1 The Gorgonsâ Bellowing in Nonnusâ Dionysiaca
It has long been acknowledged that Pythian Twelveâs myth is the model for some passages of Nonnusâ Dionysiaca.1 In contrast to Pindar, who is reticent about the Gorgonsâ location,2 Nonnus situates the killing of Medusa and the creation of the tune of many heads in fixed geographic areas: the Carian mountain range and city of Mycale-Mycalessos or Libya.3 According to the Dionysiaca, the city known as
Further passages of the Dionysiaca are reminiscent of Pindarâs Pythian Twelve for their lexicon and content, since they exploit the rare aition of the
2 Nonn. D. 24.35â38
In the twenty-fourth book of the Dionysica, Dionysus is about to set ablaze the waters of river Hydaspes and the eponymous river-daimon beseeches the god to spare his stream from destruction. In listing the motivations for which Dionysus should have mercy upon him, Hydaspes recalls the Mygdonian (i.e. Phrygian) pipes, which grow on his banks. This reference paves the way to a brief digression on Athenaâs musical invention, cf.
Nonn. D. 24.35â38μὴ Î´á½¹Î½Î±ÎºÎ±Ï ÏÎ»á½³Î¾ÎµÎ¹Î±Ï ,ὠθεν Ïέο ÎÏ Î³Î´á½¹Î½ÎµÏ Î±á½Î»Î¿á½· ,μή ÏοÏá½³ Ïοι μέμÏαιÏο Ïεὴ ÏιλόμολÏÎ¿Ï á¼Î¸á½µÎ½Î· ,á¼¥ ÏοÏε ÎοÏγείÏν βλοÏÏ Ïὸν μίμημα καÏήνÏν ÏθεγγομένÏν Îá½·Î²Ï Î½ εá½Ïεν á½Î¼Î¿Î¶Ï γέÏν Ïá½»Ïον αá½Î»á¿¶Î½
Do not burn (my) reeds, which make your Mygdonian auloi, shall never reproach you your song-loving Athene, who once invented the Libyan type of pipes united with one yoke as the grim re-enactment of the screaming Gorgonsâ heads.
The link between the location of the reeds and the mythological parenthesis is reminiscent of P. 12.23â27 (cf. chapter 5, sections 2â3), verses in which the focus shifts from a mythological digression to the city of Orchomenos and the banks of the Boeotian river Cephisus, where the best reeds for the auloi used to grow. Nonnusâ conceptual transition is in the opposite order to Pindarâs: while reference to the Boeotian reeds follows a mythological excursus in Pythian Twelve, in the Dionysiaca the mention of Hydaspesâ reeds precedes the mythological digression. A cross-reference analysis between Nonnusâ text and his matrix reveals a variety of lexical and phraseological similarities:
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As already touched upon, Pindarâs first reference to Athenaâs invention is
3 Nonn. D. 40.215â233
The fortieth book of the Dionysiaca includes Dionysusâ final combat against Deriades, the chief of the Indian army. The Bacchoi celebrate Dionysusâ victory with a paean, but immediately after that, they honour their dead with the
