According to Greek mythology, Ganymede, the handsome king's son, was abducted by Zeus and taken up to the top of Mount Olympus. The statue completed by Hermann Hubacher in 1952 does not, however, depict this abduction, but symbolizes instead man's longing to ascend Mount Olympus. With an outstretched hand, Ganymede pleads with Zeus, the father of the gods (who appears as an eagle), to bear him up.