Author's note: I wrote this story after reading Pygmalion and wanting to develop on the statues story. So this story gives the statue a back story, and rewrites some of the original tale, in the form of my character named Ivory. I hope you enjoy it.
In ancient Greece there was a woman named Ivory that had grown up in a village far from any city. Her family farmed the land around their home and raised livestock. When she was older, her father would take her with him on the long journey to the city when it was time to sell their crops at the market. One year at the market, Ivory met the most beautiful man she had ever seen. This man’s name was Deveron, and he was known widely for his charm and beauty. Soon after they met, Deveron and Ivory fell in love and were married.
They built a small home on the land Ivory’s family owned and continued to farm the land and live good lives that seemed to be blessed by the gods. They were so happy in their love and in their life that they began to draw the attention of Venus, the goddess of love. When she noticed the happy couple, she was captivated by Deveron’s beauty and wanted him for herself.
Many times, she tried to persuade him to betray his wife, but each time he turned Venus down. Eventually, Venus decided that if Deveron would not leave his wife, she would kill her so that Deveron would have no other choice. As she prepared to take such malicious steps, other gods caught wind of her plans, and knowing the good life that Ivory had lead they conspired to thwart Venus, but she was determined. After narrowly saving Ivory from many of Venus’s attempts, the gods decided that the only option left was to hide Ivory from Venus and hope that she would forget in time. But how do you hide a person from a god?
So, they devised a plan. They would turn Ivory to stone, disguise her as a statue, and hide her in their temples until Venus lost interest in Deveron and Ivory and moved on. So, they whisked Ivory away to a temple to be kept safe in her stone form. She was protected for many years in the temple and remained hidden from Venus; However, time was not friendly to the couple, and Venus never lost interest in Deveron although he refused her always. Even after Deveron was long dead Venus loathed Ivory for coming between her and what she wanted so the gods kept Ivory in hiding.
Over time the gods forgot about their plan, and even about Ivory altogether, as gods are wont to do. So, she was trapped in stone and in time, often moved from place to place as people paid more and more for this life like statue. Eventually she ended up in the home of a sculptor, Pygmalion, who began to pass her off as his own creation. Although he did not know she had once been alive, he was enamored by her life like features and her beauty so much so that he fell in love with her.
He dressed her in fine clothes, cared for her, and spoke to her as though she was alive. He became so obsessed that he began to pray to the gods that they would make her real so that he could marry her. Eventually one of the gods that had originally turned her to stone heard Pygmalion’s prayers for his love to be turned human and remembered the woman he had hidden from Venus. Knowing this must be the same statue, he turned the woman back. When she was transformed, she awoke, a human, dressed in fine clothes, and laying in the bed of a stranger. Before Pygmalion could so much as call to her, Ivory was up and running for the door stumbling as she went. When she hit the door and crashed through to the other side, light and noise flooded her senses. This was not the Greece she grew up in. Hundreds of years had passed, and nothing was the same. She crumpled on the sidewalk just outside door, as the memories of the past rushed back to her. Her only thought was, Where is Deveron?
Bibliography:
Pygmalion in Ovid's Metamorphoses, translated by Tony Kline (2000)
Photo by NikosAB via PixaBay
First off, I absolutely love when people give back stories to characters from different stories. I was immediately drawn in after I read your Author’s Note. I like the detail that you put into this story. It adds a lot and makes it an easy and interesting read. I feel so bad for Ivory. Being stuck in stone and being shuffled from place to place seems absolutely awful. The ending of the story really makes me feel even more for her. The realization that she is someone much different and at a much later time must be devastating. This was a great read! I really enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI loved the story and how I could see the images so vividly in my mind. You did a really nice job describing the scenes. I found myself wishing that they had turned Deveron into a statue along with Ivory, as it was really heartbreaking to feel the disappointment she must have felt when she was awoken so many years later. I'm also proud that Deveron stayed faithful instead of giving in to lust, even after Ivory was gone and he didn't have to worry about her finding out.
ReplyDeleteThis was a really interesting approach to this story! I especially enjoyed the word play in the woman's name. It was very well written. As a bit of a greek mythology nerd, I appreciated the comment about the gods forgetting Ivory. I feel like Zeus or someone coming back hundreds of years later and going "Oh! My bad, I forgot we turned you to stone for a few centuries. I've got a new husband for you though, so we're cool right?" is completely realistic.
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