Pygmalion
Overview
Sculptor king who falls in love with a statue that Aphrodite brings to life.
Generation
Heroic Age
Symbols
Statue, ivory
Parents
Unknown or primordial.
Children
No children recorded.
Beyond Antiquity
Modern Legacy
Pygmalion still appears in the modern world through language, science, medicine, astronomy or culture.
Pygmalion
Today: A name associated with transformation through expectation or influence.
The name comes from Pygmalion, the sculptor whose idealised statue was brought to life. The myth later inspired numerous artistic, literary and psychological uses of the name.
Explore Pygmalion in modern language →Pygmalion Effect
Today: The idea that higher expectations can influence and improve performance.
The psychological term takes its name from Pygmalion, the mythological sculptor whose expectations and devotion centre on a statue that ultimately comes to life.
Explore Pygmalion in psychology →Related Myths
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Pygmalion and the Living Statue
Central sculptor