Achelous - Limited Edition 1 of 10 Photograph

This work is part of a series inspired by Greek Mythology. Not the common and most known myths, rather I get inspiration by less known stories. I used original photo of palms, as visual and symbolic reflection of the myth because I think that Ancients were strictly connected with the realm of nature while it still keeps nowadays a deep connection with the realm of archetypes, with which we have few conscious relations. It's like an Ariadne's thread. Every photo is related to a specific myth. This is about Achelous, Ancient Greek: Ἀχελώїoς, and later Ἀχελῷος, Achelṓios. Achelous was originally the god of all water, and the rivers of the world were viewed by many as his sinews. Later, in Hellenistic times, he was specifically a river god who became the patron deity of the Achelous River, which is the largest river of Greece, and thus the chief of all river deities, every river having its own river spirit (though the initiated still revered him as the god of all water). Achelous was also an important deity in Etruscan mythology. Homer placed Achelous above all, the origin of all the world's fresh water. According to Alcaeus he was the son of Gaia and Oceanus, whereas Hesiod in his canonical Theogony presented Tethys and Oceanus as the parents of all three thousand river gods. When he battled Heracles over the river nymph Deianeira, Achelous turned himself into a serpent and a bull, which may both be seen as symbols of the chthonic realm. Heracles tore off one of his horns and forced the god to surrender. Achelous had to trade the goat horn of Amalthea to get it back. Heracles gave it to the Naiads, who transformed it into the cornucopia. Achelous was sometimes the father of the Sirens by Melpomene, or in a later version, they are from the blood he shed where Heracles broke off his horn. Achelous was considered to be an important divinity throughout Greece from the earliest times, and was invoked in prayers, sacrifices, on taking oaths, etc.; the oracular Zeus at Dodona usually added to each oracle he gave, the command to offer sacrifices to Achelous. It is print on archival acid free photographic paper, and accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. For mounting options and suggestions, please contact Saatchi Art team.