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Elizabeth A.Sackler Center for Feminist Art

Eurynome

Mythic, worshipped by the Pelasgians of ancient Greece, exact dates uncertain

In the mythology of the Pelasgians, a people who lived on mainland Greece and its surrounding islands prior to the invasion by Hellenic Greeks in the second millennium B.C.E., Eurynome was the creator of all things. Said to have emerged from chaos, she separated sky and water, then danced across the sea to create the wind. She then created the serpent Ophion, who impregnated her. After laying the Universal Egg, she bade Ophion to wrap himself around it. When the egg split open, the sun, moon, stars, and earth with all of life upon it spilled out and Eurynome and Ophion ascended to Mount Olympus. Ophion bragged that he himself had created life so Eurynome battered his head, kicked out his teeth, and banished him from heaven.

Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). <em>The Dinner Party</em> (Heritage Floor; detail), 1974–79. Porcelain with rainbow and gold luster, 48 x 48 x 48 ft. (14.6 x 14.6 x 14.6 m). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography
Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). The Dinner Party (Heritage Floor; detail), 1974–79. Porcelain with rainbow and gold luster, 48 x 48 x 48 ft. (14.6 x 14.6 x 14.6 m). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. © Judy Chicago. Photograph by Jook Leung Photography

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