I am the ruler of these netherworlds

thisismayortomtogroundcontrol:

Atargatis
by *PinkParasol

A week ago I posted a poll asking, “If I were to do a series of paintings, what theme would people want to see in my style most?” So far the results favor women in mythology, with the second and third most favorable themes being art that follows a story, and then mermaids. So, here is the piece I have started that covers all of these options. I found a beautiful Syrian myth about the goddess, Atargatis, who fell in love with a mortal man. When he died, she dove into a pond in hopes of turning into a fish. Instead, only half of her became a fish, and the rest remained human. Another myth following the same goddess, said that she was born from an egg that was pushed up onto the shore by a fish, and then incubated by a dove. Eventually, variations of the story spread throughout Greece and Rome. These stories are said to be the first to introduce mermaids into mythology. 

(via cocodura)