The Virgilian Cento Progne et Philomela (Anth. Lat. 13 R) : Towards a Solution for a Mythological Riddle
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2021 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | The Classical Quarterly |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| 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. |