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Narcissus
fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water
Oedipus
and the Sphinx Oedipus guessed the Sphinx's riddle; it
destroyed itself and Oedipus obtained the kingdom of Thebes and
Jocasta as a wife.
The
poet Virgil reads to the Emperor(Caesar Augustus) and his sister
Octavia a passage from the Aeneid(book6), in praise of Octavia's
dead son. She swoons with grief.
The
Three Graces
Io
was loved by Jupiter who transformed her into a heifer(on left) to
protect her from Juno's jealousy. Juno, discovering the heifer's
identity, had it guarded by Argus Panoptes(many-eyed Argus). Mercury
was sent by Jupiter to kill Argus, which he did, after piping him to
sleep.
The
goddess Venus conceived a hopeless passion for the beautiful mortal
Adonis, and here implores him to stay and lover her, rather than go
hunting. Adonis was later accidentally killed and anemones sprung
from his blood. Cupid is in the background.
Cupid
complains to Venus of being stung by bees when stealing a honeycomb.
This is to be taken as moral commentary; as the inscription
observes: Life's pleasure is mixed with pain.
Jupiter,
wishing to immortalize the infant Hercules (whose mother was the
mortal Alcmene), held him to the breasts of the sleeping Juno; some
milk split upwards forming the Milky Way, some downwards giving rise
to lilies.
The
Trojans, who shorship the horse, bring the Greek gift into the City.
Later the Greek soldiers emerge and begin the sack of Troy.
Bacchus and
Adriadne
Ganymede, a
beautiful young boy, was carried off by Jupiter disguised as an
eagle.
Followers of Cadmus devoured by a Dragon
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