In Greek and Roman mythology, Acis (Άκις) was the god of the Acis River near Mount Etna in Sicily. He was originally a Sicilian youth, and was often considered the son of Dionysus, or, according to other sources, of Faunus and the river-nymph Symaethis.

According to Ovid, Metamorphoses XIII, lines 750–-68, Acis loved the sea-nymph Galatea, but a jealous suitor, the Cyclops Polyphemus, killed him with a boulder. Galatea then turned his blood into the river Acis. Other sources write that Acis turned himself into a river to escape being crushed.

Galatea and Acis, Medici Fountain

Acis and Galatea, Perrier François

Acis and Galatea, Nicolas Poussin.

Music

Acis and Galatea,George Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)

References

Grimal, Pierre (1986). The Dictionary of Classical Mythology. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. ISBN 0631201025.

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