A female figure sculpted by Pygmalion and given life by Aphrodite in fulfillment of his prayer.
In Greek mythology, a sea nymph who loved a Sicilian shepherd by the name of Acis. When he was killed by his rival, the Cyclops Polyphemus, Galatea transformed her lover's blood into the river Acis. Pygmalion, a king of Cyprus, made a statue (later named Galatea) that he married after it was brought to life by the goddess Aphrodite.