THE METAMORPHOSES OF ANTONINUS LIBERALIS Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group http://taylorandfra ncis.com THE METAMORPHOSES OF ANTONINUS LIBERALIS A translation with a commentary Francis Celoria 00.~LE<)Q ~ - trl • !! • "" ""Q, ~., o'-o '"~ Frauc\S london and New York First published 1992 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge a division of Routledge, Taylor and Francis 270 Madison Ave, New York NY 10016 Reprinted 2001 Transferred to Digital Printing 2005 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group ©1992 Francis Celoria Typeset in 10 on 12 point Bembo and Optima, Linotron 101 by J&L Composition Ltd, Filey, North Yorkshire All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Liberalis, Antoninus The metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis. I. Title II. Celoria, Francis 398.20938 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Antoninus Liberalis, 2nd cent. [Metamorphoseon synagoge. English] The metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis: a translation with commentary /Francis Celoria. p. em. Includes indexes. 1. Mythology, Greek. 2. Legends--Greece. 3. Metamorphosis. I. Celoria, Francis. II. Title. PA3870.A23 1992 883'.01-dc20 91-27194 ISBN 0-415-{)6896-7 CONTENTS Introduction 1 THE FORTY-ONE TALES OF ANTONINUS LIBERALIS 1 CTESYLLA 47 Hermochares wins a bride by writing on an apple. But her father forgets his oath and angers a god. Ctesylla dies and becomes a dove. 2 THE MELEAGRIDES 49 Meleager dies because of his mother's curse. His mourning sisters become birds. 3 HIERAX 51 Hierax, though a good man, forgets to sacrifice to Poseidon. His lands are ravaged by a monster and Hierax becomes a hawk, a hated bird. 4 CRAGALEUS 52 Cragaleus, a just man, is asked to adjudicate in a dispute between three gods. Apollo, annoyed by his decision, turns him into a stone 5 AEGYPIUS 54 The son of the mistress of Aegypius traps him into incest. Zeus changes all concerned into birds. 6 PERIPHAS 55 The praise and devotion Periphas receives because of his good works makes Zeus jealous. Periphas and his wife are turned into birds. 7 ANTHUS 56 The children of Autonous have plant-names. They are attacked by horses. The gods change the children into birds with plant-names. Contents 8 LAMIA or SYBARIS 58 A youth left as a sacrifice to a monster is rescued by an admirer who slays the monster. 9 EMATHIDES 60 The daughters of the king of Emathia challenge the Muses to a song contest. For their dreadful and presumptuous performance they are changed into birds. 10 MINYADES 61 The daughters of Minyas at first spurn the revels of Dionysus. Fear makes them into Bacchantes and then they become flying creatures of the night. 11 AEDON or NIGHTINGALE 62 Polytechnus rapes his sister-in-law. The sisters serve him up his son. After the punishment of Polytechnus by insects, all are turned into birds. 12 CYCNUS or SWAN 64 Phylius, faithful to the disdainful Cycnus, is set three hard tasks. He succeeds, to the shame of Cycnus who leaps into a lake and becomes a swan. 13 ASPALIS 66 A tyrant claims a first night from Aspalis, but she hangs herself first. Her brother, dressed as his sister, slays him. Aspalis becomes a deity. 14 MUNICHUS 68 Munichus and his family try to repel corsairs from the defensive towers of their farm. They are overcome but Zeus in pity turns them into birds. 15 MEROPIS 69 A brother and two sisters scorn Athena, Artemis and Hermes, even after these gods politely request respect. The scorners are turned to birds. 16 OENOE 70 Oenoe, Pygmy of great beauty, cares not a fig for Hera and Artemis. Hera turns her into a crane that wars with the Pygmies who fight back. vi Contents 17 LEUCIPPUS 71 Galatea is told to expose an unwanted daughter. But she disguises her as a boy called Leucippus. Leto in pity changes the girl into a boy. 18 EEROPUS or BEE-EATER 73 A boy eats the brain of an animal his father was sacrificing. The boy is felled by the father. Apollo in pity turns the boy into a bee-eater. 19 THE THIEVES 74 Four thieves put on armour to steal honey from the bees at the cave where Zeus was born. Their armour is blown away and they are turned into birds. 20 CLINIS 75 Clinis of Babylon wants to sacrifice asses to Apollo in the manner of the Hyperboreans. The god refuses but two sons disobey. All become birds. 21 POL YPHONTE 77 Polyphonte scorns love; Aphrodite makes her fall in love with a bear. She gives birth to two giants. The gods change them all into birds. 