FREE OVID: METAMORPHOSES BOOK XIV: BK. 14 PDF Ovid,K. Sara Myers | 248 pages | 18 Jan 2010 | CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS | 9780521007931 | English | Cambridge, United Kingdom P. Ovidius Naso, Metamorphoses, Book 14, line JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Study Guide. By Ovid. Previous Next. Book 14 Book 14 begins in flashback mode, carried over from the last book. The main story, which we haven't caught up to yet, is about Aeneas and his wanderings. Glaucus swam to the island of Circe, a crazy sorceress lady. Her signature move was transforming people into animals. He asked her for help with his girl problem: Scylla. Circe said, "Forget about Scylla. I'm in love with you too! Come, be with me! She put some weird herbs in the water where Scylla planned to go swimming. Then, when Scylla waded into the water, her entire body below the waist turned into dogs. Ovid tells us that she got her revenge on Circe by trying to eat Ulysses Odysseuswhom Circe loved, when he tried to sail through the straits of Messina. Of course, she didn't succeed in catching Ulysses. He also says that she would have killed Aeneas too—except that she had been turned into stone before he sailed through the strait. When did that happen? No more questions. Flashback's over. Let's see what's up with Aeneas and his men. After sailing through the Strait of Messina, Aeneas and his men are once again within range of Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14. But then, once again, a storm comes up and blows them of course. Dido and Aeneas have a fling, but then he has to go and she kills herself. Hoo boy. Then, after sailing around some more, Aeneas eventually comes to Cumae, a city in Italy. There he meets the Sibyl, a prophetess. He asks her if she could take him to see his father, Anchises, in the Underworld. Aeneas's father had died along the way, but Ovid neglected to tell us about it—you'll have to read Virgil's Aeneid to get the whole story. The Sibyl's response is, "Mmmm On their way back to daylight, Aeneas tells her Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14, you're really awesome. You must be a goddess. You have to let me set up a temple for you. I'm just a mortal. I could have been immortal, the god Apollo offered me that—provided I would sleep with him. But I refused. Then he offered me a wish. I gathered up some dust and said, 'Give me as many years of life as there are grains of dust in my hand. He probably would have given it to me if I'd asked, but I wanted to keep my virginity. I'm about seven centuries old now, and Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 just keep getting more and more wrinkly. Ovid tells us that this is where a man called Macareus of Neritus, an old comrade of Ulysses, once landed. There he met Achaemenides, who was also an old comrade of Ulysses. Macareus said, "Hey, man, how's it going? What brings you to these parts? I thought you were, like, dead and stuff. If you're wondering what the heck this is all about, check out Shmoop piece on The OdysseyBook 9. Remember: Ulysses is the Latin name for Odysseus; they're the same guy. Achaemenides told Macareus that he was saved when Aeneas happened to show up, and he was able to hitch a ride away from there. Fancy that, a Trojan saving a Greek! Then Macareus said, "Wow, that was a lucky break. Macareus was with Ulysses when they sailed away from the Cyclops and left Achaemenides behind, but he doesn't mention that factand when they reached the palace of Aeolus, king of the winds. Aeolus stuffed all the winds into a bag—all except for one; the one that would take them homeward. Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 he gave the bag to Ulysses. Everything went fine for nine days, until the men got curious about what was in the bag. They opened it and—whoops! They were blown off course. Then they went to Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 land of the Laestrygonians. Macareus was part of an expedition to meet with the king of the Laestrygonians. He lived to tell—barely. That's because the Laestrygonians were cannibals. Only one of Ulysses's ships escaped; Macareus was on it. Then they sailed to the island of Circe, the sorceress. Macareus was part of a delegation to scope the lady out. She welcomed them nicely, and gave them a sweet drink. What they didn't know was that she had put a drug in it. So, when the Greeks drank, they all turned into hogs—all, that is, except one Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 Eurylochus: He hadn't touched the drink. Eurylochus went and reported to Ulysses what had happened. He came to the rescue, aided by the gods who sent Mercury to give him the plant "moly" as protection against Circe's magic. Ulysses defeated Circe and became her lover. As a favor, he asked her to turn his men back into humans. She did this. The Greeks ended up spending a whole year at Circe's place. Macareus became friendly with one of the nymphs who helped Circe out. One day, she showed him a statue of a young man with a woodpecker on his head. Macareus said, "What's up with that? The nymph said that the statue was of Picus, the son of the Titan Saturn. Picus was the king of Latium, a region in Italy. He was very handsome, and all the ladies had crushes on him, but he was only interested in one nymph, called Canens, who had a lovely singing voice. Eventually, he married her. One day, Picus was out hunting. Circe, who happened to be in the neighborhood, also happened to catch sight of him. Immediately, she started burning with desire for him. To catch him, she created an illusion of a boar, which she sent across Picus's path; then, she made the boar run into the woods. Picus's attention was piqued. He ran after the beast. Then, Circe used some tricks to make the forest super- complicated and confusing, so he got lost and separated from his companions. Now Circe thought she spied her chance. She appeared before him and demanded that he sleep with her. But Picus said, "No way: I'm staying faithful to my Canens. When Picus's men showed up, they tried to punish Circe, but she spooked them with Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 powerful display of magic; then she turned them into animals. Canens, meanwhile, was waiting at home for her husband. And waiting. She waited so long that she wasted away to nothing. To this day, however, Macareus said, they call the place she died "Canens. That's the Ovid: Metamorphoses Book XIV: Bk. 14 of Ovid's little interlude about Macareus and Achaemenides. Now he shifts back to the main story: Aeneas. Aeneas has just finished burying his nurse, Caieta. Yes it was, but not yet Ovid was being a little sneaky ; it only got that name after Aeneas buried his nurse there. The Metamorphoses Book 14 | Shmoop Translated by A. This work may be freely reproduced, stored, and transmitted, electronically or otherwise, for any non-commercial purpose. Zancle was left behind as well, and the walls of Rhegium opposite, and the dangerous strait, hemmed in between twin coastlines, that marks the boundary between Sicily and Italian Ausonia. From there, swimming with mighty strokes, across the Tyrrhenian Sea, he came to the grassy hills and the halls of Circedaughter of the Sunfilled with transformed beasts. You alone can help this love of mine, if I seem worthy of help. No one knows better than I, Titanesswhat power herbs have, since I was transmuted by them. I am ashamed to tell of the prayers and promises, the blandishments I used, words that were scorned. If there is any power in charms, utter a charm from your sacred lips: or, if herbs are more potent, use the proven strength of active herbs. I trust you not to cure me, or heal me, of these wounds: my love cannot end: only let her feel this heat. Besides, you were worth courting and certainly could be courtedand if you offer any hope, believe me you will be too. If you doubt it, and have no faith in your attractions, well, I, though I am a goddess, daughter of shining Sol, though I possess such powers of herbs and charms, I promise to be yours. Spurn the spurner, repay the admirer, and, in one act, be twice revenged. Offended at his rejection of her passion, she at once ground noxious herbs with foul juices, and joined the spells of Hecate to their grinding. There was a little pool, curved in a smooth arc, dear to Scylla for its peacefulness. When the sun was strongest, at the zenith, and from its heights made shortest shadows, she retreated there from the heat of sky and sea. This, the goddess tainted in advance and contaminated with her monstrous poison. She sprinkled the liquid squeezed from harmful roots, and muttered a mysterious incantation, dark with strange words, thrice nine times, in magical utterance.