tour 2 of 11
The myth of the Trojan war
The wedding of Peleus and Thetis
The sea-nymph Thetis was loved by both Zeus,
king of the gods, and Poseidon, god of the sea. However, their
ardour was cooled when they learned that Thetis' son was
destined to be greater than his
father.
The gods decided
that Thetis should be made to marry a mortal in order that her son,
however powerful, should present no threat to the gods. They chose
Peleus and to reconcile Thetis to this inferior alliance, they gave
the couple a magnificent wedding, illustrated on this
vase.
The vase-painter has
shown Peleus, to the right, standing in front of his house offering
a cup to the arriving dignitaries. Thetis is decorously concealed
within. The guests include appropriate deities such as Hebe, the
goddess of youth, and Dionysus, the god of wine. The centaur
Cheiron, part man and part horse, also appears; he later became the
tutor of the son of Peleus and Thetis, the mighty Achilles. The
figures have their names inscribed beside
them.