Andromeda’s Story
This story board collage depicts the myth of Andromeda. Her story encompasses
several constellations in the northern sky: Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus,
Perseus and Cetus. Known as The Chained Lady, we see this celestial princess
emerging from her enchainment (or enchantment?) behind the stamens of
a tiger lily, as she steps out from the bright core of the Andromeda galaxy.
Her arms stretch across the heavens as she touches both universe and Earth.
She is looking at the sea monster (Cetus), a dragon of immense creative
power. His dragon breath creates the galaxy. Below the dragon is a star-studded
luminescent sea horse. The male sea horse carries and nurtures the young
in his pouch, tied to the moonlit rhythm of the seas. Cepheus, Andromeda’s
father, is said to be king of Ethiopia. This story is set on the sea caoast.
Another image of the maiden Andromeda is seen in the lower left, in a
decorated marble sculpture of Venus from Pompeii. Behind her is a picture
of the bay near Paphos in Cyprus, where Venus-Aphrodite was said to be
born from the sea. Andromeda was chained to a rock by the sea as a sacrifice
to the sea serpent.
A statue of Poseidon found in the sea represents Perseus who beheaded
Medusa with his deeply reflective vision. He carries her serpent-crowned
head on the shining shield of the Sun, reverberating with power. Medusa
is sometimes imagined as a Sun goddess, radiating life-giving power through
the rays of her streaming “hair” of solar wind. From the severed
neck of Medusa emerged Pegasus, the winged horse, representing the freedom
of imagination. From Perseus’ own head three angels of inspiration
come forth as well as the colored clouds of the Trifid nebula, birth place
of stars. He is inspired with vision in his dark gaze that sees into the
cosmic Void. Perhaps he is riding Pegasus homeward bound through the skies
when he spies Andromeda chained to the rock with monster approaching.
He swoops down to save her.
On the “western” side of the picture we see Queen Cassiopeia
watching the whole drama, under the canopy of her palm tree. Images of
the constellation sometimes picture her thus. In the Greek version of
the story, it is her vanity that sets the whole drama into motion. Sea-side
lovers under the splendor of the setting, and eclipsing, Sun show the
denouement of the story--the union of Perseus and Andromeda.