Jupiter and Mercury in the House of Philemon and Baucis
Artist: Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593-1678) baroque
Date: c. 1645
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, NC, United States
Description
Jupiter and Mercury in the House of Philemon and Baucis, a 1645 painting by Jacob Jordaens, is housed in the North Carolina Museum of Art.
The artwork depicts a scene inside a rustic, dimly lit interior, possibly a humble dwelling. The main figures are Jupiter and Mercury, identifiable by their attire and bearing. Jupiter, an older man with a beard, is seated at a table, pouring from a jug. Mercury, a younger, more slender figure, sits opposite him, partially draped in a cloth. Both are bare-chested. An older woman, possibly Baucis, stands near the table, appearing to attend to the needs of the gods. A larger, muscular man, possibly Philemon, sits beside Jupiter, also partially draped. A white goose stands near the table's edge. The setting is detailed, showing a wooden-beamed ceiling, simple furniture, and household items. The overall mood is one of hospitality and a quiet, intimate encounter between the divine and the mortal. The painting's size is not specified in the metadata.
Baucis and Philemon retelling. Dean and Sam as Zeus and Hermes. Reader as Baucis and Philemon.
It was no secret that the almighty King John Winchester was looking for a wife to marry his eldest son. The whole kingdom was aware of this fact, and every young girl of age sought to be chosen to become the next queen of Winchester. For this reason, the castle was constantly being visited by noblewomen and commoners alike. It was a blessing the King made no distinction between the high class and the lower class. On the other hand, this only brought more problems to Crown Prince Dean. Foremost, every girl he met was interested in marrying him, and he had no idea who wanted to do so because they liked him, and who wanted to do so because they wanted the power that came with it. In addition to this, the prince did not desire to marry out of an arrangement or pressure. Deep down, he wanted to find true love, even if it was a fairy tale notion.
“But father, I have told you before that there is no need for me to get a wife,” Dean said one day to his father for the thousandth time.
John Winchester, perched on his throne like a true king, took no time to answer to the tantrum. “I am not getting any younger, and soon enough, you will be the next king of Winchester, you need a wife to support you and to give you heirs.”
Another thing that was well-known by the whole kingdom was the precarious health of the king. Everyone knew that, since his wife and previous queen Mary died years ago, his health had declined considerably. A kingdom with a weak leader was going to soon enough become a target of war. The people were sure that the only reason why neighboring kings have not attacked yet was because of the existing strong princes, Dean and Sam. People were well aware of their courage and intelligence. Nevertheless, John Winchester's arguments were true, for neighboring kingdoms to respect the ascension of Dean, he needed to have a future queen.
“I can rule on my own, I do not need a wife, I have Sammy to step up if needed…” Dean left the commentary unfinished, he knew this was not going to convince his father.
“A queen has an important role in the monarchy, Dean, the kingdom has suffered long enough without one.” Then, he looked at Sam, who was currently standing to the right of his brother. “And Sam will have other duties to fulfill as the new Crown Prince until you have heirs.” After that talk, there were no more complaints on Dean’s part for a while.
During the next month or so, the Winchester castle celebrated several different gatherings in order to look for a potential queen. Dean met dozens of girls from various social standings and physical appearances, yet he found all of them to be extremely dull or material. There was not one that he considered salvageable. At first, his father wanted him to be the one to decide on his wife, but once he saw that his son was not interested in the slightest, King John took the matter into his own hands.
“If none of the girls you have met so far is of your interest, I will be the one who chooses for you.”
That is the last thing that he wanted, so Dean pleaded to his brother for help. Sam, ever the wise man, came up with a solution to Dean’s problem. “You don’t want any of these women because they only care about your face, money, or power, am I right?” Sam inquired.
“Yes, I swear, there is no one girl who I can have a normal conversation with. All they care about is the future Queen position.” The annoyance in Dean’s voice was clear as day.
“And father mentioned that he wanted you to find a kind woman, someone who cared about the people, like Mother.” A plan was forming in Sam’s mind. “I know what we have to do.”
The idea that Sam proposed was simple enough; they would test their unknowing subjects to see who could be worthy of the crown, and at the same time, it would allow Dean to meet someone without the advantages of being the prince. First, they decided to take the plan to their father for approval. John was a little skeptical of the results, but he supported his boys with the condition that, if the plan were to fail, Dean would marry a girl John saw fit. The Crown Prince accepted begrudgingly.
The next part of the scheme was to have the royal magician create a concoction strong enough to change a man’s appearance. The whole kingdom could recognize them by face, and for the plan to work, discretion was a must. Thus, the wizard supplied them with the potion that could change how they looked for everyone else. One for Dean and one for Sam, because they would go together on their little adventure. They only needed to wait for the perfect moment to cast their strategy. On a fated day of storm, they drank the elixir and went into town, looking for a soul kind enough to let them stay the night.
