Tros, Ganymede's father, who was in a neighboring field, saw all that happened; but although he shouted and ran and threw sticks and stones toward the fast rising bird, the eagle was far beyond the reach of such missiles long before Tros arrived at the hill where Ganymede had been playing.
So the poor father, overcome with grief, went home and told his wife what had happened. When the neighbors heard the story, they all gathered together at the house of Tros and mourned with the grief-stricken father and mother. It was of no use to search for Ganymede, for the eagle had taken him far beyond the mountains of that country.
A few days later a strange visitor came to the house of Tros. He carried a curious rod with snakes twined round it, and two shadowy wings fluttered from his cap. "Do not mourn for Ganymede," said he, "the boy has met with great good fortune. His beauty has caused him to be loved by Jupiter, who has taken him for his cup-bearer; he pours ruby nectar into a golden cup for the king of the gods; he will never die nor grow old."
When Tros heard these words, he was comforted.
The Legend and Myth of Ganymede
The Myth of Ganymede
The story of Ganymede is featured in the book entitled Favorite Greek Myths by Lilian Stoughton Hyde, published in 1904 by D. C. Heath and Company.
