Théophile Gautier’s Omphale is a witty and sensual subversion of classical mythology, a short story that exemplifies the Romantic fascination with the supernatural and the erotic. The tale is narrated by a young man, the Chevalier Albert, who recalls a bizarre and formative childhood experience. Sent to live with a puritanical aunt in a gloomy, old-fashioned house, he finds his only solace in a vast, dusty tapestry that adorns his bedroom wall. The tapestry depicts the mythological scene of Hercules spinning wool at the feet of the Lydian queen, Omphale, who wears the hero's signature lion skin. The young Albert becomes infatuated with the woven image of Omphale, finding her more alive and compelling than anything in his dull reality. One night, his fantasy becomes startlingly real: the tapestry figures begin to move, and the beautiful Omphale steps down from the wall to seduce him. Their nocturnal encounters continue, blurring the lines between dream and reality, art and life. The story cleverly inverts the traditional power dynamic of the myth, where Hercules is subservient to the queen, mirroring the boy's own submission to a dominant, fantastical feminine force. Gautier’s prose is lush and evocative, celebrating the triumph of imaginative desire over drab convention. Omphale is a masterful tale of the power of art to consume the viewer, exploring themes of adolescent awakening and the dangerous, delightful moment when a fantasy decides to pursue you.

Table of Contents:

- Omphale (Full Story)