Remember the sirens from The Odyssey?
Five years before painting Hylas and the Nymphs, Waterhouse had already painted the famous episode from Homer’s Odyssey: Odysseus tied to the mast while the Sirens try to lure him to them with their song.
In Greek mythology, Hylas was a young companion of Heracles. While fetching water, he encountered a group of water nymphs who were captivated by his beauty.
It’s easy to see why the scene feels strangely familiar: beautiful supernatural beings, an irresistible attraction, and a man being drawn toward the water.
They drew him into the water — and Hylas was never seen again.
John William Waterhouse 1849–1917Hylas and the Nymphs, 1896Oil on canvas · 98.2 × 163.3 cm · Manchester Art GalleryHis Ulysses and the Sirens (1891) is in the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.Public domain · Wikimedia Commons Source
Point at a light to read a detail, or click the painting to look closer.Tap a light to read a detail, or the painting to look closer.- Hylas In Greek mythology, Hylas was a young companion of Heracles. While fetching water, he encountered a group of water nymphs who were captivated by his beauty.
- The water nymphs It’s easy to see why the scene feels strangely familiar: beautiful supernatural beings, an irresistible attraction, and a man being drawn toward the water.
- Drawn toward the water They drew him into the water — and Hylas was never seen again.
In Greek mythology, Hylas was a young companion of Heracles. While fetching water, he encountered a group of water nymphs who were captivated by his beauty. They drew him into the water — and Hylas was never seen again.
It’s easy to see why the scene feels strangely familiar: beautiful supernatural beings, an irresistible attraction, and a man being drawn toward the water.
But unlike Odysseus, Hylas had no ropes to save him.
Different creatures. Different myths. But two dangerously irresistible encounters — painted by the same artist.
