ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a monumental work on Prometheus published in 1922, which serves as a description both of what happened to the mythological figure after Symbolism, and of the fortune of Symbolism itself. The general crisis of faith at the heart of Symbolism resulted in the elaboration of a complex syncretism which appeared as a spiritual substitute for the lost faith of Symbolist artists. This crisis was more or less intense across Europe, according to the various political and religious contexts, and the way in which the industrial revolution had developed. In the German Reich, the religious concerns were not as strong as the issue of cultural and political unification, and the focus on Prometheus was influenced by the interpretations of philosophers such as Marx, and more importantly Nietzsche, who was a truly Symbolist philosopher. Prometheus thus became a symbol of the reconciliation between artists and the world, and proved to be a key to resolve the crisis of faith.
