I really enjoyed the story of Pomona and Vertumnus. I can defiantly relate to Vertumnus because it isn’t easy to be completely ignored by the person you like. The frustration he experiences by being cast away by the woman he loves is part of everyone’s experiences. How many times in history and in movies has the woman or the man been ignored because they don’t live up to the other persons expectations? Vertumnus tries to impress Pomona through different disguises and acting different every time he see her. I wouldn’t say we impress people through disguises anymore but you do strive for the attention of the person you love. Even if it is just a gaze your way, you feel complete and that all the time you’ve spent thinking of that person is worth it. It’s like when Pomona touches Vertumnus by mistake and he says:”I live for these trivial moments”, it’s those simple gestures that can make someone heart flutter.
If it isn’t that the person doesn’t like you because they simply don’t like anyone, its worse when they have standards. It’s horrible when a person is judged not for who they are but for how they look and how they act. Sure looks can be important but they aren’t that important. Pomona is a great example of a person who cares for what is inside more than on the outside. I think when Vertumnus realizes that Pomona is not going to fall for any of the fictional characters he shows, he sees that it is not so much because of the characters but the fact that they aren’t who he is. Pomona also finally is interested in Vertumnus when he shows her the true him, not a fake: “When at last the god revealed himself just as he was, much to his surprise, he had no need for words. Little Pomona was happy with what she saw, unadorned and undisguised. Soon enough the vine was clinging to the tree.”(pg 62) You have to be true to yourself and have confidence in who you are for others to see it. This idea has been used throughout the years in movies, T.V shows, and books. I wonder if this is one of the first examples ever made of inner beauty. Did Ovid write about this?
Then there is the story of Myrrha and her father (talk about disturbing) that has a great point. Soon enough everyone will experience love and once you are trapped by those feelings there is no way to ignore them. Like Aphrodite said,” You can shut yourself in a room, bolt the door, but love will come through the window. Draw the curtains, lock the casement, but love will seep through the walls. Never think, never think you can be safe from love.” I completely agree with her. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your father (eww) but what if you like that guy you swore you were never going to like? One day you wake up, see him, and think to yourself: Hey he isn’t that bad. Then like Myrrha you are stressed and annoyed at yourself for liking the one person you vowed to think of as a jerk for the rest of your life. But off course in her case it was just disturbing incest brought upon by the gods. Still it’s the same thing you don’t go looking for love, love finds you. Sometimes it can be found in the most unpredictable person but it is still there. You let love lift you up like in this image of this couple, she is letting the person she loves lift her up.
This is going to sound cheesy but you have to follow your heart.
Myrrha was with her father in the night and didn’t let him see her. It was a good idea in which she satisfied her cravings for him and he had a good time. This image titled “Lovers Playing in the Dark” reminded me of them:
As I said before love can be tricky and full of challenges. But if the characters of these story were able to overcome them and finally be with whom they loved, anyone can.
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