Prometheus stealing the flame from the gods - original ink illustration
The legends about the titan Prometheus are numerous and even though he is no Olympian God, he was one of the few ancient figures to be officially worshiped in temples. Not only he wasn't one of the “classical” Gods – Prometheus actually was an opponent to Zeus and his kind and the reason for that is a legend that is one of the most prominent in western literature and art: Prometheus stole the fire from the gods and gave it back to the humans, after Zeus took it away from them in his fury of being tricked. Although the Olympian Gods were often benevolent towards humans, they were easily becoming envious and often wrathful – the list of stories where mortals (and immortals alike) were punished in the most awful ways by the Olympian Gods is very long. One of these stories is the legend of Prometheus, who was doomed to be chained to a rock where he was visited by an eagle daily, who ate his liver, that grew back every night. So what exactly denotes the stolen divine fire in the legend of Prometheus and why did this act of stealing it made him being worshiped to such an extent? It's not simply the fact that fire and the warmth it is radiating makes life possible, it's a way more symbolic and “spiritual” meaning that is linked to the fire in the Legend of Prometheus: The fire symbolizes the creative power of the humans, their mental ability to invent, create, shape their surroundings and thus form their world after their will. For this gift that Prometheus brought to humankind he was rightfully worshiped as the “Lightbringer” (Phosphoros) that brought civilization, art, culture, wisdom and science to the humans.
This rendition of Prometheus shows him stealing the flame from Mount Olympus while the eagle in the background – the emblem of Zeus – is watching him and foreshadows the punishment he will endure in the future until Herakles unchains him from the rock.
30x30 cm. Dip pen and ink on paper. Hand signed.
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