The brothers departed highly optimistic, thinking that their people were warmhearted because all their life they received nothing but kindness, being royals. Dean was even worried about not being able to choose a wife among so many. Sadly, they rapidly realized that would not be the case. The potion that made them unrecognizable also made them incredibly ugly and dirty, which was realistic given their awful clothing. Closed door after closed door, negative after negative, the princes made their way through town.
One of the first houses that they went to, was that of lady Cassie. Out of all the women Dean had met, she was probably the most tolerable to think about marrying. She was a dark-skinned beauty with a fiery personality. Though, as soon as Sam and Dean rang their doorbell, they were met with judging stares and unfriendly words. Not only the butler did not want to let them come in, but also lady Cassie herself declined to help them get out of the pouring rain. Ultimately, they had to leave for the next house. Eventually, they made their way through all the nobility, with none of them offering shelter to the princes.
They had a list of the houses where they knew all young marriageable women lived, so at least they did not have to go through every single house in the kingdom. Still, there were a few. That was how they knew where to knock when they reached the town folk. Jo Harvelle’s house was next on the list. With soaked-trough clothing, Dean expected to be let in by people with a more humble background. Nevertheless, when Jo opened the door, she made a disgusted gesture and closed it back immediately after. Through the thick wood, they heard her scream her refusal to let them come in. They continued going from house to house, and every negative sent a pang of heartache to Dean’s chest. He did not think his subjects were this unkind to travelers. By the time they reached the last house on the list, Dean was sure his father was going to marry him off to the best suitor, possibly one of the many girls that thought him disgusting this night.
“Let’s just go home, Sammy,” Dean murmured, defeated, “there is no one in this town that desires to know me for me.”
Sam, however, still had hope. “There is one house left, come on.”
Their tired steps guided them to your doorstep, where they knocked gingerly on the wood. You were still awake by the time they came, you were sewing a dress for one of your customers that needed it to be delivered the next day. You were not precisely the poorest of the kingdom, but considering that you had no parents to take care of you from a young age, you had to step up to acquire a living. Most of the time you did little jobs, such as cleaning and cooking for other people, but your specialty was repairing and creating cheap clothing for the town folk. The current dress that you were making was for Anna Milton, apparently, she wanted to cause a good impression on the Crown Prince in one of the upcoming balls. You had heard a lot how about the Prince was searching for a wife, and while your friends tried to convince you to participate in the unofficial competition, you were not interested in it, why would a prince marry a commoner like you? Even if the Winchester royals saw no distinction between nobles and commoners, you could not imagine yourself becoming the next queen.
You approached the door with hesitant steps, it was very late in the night, and you lived alone, so being careful was a must. On the other side of the threshold awaited two young but lanky men. They were shivering from the cold of the midnight air, their clothes soaked through. The rain was heavy outside, so you were not surprised by the sight. What made you waver on the doorstep was their appearance altogether. You were not a person that judged others easily based on their looks, but these men were possibly the ugliest people you’d ever seen. Not only their faces were ugly, but also their clothing could only be described as rags. There was nowhere you could look at them without feeling repulsed. Nonetheless, you clearly noticed that they needed your help.
“Hello, my name is Seth, and this is my brother Dan.” Half of your brain screamed at you to close the door; what if they were dangerous? Though, the gentleness in Seth’s voice held you still. “We are not from around here, we do not have enough money to stay at the inn, and we were hoping some kind soul would allow us to stay the night. We just seek shelter from the rain.”
Seth seemed to be telling the truth, however, that did not take away the fact that you lived alone, and letting two strange men spend the night was dangerous. “I do not know…” The doubt was clear in your voice. You wanted to be a good person, you really did, and considering your house was at the end of the lane, it meant that they probably already had gone to the other homes in the village. No one else dared to give them asylum.
“We have nowhere else to go,” this time, the plea came from the other one, Dan. His eyes looked into yours and for some reason, your heart started to beat faster. You found yourself nodding and stepping away to let them in. The brothers seemed surprised, like they did not believe you would actually allow them in. Even if the eldest was really hoping you would.
Dean -or Dan- took in your features like a thirsty man as you guided them to your very small living room. You were the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and he had seen plenty. Not only because you gave them a place to stay, but also because you really were gorgeous. That was how he knew you had never gone to one of his balls, or to the castle in general. He would have remembered your face if you had.
“Here, take this to dry off.” You gave them some big leftover fabric from one of your previous projects. The material felt warm and cozy as they wrapped it around themselves.
“You are very kind,” Dan praised and to his delight, you blushed slightly. Then, as he was sitting on one of the chairs, he noticed the dress you had been working on. “That is very pretty, are you planning on using it for the Crown Prince’s next ball?” If so, then Dean had something to look forward to.
