An Odyssean fable of courage and bravery; an acknowledgement of alternative heroes.
Mighty Zeus, who delights in thunder, is feeling restless as he sits atop his shining throne, on the highest peak of rugged Olympos. Agitation is not an uncommon feeling for the son of Kronos; dissatisfaction weighs heavy on his brow like a billow of storm clouds. He reaches for his golden drinking-cup of nectar, and finding it empty, tosses it aside with a deep groan.
The fickle cloud-gatherer peers down at the Earth, watching the pitiful mortals go about their daily lives. He focuses his gaze on a small Lesche in Delphi, a town square where a rhapsode is narrating eloquent tales of bravery and tragedy, and suddenly, Zeus, who marshals the thunderheads, bellows for Hermes, his son, the messenger of the Gods. ‘Bring me that mortal’, he rumbles.
Swift-footed Hermes, conductor of men, wings his way down to Earth and gleefully returns in an instant, startled rhapsode in tow. The perturbed performer is at once instructed to entertain thundering, wide-seeing Zeus, while, in his gleaming dominion, he looks on, impatiently.
And so, like a dazed hare, the stuttering sonneteer begins trepidatiously, supplicating the immortal storm-bringer with every rhyme. He begins with tales of the labours of Heracles, verses of Narcissus and King Midas, of Oedipus and Sisyphus, of Jason and his courageous Argonauts. But whichever epic yarn he unfurls, the stories seem only to stir the god further into his vexed agitation. But as he begins the chronicle of Achilles, hero of the siege of Troy, great Zeus, who darkens the skies, booms “Enough! Have you no tales of courage without these marauding, brawling men? They do not know bravery!”. And so, with a subtle smile, the rhapsode begins again, now calm and clear, for he knows which tales will supplicate the immortal rage, and he is happy to recount them.
First, he recalls not the story of cunning Odysseus, but of loyal-hearted Argos, his faithful hound of steadfast devotion. Left neglected by his master for twenty years, he lays in the dung, resting wearily on his old bones. When at last, his lord returns home from war, he wags his tail and drops both his ears in submission, but his master simply pretends not to know him, leaving darkness to shroud his eyes forever.
And the bard tells of lion-hearted Pegasus, the winged horse, sprung from the neck of Medusa. He is captured by warlike Bellephoron with the aid of Pallas Athene and her golden bridle, forged in the fires of the lame god, Hephaestus. Selflessly and gallantly, Pegasus aids the mortal hero to slay the heinous Chimera. Yet, he is repaid only in pain and suffering, when Bellephoron’s hubris causes them to fall back to earth, after attempting to fly up to the House of Zeus.
So finally, the poet speaks of kind-hearted Delphinus, the sweet natured Dolphin who aided the kitharode, Arion of Lesbos, in his time of need. Hurled overboard into the loud-roaring sea, Arion was doomed to the watery waves, until Delphinus heard his song and rushed to his rescue. He carried him home on his back and washed him ashore to safety. Arion was so keen to tell of his adventure, he abandoned well-meaning Delphinus on the shore, dry and alone.
And so, Zeus, of the bright lightening, wipes a tear from his all-seeing eye, though a second rolls down his blessed immortal cheek. “Bring them to me, for I shall grant them immortality and they shall join me in the heavens for eternity”.
The constellations of Delphinus, Pegasus, and Canis Major and Minor are all attributed to Ptolemy, Greek Alexandrian astrologer 100 AD.
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Inspiration
This collection references the ancient Greek myths in all their wonderful forms. From Chaos and the origin myths, Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the Underworld), Eros (Desire), Erebus (Darkness) and Nyx (Night), and their varied offspring, to the succession myth, where we see Kronos overthrow his father, Ouranos, on through the Titanomachy to the Olympian Gods, and Zeus’ eternal rule over the cosmos. The diversity and narrative plurality of the Greek myths is astounding; these stories have been told, retold, subverted, depicted and performed throughout millennia, and still are known and loved to this day. There are innumerable variations: between authors, between genres, between historical periods, between localities, yet still they hold a firm grip on our imaginations, culture and language.
Texts by notable ancient Greek writers have contributed greatly to these works, notably Hesoid’s Theogony (approx. 700 BC); a 1022-line poem describing the genealogy of the Greek gods and goddesses, as very briefly outlined above. The Nine Lyric Poets of ancient Greece were also considered, alongside the Homeric Hymns celebrating the virtues of thirty-three individual gods. The most notable writer recalled in this collection, however, is Homer. His epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey (also penned in approx. 700 BC), are considered to be the foundational works of Greek literature, and fittingly, I found the images evoked by these poems to be the foundation stones for this collection. Homer’s epics both have a strong narrative core, but each is also an exploration; the tales have many tributaries. Those familiar with Homer’s work may see his influence in my collection texts.
Besides the stories themselves, this collection is established upon a great well-spring of inspiration from artists who precede me. The richness and power of the visual images through which ancient Greek artists depicted the myths is astounding. First, and most notably foremost, must be ancient Greek pottery and the scenes depicted by the painters. With vase-painting, our evidence of the ancient Greek world increases a thousandfold; from black-figure to red-figure, archaic to Hellenistic, the painted pottery provides us a rich harvest of mythological evidence.
Of the other artforms, sculpture is referenced, both in its free standing and architectural forms, most of which is in marble. It should be noted that these sculptures and buildings were once painted in bold and vibrant hues, bright oranges, blues and golds. Another influence was Greek wall painting, of which we have pitifully few extant examples. Knossos Palace, however, still retains some wonderfully vivid wall art from Minoan times; The Minoans were a peaceful civilisation, depicting mostly colourful naturalistic forms, plants, flowers, marine life and animals. A few notable examples of ancient Greek mosaic flooring can still be appreciated. Olynthos in northern Greece has a floor mosaic of Bellephoron, mounted on the winged horse Pegasus, ready to slay the monstrous Chimera. Ancient Greek coins are also included in the collection; they typically portray an image which somehow encapsulates the identity of the community who struck the coin (i.e., a foundation myth, or the God or Goddess associated with the community). The ancient Greeks were masters at the observation of nature and it’s laws, symmetry and rhythm. They were a society that communicated through literary and artistic narratives, with no separation between ‘art’ and ‘craft’.
Process
View the collection illustrations in progress, and see how the drawings transform into detailed and intricate scarf designs. Sabina creates a story for each collection, as shown below, which is then illustrated and narrated through her elaborate handiwork.
The Campaign
Welcome to our our Spring/Summer 2024 campaign, Mýthos.
Shop the Collection
A range of beautiful fabrics are available for each design, from classic silk twill to our sumptuous signature wool and silk blend. Each piece is printed and hand finished by artisans in the UK.
