February 19: Love Month

Even at the very dawn of mankind, love was a powerful force. It was the force that kept humanity from being extinct, when Zeus sent a terrible flood, that should have ended all life on earth. If not for two people, who were righteous and brave, and above all, shared a profound love. They were Deukalion, son of Prometheus, and Pyrrha, daughter of Pandora, first woman ever. Prometheus warned them to build a vessel. (All resemblances with other stories are no coincidence.) When the water pulled back, they were all alone, wondering how to populate the earth again. It was the wise titan Themis’ advice, to “throw the bones of their mother over their shoulders.” Pyrrha suggested that “their mother” could be “mother Earth”, and therefore, the “bones” had to be rocks. Deukalion’s rocks became men, and Pyrrha’s women. While they swarmed out to every corner of the world, the couple also got a son together. That would be Hellen, the ancestor of all the Greeks (hence “Hellas”). So we all descend from love, isn’t that nice?

Deucalion and Pyrrha, Mosaic, Antikensammlung Berlin, Germany

Deucalion and Pyrrha, Giovanni Bottala, Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil