ἡ Ἀνδρομέδα ἀκολούθησε τὸν ἄνδρα της στὴν Τίρυνθα τοῦ Ἄργους. Γέννησαν ἕξι γιούς: τὸν Πέρση, τὸν Ἀλκαῖο, τὸν Ἥλιο, τὸ Μέστορα, τὸν Σθενελό, καὶ τὸν Ἡλεκτρύωνα καὶ μία κόρη τὴ Γοργοφόνη. Μετὰ τὸ θάνατό της ἡ Ἀθηνᾶ τὴν ἔκανε ἄστρο καὶ τὴν ἔβαλε στοὺς ἀστερισμοὺς τοῦ βόρειου οὐρανοῦ κοντὰ στὸν Περσέα καὶ τὴν Κασσιόπεια.

   Ὁ Γκυστᾶβ Ντορέ (Gustave Doré), 1832- 1883, ἦταν Ἀλσατὸς ζωγράφος, γλύπτης καὶ χαράκτης, ποὺ διακρίθηκε ἰδιαίτερα ὡς εἰκονογράφος βιβλίων.

Γεννήθηκε στὸ Στρασβοῦργο καὶ ἀπὸ πολὺ νωρὶς ἔδειξε τὴν κλίση του στὴ ζωγραφική. Τὸ 1847 ἡ οἰκογένεια του ἐγκαταστάθηκε στὸ Παρίσι, (ὅπου ὁ ζωγράφος ἔζησε ὅλη τὴ ζωή του) καὶ ἀπὸ τὸν ἐπόμενο χρόνο ὁ νεαρὸς Γκυστᾶβ ἄρχισε νὰ ἀσχολεῖται μὲ τὸ σχέδιο καὶ τὴ λιθογραφία. Αὐτοδίδακτος καλλιτέχνης, φιλοτέχνησε τὸ ἄγαλμα τοῦ Ἀλέξανδρου Δουμᾶ ποὺ στολίζει τὴν πλατεία Μαλζέρμπ (Μalesherbes) καὶ κατόρθωσε μὲ τὰ σχέδια καὶ τὶς εἰκονογραφήσεις βιβλίων (περισσότερα ἀπὸ 120) νὰ γίνῃ ἕνας ἀπὸ τοὺς μεγαλύτερους χρονικογράφους τῆς ρομαντικῆς περιόδου…

   In Greek mythology, Andromeda was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, king and queen of the kingdom Aethiopia. Her mother Cassiopeia boasted that her daughter was more beautiful than the Nereids, the nymph-daughters of the sea god Nereus and often seen accompanying Poseidon. To punish the queen for her arrogance, Poseidon, brother to Zeus and god of the sea, sent a sea monster named Cetus to ravage the coast of Aethiopia including the kingdom of the vain queen. The desperate king consulted the Oracle of Apollo, who announced that no respite would be found until the king sacrificed his daughter, Andromeda, to the monster. Stripped naked, she was chained to a rock on the coast.

   Perseus was returning from having slain the Gorgon Medusa. After he happened upon the chained Andromeda, he approached Cetus while invisible (for he was wearing Hades's helm), and killed the sea monster. He set Andromeda free, and married her in spite of her having been previously promised to her uncle Phineus. At the wedding a quarrel took place between the rivals and Phineus was turned to stone by the sight of the Gorgon's head.

   Andromeda followed her husband, first to his native island of Serifos, where he rescued his mother Danaë, and then to Tiryns in Argos. Together, they became the ancestors of the family of the Perseidae through the line of their son Perses. Perseus and Andromeda had seven sons: Perses, Alcaeus, Heleus, Mestor, Sthenelus, and Electryon, as well as two daughters, Autochthe and Gorgophone...