"Jupiter und Merkur bei Philemon und Baucis" (Zeus and Hermes with
Philemon and Baucis), c. 1625-30 by the workshop of Peter Paul Rubens - Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.
Note: In Greek, "phile" is a prefix for love and harmony.
Philemon and Baucis lived in profound poverty and great dignity. Some Olympic
Gods were skeptic that ordinary mortals could be so virtuous. Zeus and Hermes,
posing as destitute beggars visited Philemon and Baucis who offered them for
dinner their sole goose. In gratitude, Zeus transformed their humble abode
into a temple. The only wish of Philemon and Baucis was to die simultaneously.
After their death, an oak and linden tree grew side by side with their branches
fondled one another. This touching story prompted Saint Paul to dedicate one of
his epistles to Philemon.