The Virgilian Cento Progne et Philomela (Anth. Lat. 13 R) : Towards a Solution for a Mythological Riddle

Authors

OKÁČOVÁ Marie

Year of publication 2021
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source The Classical Quarterly
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Arts

Citation
Web https://www.doi.org/10.1017/S0009838821000781
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0009838821000781
Keywords cento; Procne; Philomela; Virgil; mythology; riddle
Attached files
Description This paper deals with the 24-line mythological epyllion Progne et Philomela (Anth. Lat. 13 R), fashioned out of Virgil´s lines. The aim is to shed some light on the most intriguing parts of the poem, in particular the puzzling network of family relationships and the extended talking-blood metaphor. It is claimed that the general ambiguity of the text is a purposefully adopted authorial strategy rather than a by-product of the cento technique and that the cento might have been written as a sort of mythological riddle to be solved by its readers.

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