Then to herself she gives her Ægide shield,
And steel-head spear, and morion on her head
Such as she oft is seen in warlike field:
Then sets she forth, how with her weapon dread
She smote the ground, the which straightforth did yield
A fruitful olive tree, with berries spread,
That all the gods admired: then, all the story
She compassed with a wreath of olives hoary.
Amongst these leaves she made a butterfly,
With excellent device and wondrous slight,
Flutt’ring among the olives wantonly,
That seemed to live, so like it was in sight:
The velvet nap which on his wings doth lie,
The silken down with which his back is dight,
His broad outstretchéd horns, his hairy thighs,
His glorious colors, and his glistening eyes.
A. B. Thorwaldsen.
Minerva, Prometheus, and Man.
PROMETHEUS.
The gods told the wise Prometheus to bestow gifts upon all the animals of the earth, according to their need. So to the deer he gave swiftness; to the lion, courage; to the horse, strength; to the eagle, strong pinions; to the ox, patience; to the dog, keenness of scent; and to the nightingale, a melodious voice.
After the animals had all received special gifts, the gods told Prometheus to make man to rule over them. Prometheus made man after the image of the gods, but smaller and weaker, and Minerva gave to him mind and soul. Prometheus loved the man he had made, but as he had already bestowed all the gifts he had upon the animals, for a long time he could not think of a way in which to give man power over them. At last he decided that he must obtain for man the gift of fire.
But how could he get this wonderful element? He knew that Jupiter would never grant it; for fire belonged to Apollo, the god of the sun, and punishment would be inflicted upon any one who attempted to obtain it by stealth or by force. Yet his love for man prevailed over his fear and by night he approached the chariot wheels of the sun and stole some fire, bringing it to earth in a hollow tube. With this power, man conquers the cold, makes the minerals plastic, forces his way through mountains, and crosses deep seas.