Mermaid Thessaloniki
About This Work
A tribute to the artist's home town...
Thessaloniki, the sister of Alexander the Great, accidentally spilled the water of immortality that was intended for her beloved brother. Devastated, she pleaded with the gods never to learn of his death. The gods metamorphosed her into a mermaid, and ever since, as legend has it, she wanders the seas, asking sailors:
"Does King Alexander live?"
If the answer is yes, she lets them pass. But should anyone dare speak the truth, she unleashes her sorrow, sinking the ship and condemning the crew to death.
Etymologically, Thessaloniki is thought to derive from the union of the words Thessalians and Victory
(Niki in Greek). It echoes a triumph won by Philip II of Macedon and the Thessalian League in 353 BC,
at the Battle of Crocus Field in Thessaly, against the Phocians.
Thessaloniki, the sister of Alexander the Great, accidentally spilled the water of immortality that was intended for her beloved brother. Devastated, she pleaded with the gods never to learn of his death. The gods metamorphosed her into a mermaid, and ever since, as legend has it, she wanders the seas, asking sailors:
"Does King Alexander live?"
If the answer is yes, she lets them pass. But should anyone dare speak the truth, she unleashes her sorrow, sinking the ship and condemning the crew to death.
Etymologically, Thessaloniki is thought to derive from the union of the words Thessalians and Victory
(Niki in Greek). It echoes a triumph won by Philip II of Macedon and the Thessalian League in 353 BC,
at the Battle of Crocus Field in Thessaly, against the Phocians.
Tags
thessaloniki
greece
mermaid
mythology
alexander
gold