“Ah, no, you murmured.” How could he think such a pretty item is meant for you? “I create clothing for the townspeople, sometimes even the nobles. This one is for someone else.”
Dan seemed disappointed by your response. “I see…”
You did not know why, but you started explaining. “Yes, the business has increased ever since the Crown Prince said he was looking for a wife,” you laughed lightly, “everyone wants to be the new queen.”
The way said it made the brothers pause. It was like you found the situation funny. “You don’t think he should look for a queen?” Dean asked.
With a gentle smile, you gestured for them to sit at the table. “That is not it, I think he will need a partner, but having extravagant balls and being pressured to choose is not the right way for him to find the one.” You looked Dan in the eye as you said your next words. “I mean, if I were him, I would hate to be forced to marry someone that I do not love.”
If Dean previously thought you were a gorgeous woman, now he believed you were the perfect creature. You understood him in a way no one else, but his brother, did. John Winchester was too preoccupied with trying to leave the kingdom in good hands to even consider his son’s happiness. The women in court, all of his prospects, they only cared about getting the big prize. His brother understood him, and now you did too, and he might have passed out with the realization that it was you. You were who he was looking for and no one else. Sure, it was too soon for Dean to say that he was in love, but there was something there, a spark he never found with any of the others. The promise of a future with someone who could understand him, who was kind, who he could love. The fact that you were totally his type was just a bonus.
“Please wait for a moment, let me find something for you to eat, you must be starving.”
Seth -Sam- went to stop you, “oh, there is really no need. Shelter from the rain was all we were looking for.”
You made a dismissing gesture, “nonsense, what kind of host would I be if I did not offer you food?” You smiled sweetly at them. Dean’s heart skipped a beat. “Besides, I have some delicious leftover pie I made yesterday… it is not every day that I have such a delicacy.”
“Pie?” Dean’s stomach grumbled at the thought of it. You giggled at the reaction.
“It is apple, my favorite, wait here…” And before Sam could protest again, you disappeared into the other room.
For a second, neither of them spoke, then; “Sammy, I think I am going to marry her.”
Sam snickered, “why? Because of the pie?”
“No, not because of the pie…”
That night, you served them food and offered them a place to stay. When the clock stroke 3 a.m. and Sam had gone to sleep, you and Dean kept on talking. Eventually, you fell asleep at some point in the night. The last thing you remembered was being at the dining table, but you woke up in your room. You were still wearing the same clothes as the previous day, so at first, you had trouble recalling Dan and Seth’s visit. It was until you heard a masculine voice coming from outside your bedroom that everything came back to you.
You recollected permitting two strange men to stay in your house, which had been probably a very questionable decision. You wanted to help them stay away from the cold and prove that not everyone was unfriendly to travelers. Despite something in your common sense telling you that perhaps they could be bad for you, that they could do something to you, you had allowed them to stay. Now, in the morning, you did not regret it. The chat you had with Dan had been very special for you. You never had thought you would feel this way about someone, but there was a distinctive connection with him. You hadn’t had a good time with anyone else in a while, not the way you did with him.
As you made your way to the living room, you started to hear male voices, in your still-sleep brain, you did not recognize the clear difference from Seth and Dan’s voices. It was until you were right in front of them that you realized the people before you were not the travelers you helped yesterday. In your tiny and poor kitchen, Crown Prince Dean and Prince Sam stood. They were in such a deep discussion that they did not notice you at first, it was until you let out an audible gasp that they looked your way.
“Princes, what- what are you-?” Flabbergasted, you only managed to bow.
“Please, please, none of that,” Crown Prince Dean objected. When your eyes clashed with his, you had the feeling that you had seen them before, but different. It was shortly after that, that you found out the truth.
As the Princes explained to you that they were actually the man you previously allowed to stay in your home -Dan and Seth- they also ended up telling you everything about their plan. How the Crown Prince was indeed looking for a wife. How he struggled with that idea, and even more so with finding someone. They also told you about their plan to find the kindest woman in the village. You did not believe that was you, but you accepted their explanations as the truth. Foremost, because there was not an ounce of lies in their eyes, but mostly because you could feel with Dean the same connection you had with Dan. It also helped that they were still dressed in their previous clothing.
Finally, when Dean talked to you about marriage, you were considerably surprised, but not entirely opposed to the idea. You could understand that his father was pressuring him to settle down, but that did not mean you wanted to take away from him the possibility of choosing, even if he claimed he would rather marry you than any other of the girls he met. Ultimately, you agreed to marry because, in that short period of time, you had felt for him in a way you had not had for anyone. It was not a matter of the crown, the money, or not even about his looks, it was about Dean as a person. Dean was very happy once you accepted, and that very day, everyone in the kingdom heard the good news. Eventually, time would go by and that would be the story you’d tell your children. The story of a kind soul who allowed a traveler stay in her home.
