Of Metis and Magic The Conceptual Transformations of Circe and Medea in Ancient Greek Poetry In two Volumes: VOLUME ONE Thesis submitted by Evelien Bracke as a requirement for the degree of Ph.D. in the Department of Ancient Classics, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, September 2009 Head of Department/Supervisor: Prof. David Scourfield TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUME ONE Acknowledgements 5 Abbreviations 8 1. Introduction 12 (a) Contextualization 12 (b) Approach 17 2. Magic and Metis in Greek and Roman Poetry 21 (a) “Double, Double Toil and Trouble”: What is Magic? 21 (b) “She turned me into a newt” 32 (c) Two Family Trees 42 (d) Magic or Metis ? 46 (e) Circe, Medea, and Metis 71 (f) Conclusion 75 A. GODDESSES OF CUNNING 3. Circe in the Odyssey 77 (a) “I have a cunning plan!”: Metis in the Odyssey 77 (b) Circe in the Apologoi 82 (c) Conclusion 111 4. Medea in Hesiod’s Theogony 114 (a) Circe in Hesiod’s Theogony 120 (b) Medea and Metis in Hesiod’s Theogony 122 (c) Conclusion 136 B. FROM METIS TO MAGIC 5. Circe as Mother and Whore 142 (a) Post-Hesiodic Archaic Poetry 142 (b) Classical Drama 151 (c) Conclusion 159 6. Medea as Victim and Witch 184 (a) Medea in the Epic Cycle 184 (b) Pindar’s Medea 200 (c) Tragedy and the Medea Tradition 222 (d) On the Witch’s Threshold: Euripides’ Medea 226 (e) Comedy 254 (f) Conclusion 256 2 VOLUME TWO C. CIRCE AND MEDEA POLUFARMAKOI 7. Circe and Medea in Hellenistic and Roman Poetry 5 (a) Hellenistic Poetry: Apollonius and Lycophron 6 (b) Early Roman Drama 36 (c) Augustan Poetry 41 (d) Conclusion 68 8. Why the Witches? 71 (a) Between Hesiod and the Hellenistic Period 73 (b) Inventing the Witch 83 (c) Conclusion 94 9. Conclusion: between Metis and Magic 96 Appendix 1: Circe: Chronology of the Poetic Sources 102 Appendix 2: Medea: Chronology of the Poetic Sources 103 Appendix 3: The Apologoi of the Odyssey 105 Appendix 4: Medea in Eumelus’ Corinthiaca 107 Appendix 5: A Post-Classical Version of the Medea Myth 108 Appendix 6: Medea in Iconography 110 Appendix 7: Circe in Iconography: Chronological List 111 Appendix 8: Circe in Iconography: Images 112 Appendix 9: The Archaic and Classical Genealogy of the Aeolids 117 Bibliography 118 3 Lovely maiden of the moon and lovely daughter of the sun in their hands hold the weaving comb, lifting up the weaving shuttle, weaving on the golden fabric, rustling move the silver threads, at the edge of the crimson cloud, at the border of the wide horizon. 41 st rune of the Kalevala 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing this thesis has cost me blood, sweat, and tears – and what a fine magic potion they would have made! Had it not been for the unwavering support and advice from my mentors, friends, and colleagues, my eight-year (!) long efforts might yet have been in vain. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. David Scourfield, without whose challenging observations, guidance, and encouragement at every stage of my research this thesis would never have left its infancy. I would also like to thank Dr Gordon Campbell, who co-supervised me in the first two years of this project, and Prof. Jan Bremmer and Dr Richard Gordon, who kindly took the time to read and comment on a first draft of what has been grossly reduced to part of chapter 2. Thanks also to Prof. Michael Clarke for helping me in my research on the Archaic evidence, and to Dr Fritz-Gregor Herrmann, who kindly answered my questions on aspects of linguistics. Thanks, finally, to Dr Owen Hodkinson and Simon Trafford for proofreading various chapters. Further, my thanks goes to my colleagues at NUI Maynooth, who always had a kind word and/or a pint for me when the going was tough: Kieran McGroarty, Maeve O’Brien, Eoghan Moloney, Donncha O’Rourke, and Imogen Smith. A particularly big hug goes to Breege Lynch for being my substitute-mum and best office neighbour ever! My fellow postgraduates offered consolation in my despair, discussions when I needed feedback, and relaxation in my hour of need; a special thanks goes to Helen Gilmore McVeigh, Daniel Ball, Pamela Moran, Ruth O’Hara, Gayle O’Reilly, Kate Quinn, Bernie Trehy, and last but definitely not least, Sharon Tighe-Mooney and Brian Sheridan. My arguments on Euripides’ Medea also benefited from the discussions I had 5 with my second-year undergraduate students in the Greek Tragedy lectures I taught at NUI Maynooth. The many years I have spent working on this thesis would have been devoid of joy had it not been for the emotional support network provided by the following people at various points (in no particular order): Ciarán McKevitt, Brian Conway, Emma Galbally, Nathalie Slachmuylders, Sara Yserbyt and Koenraad Vandesijpe, Lieveke and Raf Bocklandt, Koen De Temmerman, Regina Schober, Christian Blinzer, Vicky Janssens, Kristof Moens, Jenny White and family, and