Mythology . Other Stories.

Of the many amatory affairs of Zeus, the father of the gods, the best known is probably that with Leda, whom he approached in the form of a swan. The offspring of this union were the two pairs of twins, Castor and Pollux and Helena and Clytemnestra.

The painting contrasts the blessings of peace with the horrors of war. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and the civilizing arts, drives away Mars, who is about to withdraw his dreadful companion, the Fury of war, having already turned back. And under the protection of Minerva the joys of peace are spread out before our eyes, symbols of fruitfulness and plenty as only Rubens could conceive them: Peace offering her breast to a childblissfully eyeing the gorgeous fruits, the other companions of Bacchus dancing maenads with gold and treasures and the panther playing peacefully like a big cat; on the other sidle three children with anxious eyes, fleeing from the terror of war to the haven of peace and plenty, crowned by a young genius.

Although generally thought to show the goddess of love united by Cupid to the god of war, the picture has also been interpreted as showing Chastity transformed by Love into Charity; the horse restrained by an armed Cupid may symbolize restrained passion.

Artemis from Ephesos is the twin sister of Apollo and the daughter of Leto and Zeus. She is the goddess of virgins, the hunt and animals, and the night. She also guarded women during childbirth. The eastern versions of Artemis are quite different. Here we see the famous Artemis from Ephesus. She is pictured as the mistress of animals (all along her skirt and headdress are different beasts) and the great mother (note the numerous breasts). Her most elaborate temple was in Ephesus.The famous Artemis from Ephesus integrated virginity with motherhood and became the goddess of fertility.