C – Arion and the Dolphins, Plutarch, Moralia 161a

[161a] ἐν μέσῳ δ᾽  ἀνεῖχεν ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάσσης ὄγκος ἀσαφὴς καὶ ἄσημος ὀχουμένου σώματος, μέχρι οὗ συναγαγόντες εἰς ταὐτὸ καὶ συνεποκείλαντες ἐξέθηκαν ἐπὶ γῆν ἄνθρωπον ἔμπνουν καὶ κινούμενον, αὐτοὶ δὲ πάλιν πρὸς τὴν ἄκραν ἀναφερόμενοι μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον ἐξήλαντο, παίζοντες ὑφ᾽  ἡδονῆς τινος, ὡς ἔοικε, καὶ σκιρτῶντες. ‘ ἡμῶν δ᾽ ’ ὁ Γόργος ἔφη ‘ πολλοὶ μὲν διαταραχθέντες ἔφυγον ἀπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης, ὀλίγοι δὲ μετ᾽  ἐμοῦ θαρρήσαντες προσελθεῖν ἐγνώρισαν Ἀρίονα τὸν κιθαρῳδόν, [160b] αὐτὸν  τοὔνομα φθεγγόμενον ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ τῇ στολῇ καταφανῆ γενόμενον τὸν γὰρ ἐναγώνιον ἐτύγχανεν ἀμπεχόμενος κόσμον, ᾧ κιθαρῳδῶν ἐχρῆτο.

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First, look at the images of Arion on this webpage and then go to the museum websites.  Why do you think that the images of Arion are so varied and have diffferent themes and imagery.

Then view additional images collected in the blogpost “Arion and the Dolphin.” The Classical Association of Northern Ireland 7 Feb 2021. Why do you think that the story of Arion is so popular?

Arion holding a lyre and surrounded by dolphins, Nereids, and Tritones
Arion on the dolphin, François Boucher (1748) Princeton University Art Museum
Arion, looking directly at the viewer, is holding a lyre and riding a sea-horse, his legs and waist wrapped in a blue mantle
Arion on a Sea-horse. William Adolphe Bougeureau. 1855. Cleveland Museum of Art.
Arion depicted as a young boy riding on a dolphin to land
Arion riding on a dolphin. Francesco Bianchi Ferrari. 1509-10. Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, England.