Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
Endymion—Orion—Aurora and Tithonus—Acis and Galatea explained
This chapter recounts several myths of love, loss, and transformation: the story of Endymion, the beautiful youth loved by Diana and granted eternal sleep; Orion, the giant hunter blinded by Oenopion, restored by the sun, and accidentally k
What happens
This chapter recounts several myths of love, loss, and transformation: the story of Endymion, the beautiful youth loved by Diana and granted eternal sleep; Orion, the giant hunter blinded by Oenopion, restored by the sun, and accidentally killed by Diana; the Pleiads, nymphs transformed into stars to escape Orion's pursuit; Aurora and Tithonus, where the goddess of dawn gains immortality for her lover but forgets youth, leading to his decrepitude and transformation into a grasshopper; and Acis and Galatea, where the Cyclops Polyphemus kills Acis out of jealousy, and Galatea transforms him into a river.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Transformation
Multiple myths illustrate love leading to transformation: Endymion's eternal sleep, Orion's stellification, Tithonus's change into a grasshopper, and Acis's metamorphosis into a river.
Jealousy and Revenge
Polyphemus's jealousy over Galatea's love for Acis drives him to murder, and Oenopion's revenge blinds Orion.
Mortality and Immortality
The tension between mortal and immortal is central: Endymion receives perpetual youth but in sleep, Tithonus gains immortality without youth, and Orion is killed despite his divine parentage.
Characters to notice
- Diana
Goddess of the moon, falls in love with Endymion and later accidentally kills Orion.
- Orion
Son of Neptune, a handsome giant and hunter, blinded by Oenopion, later restored by the sun and placed among the stars by Diana.
- Aurora
Goddess of the dawn, lover of Tithonus, mother of Memnon, mourns her son's death.
- Tithonus
Son of Laomedon, granted immortality by Aurora but not eternal youth, eventually turned into a grasshopper.
- Galatea
Sea-nymph loved by the Cyclops Polyphemus, but in love with Acis; after Acis's death, she transforms him into a river.
- Polyphemus
Cyclops who loves Galatea and kills Acis out of jealousy.
Key passages
“Endymion was a beautiful youth who fed his flock on Mount Latmos. One calm, clear night Diana, the moon, looked down and saw him sleeping. The cold heart of the virgin goddess was warmed by his surpassing beauty, and she came down to him, kissed him, and watched over him while he slept.”
Endymion, a handsome shepherd on Mount Latmos, caught the attention of Diana, the moon goddess, who descended to kiss and guard him as he slept.
Introduces the myth of Endymion and Diana's love.
“Orion was the son of Neptune. He was a handsome giant and a mighty hunter. His father gave him the power of wading through the depths of the sea, or, as others say, of walking on its surface.”
Orion, a giant and skilled hunter, was Neptune's son and could walk on or through the sea.
Describes Orion's parentage and abilities.
“Aurora, who from her station in the sky had viewed with apprehension the danger of her son, when she saw him fall, directed his brothers, the Winds, to convey his body to the banks of the river Esepus in Paphlagonia.”
Aurora, watching from the sky, saw her son Memnon fall in battle and ordered the Winds to carry his body to the river Esepus.
Details Aurora's grief and the aftermath of Memnon's death.
“The Cyclops pursued him, and tearing a rock from the side of the mountain hurled it at him. Though only a corner of it touched him, it overwhelmed him.”
Polyphemus tore a rock from the mountain and threw it at Acis, killing him with just a glancing blow.
Describes the violent death of Acis at the hands of the Cyclops.
