Mythology & Art

I'm still patiently awaiting the arrival of my copy of The Golden Bough, but in the mean time I starting reading through Books I & II of Metamorphoses of Ovid. For some reason, I was expecting this book to be a much more challenging read than it actually is. It's quite a nice book of stories that I am really enjoying so far. But I do have a bit of confusion. I was under the impression that the son of Saturn was "Jupiter" and not "Jove". Perhaps they are the same God with two names. Either way, I am intrigued by the ultimate "God of the Gods" and all he encounters in the stories so far.

My boyfriend took a class last year that was about exploring famous artists and their lives. He was explaining the paintings of Picasso, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, etc. when one in particular stood out to me. It is called "Saturn Devouring His Son" by the legendary Francisco Goya. It's a rather disturbing painting but very clearly rooted from the Metamorphoses of Ovid.  The context of this painting is that the God Saturn feared that his six children would become so powerful that they would overthrow him. According to the myth, his wife hid his son "Jupiter" or "Jove" on the island of Crete and he did indeed end up overthrowing his almighty father. Even more fascinating is the fact that Goya painted this portrait directly on the wall of his dining room (not really my taste, but whatever). I am very interested to explore more artwork (paintings, music, film, etc.) that is so richly rooted in mythology. The Bible and  Metamorphoses  are the two ultimate books of stories and the fact that so many pieces pull inspiration from these makes me want to discover even more.