“… τὸν Νυμφῶν θεράποντα, φιλόμβριον, ὑγρὸν ἀοιδόν,
τὸν λιβάσιν κούφαις τερπόμενον βάτραχον… “
“… the servant of the Nymphs, lover of dampness, moist singer,
the frog which takes delight in flowing water …”
Greek Anthology, VI.43 (Plato)

Translation according to Lewis, S. – Llewellyn-Jones, L., Animals in Antiquity. A Sourcebook with Commentaries, London – New York 2018, 570.

Bronze waterspout
Metalwork Collection, inv. no. X 6512

Provenance: Sanctuary of Hera at Samos
Dimensions: Length 15 cm, max. Height 12 cm
Date: 625-600 BC
Display location: Room 37a, Showcase 43 (no. 38)

In the sanctuary of Hera at Samos, during the excavations of the German Archaeological Institute, a cast waterspout in the form of a lion’s head with a frog on top of it was discovered[1]. Beast and amphibian are rendered frontally. The lion is presented with an open mouth, protruding tongue and deep loop-shaped grooves around the muzzle, which imply influence from Assyrian lion depiction patterns. The end of the neck is surrounded by a triple projecting band and retains a small part of the cylindrical stem for fitting the spout in the wall of the fountain. The frog, crouching and in absolute calm, is shown naturalistically. The image is timeless and familiar: a frog sits on the waterspout of a fountain, ready to dive into the water at the slightest noise. The spout was found in an early rectangular water reservoir dated in the 7th c. B.C. near the South Stoa of the Heraion, which would cool the worshipers who would enter the sanctuary coming from the sea. It was the work of a Samian artist with vivid imagination, boldness in conception and skill in execution, who justifies the reputation of his homeland as a center with acknowledged tradition in bronze-working. It belongs to the so-called Orientalizing period, that is the 7th c. BC, when works of art and motifs from Egypt and important centers of the Near East, such as Assyria, Babylonia and Northern Syria, inspired artists in the Greek cities. In the “multi-ethnic” Heraion of Samos, the largest number of imported bronze finds came to light, dating from the late 8th to the early 6th century BC, a period that coincides with the heyday of the island.

The waterspout combines two elements of the fauna with strong symbolism. The frog, an amphibious creature, inhabits places where water predominates, such as lakes, rivers, swamps, wells and fountains. In antiquity, it was associated with fertility and renaissance, mainly due to its relationship with water and its ability to transform from a tadpole to an adult frog in the mud, thus representing the cycle of life and death[2]. In ancient Egypt, the connection of frogs with fertility was particularly strong and was visualized with the millions of tadpoles born after the annual flooding of the Nile that made the thirsty soil fertile. The Egyptian goddess of fertility and rebirth Heqet was depicted either as a frog or with a frog’s head. In ancient Greece, votive offerings representing frogs have been found in sanctuaries founded in watery places –undoubtedly with an abundance of frogs – where female deities with fertility qualities, such as Artemis, Hera, Demeter and Leto, were worshiped[3].

The lion, a symbol of strength, valor and dominance, had been used for centuries for the decoration of public and private buildings[4], pertaining also an apotropaic – protective character. The presence of lion-head spouts on fountain-houses was extremely popular during antiquity, a decorative practice seen until today.

[1] During the II WW, on 23 November 1943, the island of Samos was siezed by the German occupation forces. In May 1944, German archaeologists and excavators of the Heraion sent temporarily the waterspout – along with other finds from the Heraion (e.g. the marble statue of Philippe from the group of Geneleos and the bronze statuette of a flute-player) – to the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum for safety’s sake. The artefacts were returned in 1955, 1965 and 1967. The waterspout and the flute-player (EAM inv. no. X16513) remained at the Museum and are exhibited in the permanent exhibition of the Metalwork Collection (Room 37a, Cases 43-44).

[2] In this context, the presence of the frog motif in grave-offerings, i.e. objects that accompany the dead to the grave, could be justified.

[3] Ovidius in Metamorphoses (VI. 370-381) mentioned the following: In the sanctuary of Leto in Xanthus at Lycia, there were many frogs. Leto, after having given birth to Apollo and Artemis, seeking refuge from the jealous Hera, arrived at Xanthus. The peasants of the area did not allow her to drink water from a lake, so the goddess transformed them into frogs, which remained at the site where the Letoon was later founded.

[4] Excellent example is the marble sima (gutter) which collected the rainwater from the rooftop of the Temple of Hera at the Heraion of Argos.

Alexandra Chatzipanagiotou

Bibliography:
Bevan, E., Representations of animals in sanctuaries of Artemis and other Olympian deities, Oxford 1986, 155, 405.
Βοκοτοπούλου, Ι., Ελληνική Τέχνη. Αργυρά και χάλκινα έργα τέχνης, Αθήνα 1997, 222, no. 25.
Buschor, E., Altsamische Standbilder III, Berlin 1934, 56-58, figs 213, 216-217.
Buschor, E., “Heraion von Samos: Frühe Bauten, AM 55 (1930), 30, pl. Ι.
Gabelmann, H., Studien zum frühgriechischen Löwenbild, Berlin 1965, 114, no. 46.
Kyrieleis, H., Führer durch das Heraion von Samos, Athen 1983, 90-91, fig. 67.
Rolley, Cl., Les bronzes grecs, Fribourg 1983, 78, fig. 59.
Rolley, Cl., “Le serpent et la cigale”, Kölner Jahrbuch 33 (2000), 261 note 4.

For the transportation of antiquities from Samos to the Hellenic National Archaeological Museum during the Second World War, see:
Tsakos, Κ. – Viglaki-Sofianou, M., Samos. The archaeological museums, Athens: John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation, 2012, 24, 28.
For the Heraion of Samos, see: Tsakos, Κ. – Viglaki-Sofianou, M., op.cit., 67 ff. https://www.latsis-foundation.org/content/elib/book_19/samos_en.pdf

Selected bibliography for frogs in antiquity:
Kitchell, K.F. Jr., Animals in the ancient world from A to Z, New York 2014, 72-73.
Lewis, S. – Llewellyn-Jones, L., Animals in Antiquity. A Sourcebook with Commentaries, London – New York 2018, 565-572.
Bevan, E., Representations of animals in sanctuaries of Artemis and other Olympian deities, Oxford 1986, 150-158.