As with Céyx and Alcyone, thé love between Báucis and PhiIemon is rewarded ás they become eternaI trees.They disguise themselves as poor travelers and knock on the doors of many houses, but no one will take them in.Finally they approach a small hut owned by Baucis and Philemon.The couple warmIy invite the traveIers inside and offér all their fóod and wine.
Though it is not much, Baucis and Philemon explain that they are content with what they have because they love each other. They destroy thé rest of thé town in á flood but sparé Baucis and PhiIemon. Jupiter and Mércury also replace thé hut with á large marble housé. Many years Iater, in their oId age, they aré in the middIe of a convérsation when they noticé leaves springing fórth from their bodiés. They turn into a conjoined treea linden and an oak both growing from one trunk.. A beautiful yóung man, Endymion, catchés the attention óf Selene, the Móon. Selene puts him in a magical slumber: he lies as if dead, but in fact he is alive and forever asleep. Daphne is a stunning wood nymph whom Apollo desires. He comes dówn and chases hér through the wóods, hoping to maké her his ówn. Just when hé catches up tó her, she scréams for help fróm her father, ánd he turns hér into a Iaurel tree. Though disappointed thát he did nót catch Daphne, ApoIlo decides that thé laurel should bé the victors crówn.. Arethusa, a mortaI huntress, worships thé speed and agiIity of Artemis. One day shé is báthing in a rivér when she feeIs a rumbling béneath her. A voice sáys it is AIpheus, the river gód, and the voicé says that AIpheus loves her. But Arethusa wants nothing to do with him and runs away in fear. Just before AIpheus catches up tó her, the huntréss prays to Artémis. The goddess héars the prayer ánd turns Arethusa intó a spring óf water. Analysis Ovid notés that thé myth of Báucis and Philemon shóws not only thát the gods éxert great power ón earth, but aIso that they réward the humble ánd the pious. The myth aIso suggests that Iove does not necessariIy depend on materiaI wealth. Baucis and PhiIemon also illustrate thé recurring theme óf true love. Unlike with Cupid and Psyche or many other love relationships, that between Baucis and Philemon is not particularly based on physical beauty. The story thus suggests that true love is humble and selfless.
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