Ganymede and the Alps
Another recycled entry from 2006, but given the amount of Ganymede photos on the blog, maybe worth repeating
From Zürich, looking down the length of the Zürisee, there is a splendid panorama of the alps of north east Switzerland. However they are rarely visible because of haze and distance (50km), especially in the summer. Occasionally the dry air of the Föhn coming from the deserts of north Africa clears things up and the view is crystal sharp. Not quite so today, but one of the first glimpses this summer as autumn approaches.
This photo was taken through a tram window at Bürkliplatz. The statue by Hermann Hubacher (1952) shows Ganymede with the eagle that Zeus sent to carry him to Mount Olympus. On a clear day like today, the setting for the sculpture is particularly effective - we can imagine that the peaks are the home of the gods.
The myth of Ganymede
Zeus kidnapped the youth Ganymede, and brought him to Olympus as his lover. The myth says that he sent an eagle to bring him, or did it himself in the guise of an eagle. Some disruption hereafter in the household of the gods - jealousy because the women found him attractive, except for Hera of course. Ganymede survives and in the end doesn't have his intestines devoured, get turned into something unnatural or any of the usual things. He is installed in the heavens as part of a constellation.
It has been suggested that the myth was concocted by the Greeks in an attempt to legitimise their fondness for young boys. Artists have used the Ganymede story regularly since Hellenic times and that brings me back to the statue at Burkliplatz. Hubacher has turned things around and shows Ganymede imploring the eagle/Zeus to carry him aloft. Ganymede balances on one leg, with his left heel barely touching the ground, ready for lift off. The eagle doesn't seem so sure...
Others have normally taken the traditional view of the abduction. Works are commonly titled "The Rape of Ganymede" where "rape" is meant in the sense of abduction, although this can be confusing because many artists have also made full use of the erotic overtones. Here is Peter Paul Rubens
When Rembrandt painted his Rape of Ganymede in 1637, he put another slant on the myth. What's going on here? It looks more like baby snatching, and given the gist of the myth, this sits a little uncomfortably. The story normally has Ganymede tending a flock of sheep at the time. Rembrandt has rejected this - was he trying to make a point?
There is a much more detailed and scholarly write up in the wikipedia entry
This said, I'm not dismissing anything.
Interesting all that you tell us about Ganymede!
It must have been a tough job to be a model for this statue, not an easy position to keep for hours or days! :-)