Picart, Deucalion and Pyrrha of Phthia, Thessaly, Greece, 1733, Engraving

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Antique print titled 'Deucalion & Pyrrha (\.)'. This print depicts Deucalion and Pyrrha. Deucalion, who reigned over the region of … Read more Antique print titled 'Deucalion & Pyrrha (\.)'. This print depicts Deucalion and Pyrrha. Deucalion, who reigned over the region of Phthia, had been forewarned of the flood by his father, Prometheus. In Greek mythology Phthia was a city or district in ancient Thessaly. It is frequently mentioned in Homer's Iliad as the home of the Myrmidones, the contingent led by Achilles in the Trojan War. It was founded by Aeacus, grandfather of Achilles, and was the home of Achilles' father Peleus, mother Thetis (a sea nymph), and son Neoptolemus (who reigned as king after the Trojan War). Deucalion was to build an ark and provision it carefully (no animals are rescued in this version of the Flood myth), so that when the waters receded after nine days, he and his wife Pyrrha, daughter of Epimetheus, were the one surviving pair of humans. Once the deluge was over and the couple had given thanks to Zeus, Deucalion consulted an oracle of Themis how to repopulate the earth. He was told to cover your head and throw the bones of your mother behind your shoulder. This print originates from 'Tafereel, of Beschryving van den prachtigen Tempel der Zang-Godinnen' by B. Picart. Artists and Engravers: Published by H. Chatelain, Amsterdam. See less