Renaissance painting (16th century) depicting Galatea. Villa Farnesina, Rome, Italy.
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Image courtesy of Photodisc, Inc. All rights reserved. Images provided by (c) 1995 Fototeca Storica Nazionale.
Galatea
Galatea was a sea nymph for the ancient Greeks. She lived in the sea surrounding the island of Sicily. One of the giant Cyclopes,
Polyphemus, was in love with her. But Galatea loved a young shepherd called Acis, who was the son of
Pan.
Polyphemus was so jealous of Acis that
he killed him with a rock. Acis' blood formed a stream which Galatea turned into a river that bears his name.
Because Galatea was a sea-nymph, her name has been given to one of the moons of the planet Neptune.
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