the NUIM Outdoor Pursuits Club (especially Jason O’Brien and Jamie MacNamara). I would also like to thank the people at Swansea University and the University of Wales, Lampeter for receiving me so warmly; a special thanks goes to Martina Minas-Nerpel, Kim Ridealgh, James and Catherine Richardson, Troy and Yan Sagrillo-Wu, Matt Cobb, and Nick Barley. Finally, what my family’s support has meant to me over the last years cannot be expressed in words which do it justice. Thank you, Bobon, for the many letters and phone calls (Dank u, Bobon, voor de vele brieven en telefoontjes); thanks also to my brother, Joren, and Véronique, for the support only a brother can give (kaak). Many thanks as well to Mark Humphries, my dad, tante Lieve and nonkel Michel, Oma, nonkel Gilbert and tante Martine, Christophe and Sarah, Isabelle and Frank, and Camille and Amélie. My gratitude also goes to Circe and Medea, the obliging subjects of this thesis, for the many lessons they have taught me, not just about research and academia, but above all about myself. 6 This thesis is dedicated to my mum, for being the best mum in the entire universe, even when I am on the phone to her (again) at 3 o’clock in the morning; and to my son, Morgan, in spite of whose endless crying this thesis is finished, but whose smile makes my world complete. I would not have been able to work on this thesis more or less full-time for such a long period had it not been for the following financial support: a three-year Daniel O’Connell Fellowship awarded by NUI Maynooth, a two-year scholarship by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS), and a one-year scholarship awarded by the Irish government. I am grateful for the photographic images of Circe and Medea which I have been allowed to use by the following museums: the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the British Museum, London; the Museo Civico Archeologico, Bologna; the Museo Nazionale, Taranto; the Louvre, Paris; and the Leiden Rijksmuseum. The MFA Boston have asked me to include the following specific information regarding the image which they have kindly allowed me to use (the image itself, with further information, can be found in Appendix 8): The Painter of Boston C. A. Drinking cup (kylix) depicting Herakles fighting Acheloos Greek, Archaic Period, about 560–550 B.C. Place of Manufacture: Greece, Attica, Athens Ceramic, Black Figure Height: 18.2 cm (7 3/16 in.); diameter: 26.7 cm (10 1/2 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Henry Lillie Pierce Fund 99.519 7 ABBREVIATIONS For the most part, I follow the standard abbreviations as listed in Oxford Classical Dictionary 3 rd ed. (1996), xxix-xliv. Specific abbreviations are the following: AA Archaeologischer Anzeiger AC Antiquité Classique AJA American Journal of Archaeology BICS Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies of the University of London CAF Kock, Th. (ed.) (1884), Comicorum Atticorum Fragmenta , Leipzig. CCH Fowler, R. (ed.) (2004), Cambridge Companion to Homer , Cambridge. CGF Kaibel, G. (ed.) (1899), Comicorum Graecorum Fragmenta , Berlin. CJ Classical Journal CPh Classical Philology CQ Classical Quarterly DHA Dialogues d’Histoire Ancienne DK Diels, H. and W. Kranz (eds.) (1952 6), Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker , Berlin. EGF Kinkel, G. (ed.) (1877), Epicorum Graecorum Fragmenta , Leipzig. FGrH Jacoby, F. (ed.) (1923-1958), Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker , Berlin. Fowler Fowler, R. L. (2000), Early Greek Mythography: Vol. I: Text and Introduction , Oxford. G&R Greece and Rome 8 GRBS Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies ICS Illinois Classical Studies IEG West, M. (ed.) (1971), Iambi et Elegi Graeci ante Alexandrum Cantati , Oxford. JHS Journal of Hellenic Studies LIMC Boardman, J. e.a. (1981-), Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae , Zurich and Munich. LSJ Liddell, H. G., R. Scott and H. S. Jones (1996), Greek-English Lexicon , Oxford. Most Most, G. (ed. and trans.) (2007), Hesiod. The Shield , Catalogue of Women , Other Fragments , London. NCH Morris, I. and B. Powell (eds.) (1997), A New Companion to Homer , Leiden. OCD Hornblower, S. And A. Spawforth (eds.) (1996 3), The Oxford Classical Dictionary , Oxford. Page Page, D. L. (ed.) (1968), Lyrica Graeca Selecta , Oxford. PEG Bernabé, A. (ed.) (1987), Poetae Epici Graeci Testimonia et Fragmenta , vol. 1, Leipzig. PGM Preisendanz, K. (ed.) (1973-1974), Papyri Graecae Magicae: Die griechischen Zauberpapyri , 2 vols., Stuttgart. PGMTr. Betz, H. D. (1992 2), The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation including the Demotic Spells , Chicago and London. PMG Page, D. L. (ed.) (1962), Poetae Melici Graeci , Oxford. 9 PMGF Davies, M. (ed.) (1991), Poetarum Melicorum Graecorum Fragmenta Vol I: Alcman, Stesichorus, Ibycus , Oxford.