The Case of the Sleeping Beauty
by Stephanie Lile
Who is this sleeping beauty? Why is she lounging about in the
Washington State Historical Society Research Center? Where did she come from?
How did she get here? Curious collectors want to know.
This girl’s story goes back hundreds and thousands of years.
Identifying her isn’t easy. In fact, even smart guy President Thomas Jefferson
didn’t figure it out for years. He thought his copy of the very same statue was
the famous Queen Cleopatra of Egypt. Like Cleopatra, this girl’s story is filled
with battles and big love, but unlike Cleopatra, she was Greek.
The ancient Greeks loved stories, and their religion was filled
with them. They told tales of retribution (punishments for when you try to up a
god or goddess). They told stories of great journeys, of tragic endings, and
occasionally, stories with happy endings. This girl’s story is one of those.
Here are a few clues to help you guess the name of this ancient sleeping beauty:
Clue #1: Her favorite possession was a ball of
string
Clue #2: She lived on an island with a bull-headed brother
Clue #3: Her father was a selfish king
Clue #4: She was abandoned by her lover
Clue #5: In the end, she wore a crown of stars and married the god
of theater
Got it? If you guessed that our sleeping beauty is the princess
Ariadne of Crete, you are correct. But why is she shown sleeping? Is it because:
a) she was sunbathing on a beach
b) she was tired from being on the run
c) everything in her life changed when she fell asleep
d) all of the above
If you picked D, "all of the above" you’re right. "Sleeping
Ariadne" is the name of the statue, but there are more secrets behind the scene.
To find them, read on...
A Ball
of String: Ariadne’s Story
From One
Labyrinth to Another: How THIS Ariadne Came to Tacoma
Find out more:
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Edith Hamilton. Back Bay Books. 1998.
Ariadne, Theseus, and the Minotaur at the Louvre (Paris, France)
Ariadne meets the god Dionysos (Bacchus) at the National Gallery (London, England)
Ariadne statue in Versailles Park (France)
STEPHANIE LILE is a self-professed myth hunter. Her secret love of ancient art has led to many intriguing adventures, including visits to the National Gallery in London and work at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Lile claims that, “There are many mega-bummer stories in the land of Greek myth, but Ariadne is one of the few with a happy ending.”