The Myth
Clytie's Story in Greek Mythology:
Clytie was an oceanid (a sea nymph), and her story is one of unrequited love. According to Greek myth, Clytie fell deeply in love with Helios, the god of the sun. She adored him passionately, but Helios did not return her feelings, as he had fallen for another woman, Leucothoe. Devastated by Helios' neglect, Clytie grew envious and betrayed Leucothoe by informing her father of the affair. In a fit of rage, Leucothoe's father buried her alive.
Though Clytie hoped that by eliminating her rival she would win Helios' affection, her actions only caused him to reject her even further. Heartbroken, Clytie spent her days sitting on the ground, staring longingly at the sun as it moved across the sky. After nine days of unrelenting sorrow, she withered away. The gods took pity on her and transformed her into a heliotrope, a flower that turns its face towards the sun, eternally following its movement.
Bk IV:256-273 Clytie is transformed into the heliotrope
‘The god of light no longer visited Clytie, nor found anything to love in her, even though love might have been an excuse for her pain, and her pain for her betrayal. She wasted away, deranged by her experience of love.
Impatient of the nymphs, night and day, under the open sky, she sat dishevelled, bareheaded, on the bare earth. Without food or water, fasting, for nine days, she lived only on dew and tears, and did not stir from the ground.
She only gazed at the god’s aspect as he passed, and turned her face towards him. They say that her limbs clung to the soil, and that her ghastly pallor changed part of her appearance to that of a bloodless plant: but part was reddened, and a flower like a violet hid her face.
She turns, always, towards the sun, though her roots hold her fast, and, altered, loves unaltered.’
Clytie in Victorian Depictions:
In the Victorian era, Clytie's story resonated deeply, aligning with themes of melancholy, unrequited love, and longing, which were central to much of Victorian art and literature. Victorian artists often emphasised her tragic love and emotional suffering, depicting her in a romantic, wistful light. They portrayed Clytie either in her human form, gazing sorrowfully toward the sky, or in the moment of transformation into a flower. One particular piece of work I first saw was Watts's bronze sculpture, and this was the piece that first introduced me to Clytie.
In paintings and sculptures, the Victorians favoured idealised beauty, and Clytie was often shown as a beautiful, delicate woman, embodying the emotional vulnerability that the era found appealing in female figures. The heliotrope became a symbol of faithful, albeit hopeless, love. Notable works, like George Frederic Watts' painting Clytie, capture her mournful longing, emphasising her transformation and her eternal connection to the sun. Victorian poets and authors also referenced Clytie’s story, using her as a symbol of unattainable desires and the pain of love left unfulfilled.
In this way, the Victorians both honoured and romanticised Clytie’s sorrow, elevating her tale to a timeless representation of the depth and despair of unreciprocated love.