The myth of the lions of the Goddess Cybele
One of the most representative symbols of the city of Madrid is the Goddess Cibeles. It is located in the center of the square that receives the same name and where you can find the Palacio de Cibeles (now the headquarters of the City Council of Madrid), the Palacio de Buenavista (Army Headquarters), Palacio de Linares (Casa de América), and Banco de España.
La Cibeles (as we Madrilenians call her) is a symbol of the earth, agriculture and fertility. Her sculpture holds countless stories and legends, but today we are going to talk about mythology.
Have you ever noticed that the lions of the Palacio de Congresos have a very similar position to those of Cibeles?
The fountain of Cybele is composed of the figure of the goddess, the work of Francisco Gutierrez, sitting in a chariot pulled by two lions, the work of Roberto Michel.
But as in the lions of the Congress, the lions of the fountain of Cybele do not look at each other. It is no whim of the sculptor, the lions represent the story of Hippomenes and Atalanta.
Atalanta as a child was abandoned in the mountains by her father, who wanted a son. The little girl was raised by hunters who educated her surrounded by nature, becoming a great athlete and hunter.
As she grew in age so did the number of suitors, but she showed no interest in them. This disdain was reinforced after visiting the Oracle who warned her that if she married she would meet a fatal end.
Her stepfather, thinking he was doing what was best for Atalanta, pressured her to marry. Tired of such insistence, Atalanta decided that she would only marry the man who beat her in a race, certain that no one else would.
Among the suitors was a young rogue named Hippomenes, a descendant of Poseidon. Hippomenes made a deal with Aphrodite, he asked her for three golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.
In the race, Hipomenes will drop the apples. The young woman, impressed by his appearance, will stop to pick them up, an opportunity that Hippomenes will take advantage of to advance faster and win the race. Atalanta married him, impressed by his great intelligence.
After several years of happiness, after a day of hunting they entered a temple of the goddess Cybele and had sexual relations inside, a fact that infuriated the Goddess who decided to punish them, condemning them to pull her chariot, together for all eternity but unable to look at each other.
If you go to the Prado Museum you can contemplate the painting by Guido Reni, where the race between Hippomenes and Atalanta is represented.
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