April 2: Spring

In lots of cultures, spring is the time for festivals that celebrate fertility, regeneration, rebirth and resurrection. Very powerful symbol for all of these concepts is the humble egg. The connection dates from ancient times, and in Greek antiquity, eggs were coveted offerings and gifts. Not only that, according to mythology, the most beautiful woman who ever lived, was born from one. She was the daughter of Leda, queen of Sparta, who was also famous for her appearance. Ovid describes her “with beautiful black hair and snowy white skin”. This of course didn’t escape the notice of Zeus, and he sedüced her in the form of a swan. Subsequently, out of an egg, hatched Helena, who would grow up to become Helen of Sparta, and later Helen of Troy. Queen Leda must have really fascinated Zeus, because she also bore him at least one of the twins Castor and Pollux, better known as “dioskouroi”, literally Zeus’ boys. And when she died, he created the constellation “Swan” (“Cygnus”) in her honour.

Leda and the Egg, bell crater, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien, Austria

Helen in the Egg, Apulian Crater, Santa Scolastica Museo Archeologico Bari, Italy