The Egyptian god Anubis, has a human body and a jackal head. Anubis is the god of the dead, but why does he have a jackal head? Some people think it is because jackals lived on the edges of cities near cemeteries. People who saw the jackals thought that the animals were protecting the cemeteries, like Anubis protects the dead in the myths.
Often, there are similar gods across many myth traditions. In Roman tradition, Jupiter is the name for the Egyptian god Ammon. Both were rulers of the gods and the world. In Greek mythology the same god is called Zeus.
In Greek mythology, Nymphs come out of nature, like rivers and trees. They are also often mothers of Greek Heroes. What kind of heroes do you think these kids in the sculpture are going to grow up to be?
Circe is the Greek goddess of magic. She would enchant demigod (half-god, half-human) travelers when they came to her island home. Mrs. Nesbitt is painted to look like Circe because she was a spy for the British government in the 1700’s. Like Circe, she was able to enchant people into telling their secrets. Is there an animal or mythical creature that you think represents you?