22 CERAMBUS 79 Cerambus sings and pipes to the delight of nymphs. But he becomes so arrogant towards them that they turn him into a beetle. 23 BAITUS 81 Battus asks Hermes, who has stolen the cattle of Apollo, for a bribe to keep silence. Battus fails to do so and Hermes turns him into a rock 24 ASCALABUS 83 The boy Ascalabus laughs at Demeter drinking thirstily. Angrily she pours over him what is left of the drink. This makes him into a gecko. 25 METIOCHE AND MENIPPE 84 When plague strikes Boeotia, an oracle says it will cease if two maidens sacrifice themselves. Metioche and Menippe do so and become comets vii Contents 26 HYLAS 85 Hylas, page of Heracles on the Argo, goes to a spring for water. Nymphs, who fall in love with him, drag him in and turn him into an echo. 27 IPHIGENIA 86 Rescued by Artemis from a sacrifice, Iphigenia became a priestess among the Taurians. Later she goes to the White Isle to partner Achilles. 28 TYPHON 87 Typhon, son of Earth, causes many gods to flee to Egypt in the form of animals. Zeus strikes him with a thunderbolt and buries him under Etna. 29 GALINTHIAS 88 Hera makes the Fates halt Heracles' birth. Galinthias, a servant who tricks the Fates so that Alcmene can give birth, is turned into a weasel. 30 BYBLIS 89 Byblis rejects her suitors because she loves her father. She tries to kill herself but nymphs take pity and change her into one of themselves. 31 THE MESSAPIANS 90 Young Messa pian colonists from Illyria boorishly challenge local nymphs to a dancing contest. The youths, defeated, are changed into trees. 32 DRYOPE 91 Apollo, disguised as a tortoise and then as a serpent, seduces Dryope who later gives birth to a son. Dryope is changed into a nymph. 33 ALCMENE 92 When Alcmene, mother of Heracles, dies Hermes steals her body leaving a stone. She goes to the Isles of the Blest as wife of Rhadamanthus. 34 SMYRNA 93 Smyrna lusts after her father and, helped by her old nurse, seduces him. Discovered, she gives birth prematurely to Adonis and becomes a tree. viii Contents 35 THE HERDSMEN 94 Leto, after giving birth to Apollo and Artemis, comes to a spring but is driven off by herdsmen. Later she changes them into frogs. 36 PANDAREUS 95 Pandareus steals a golden dog meant to protect the goat that suckled Zeus. Tantalus, asked to guard the dog, keeps it. All are punished. 37 THE DORIANS 96 After Diomedes dies in Italy, his Dorian followers are slain by a local king and become birds who remain on the isle where Diomedes is buried. 38 WOLF 97 Peleus kills his brother and then accidentally kills the son of Irus. A wolf that eats the cattle paid as compensation is turned to stone. 39 ARCEOPHON 98 Arceophon falls in love with a princess who scorns his lowly status. He hangs himself. She is petrified as she provocatively watches his funeral. 40 BRITOMARTIS 100 Britomartis, arriving in Crete, flees from the lustful Minos, escaping in a boat. At a grove in Aegina, she disappears and becomes a goddess. 41 FOX 101 Procris flees to Crete and receives a magic spear and a wonderful dog which is used to hunt a fearsome fox. Zeus petrifies both fox and dog. NOTES AND COMMENTARY 103 Index of Names and Places 224 Index of Animals and Plants 234 Index of Things, Topics, Notions and Motifs 239 ix Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group http://taylorandfra ncis.com INTRODUCTION A NEGLECTED COLLECTION OF TALES The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis have been translated into Latin, German and French but not into English - to judge by the catalogue of the British Library. Classical scholars quote from Antoninus Liberalis frequently enough when commenting on other writers or when trying to elucidate a myth or ritual, but the Greekless in lands where English is spoken have no ready way of mulling over these forty-one varied tales in their own language. This translation is not made for the professional scholar but for the 'general reader' who is assumed to have wide interests but not a concentrated training in the culture, history, archaeology, art, literature, language and mythology of ancient Greece. The transla­ tion is presented as raw material or raw data for other minds without intruding theory-based comments about structure or sig­ nificance or symbolism. It is offered as if by a storeman who takes out something for others and offers it without taking on the mantle of window dresser or exhibition director.