Luna and Endymion, a fable about the boss’s favorite
Yes, it is a strange enough tale, but what does it mean, this fable of Luna, the moon goddess, and the shepherd Endymion, whom she seduces in his sleep? Who would make this stuff up and why?
The goddess Luna is said to have fallen in love with the shepherd Endymion, and to have carried on her amours with him in a new and singular manner; it being her custom, whilst he lay reposing in his native cave, under Mount Latmus, to descend frequently from her sphere, enjoy his company whilst he slept, and then go up to heaven again. And all this while, Endymion’s fortune was no way prejudiced by his unactive and sleepy life, the goddess causing his flocks to thrive, and grow so exceeding numerous, that none of the other shepherds could compare with him.
According to renaissance philosopher Francis Bacon, the ancient myth-makers are here describing someone we all know, in most organisations. This is the teacher’s pet, the boss’s favorite, someone who has managed to curry…