Nonn. D. 40.215â233215 ÎάκÏοι δ᾽ á¼ÎºÏοÏάλιζον á¼ÏοÏÏá½·ÏανÏÎµÏ á¼Î½Ï á½½ ,Ïοá¿Î¿Î½ á¼ÏÎ¿Ï Î²Î¿á½¹ÏνÏÎµÏ á½Î¼Î¿Î³Î»á½½ÏÏÏν á¼Ïὸ λαιμῶνΠâἨÏάμεθα μέγα κῦδοÏÎ á¼Ïá½³Ïνομεν á½ÏÏαμον Ἰνδῶν â.καὶ γελόÏν ÎÎ¹á½¹Î½Ï ÏÎ¿Ï á¼ÏάλλεÏο Ïá½±ÏμαÏι Î½á½·ÎºÎ·Ï ,á¼Î¼ÏνεύÏÎ±Ï Î´á½² Ïόνοιο καὶ αἱμαÏόενÏÎ¿Ï á¼Î³á¿¶Î½Î¿Ï 220 ÏÏῶÏα μὲν á¼ÎºÏεÏέιξεν á¼ÏÏ Î¼Î²Îµá½»ÏÏν ÏÏá½·Ïα νεκÏῶν ,δÏμήÏÎ±Ï á¼Î½Î± Ïύμβον á¼ÏείÏιÏον εá½Ïέι κόλÏῳ á¼ÎºÏιÏον á¼Î¼Ïὶ ÏÏ Ïὴν á¼ÎºÎ±ÏόμÏεδονΠá¼Î¼Ïὶ δὲ νεκÏοá¿Ï ÎÏ Î³Î´Î¿Î½á½¶Ï Î±á¼°Î¿Î»á½¹Î¼Î¿Î»ÏÎ¿Ï á¼ÏέκÏÏ Ïεν αἴλινα Ïá½»Ïιγξ ,καὶ ΦÏá½»Î³ÎµÏ Î±á½Î»Î·Ïá¿ÏÎµÏ á¼Î½á½³Ïλεκον á¼ÏÏενα μολÏήν 225 ÏÎµÎ½Î¸Î±Î»á½³Î¿Î¹Ï ÏÏομάÏεÏÏιν ,á¼ÏÏÏÏá½µÏανÏο δὲ ÎάκÏαι á¼Î²Ïá½° μελιζομένοιο ÎανύκÏοÏÎ¿Ï Îá½á½±Î´Î¹ ÏÏνá¿Î καὶ ÎλεόÏÎ¿Ï ÎεÏá½³ÎºÏ Î½ÏÎµÏ á½Ïὸ ÏÏόμα Î´á½·Î¶Ï Î³ÎµÏ Î±á½Î»Î¿á½· ÏÏικÏὸν á¼Î¼Ï κήÏανÏο Îá½·Î²Ï Î½ γόον ,á½Î½ Ïá½±ÏÎ¿Ï á¼Î¼ÏÏ Î£Î¸ÎµÎ½Î½á½½ Ïá¾½ Îá½ÏÏ á½±Î»Î· Ïε μιῠÏÎ¿Î»Ï Î´ÎµÎ¹Ïάδι ÏÏνῠÏθεγγομένÏν κεÏαλá¿Ïι διηκοÏá½·á¿Ïι δÏακόνÏÏν ,ὧν á¼Ïο Î¼Ï ÏομένÏν Ïá½»Ïιγμα κομάÏν θÏá¿Î½Î¿Î½ ÏÎ¿Ï Î»Ï Îºá½±Ïηνον á¼ÏημίξανÏο ÎεδούÏηÏ
The Bacchoi played the cymbals, sending out a enuÅ-cry, shouting this word from their throats, which spoke with the same tongue:âWe obtained great glory! We killed the leader of the Indians!âAnd Dionysus laughing exulted for the joy of victory, enjoying a respite from trouble and the gory battle. Firstly, he honoured the ranks of unburied dead by building a single huge mound with a wide bottom around a 100-foot common pyre. The Mygdonian syrinx, of modulated song, resounded a funeral lament and the Phrygian auletes braided a male song with (their) sorrowful lips, the Bacchai danced to that, while Ganytor delicately sang with the euoé-voice. And under the mouth of Cleochos the Berektynian pipes, with twofold yoke, bellowed the awful Libyan lament, which once both Sthenno and Euryale with one many-throated voice, uncontrollably cried on newly-beheaded Medusa. As the two hundred serpents screamed, from whose bewailing heads a hissing came, they voiced a many-headed thrÄnos for Medusa.
At a first glance, 215â218 are a variation on the typical scene of the victorious warrior boasting over the defeated enemy (cf. Fenik 1968, Kyriakou 2001:273). Especially, 217 emulates Il. 22.393,10 which, as Nagy 1979:79 points out, virtually includes two verses of a paean, cf.
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Nevertheless, it is also possible to connect D. 40.215â220 with some details of P. 12. As previously discussed (cf. chapter 5, section 2, 11), Schadewaldt (1928) proposes that the verb
In particular, the
Yet Nonnusâ passage differs from its Pindaric model in a few crucial details. Although elsewhere Nonnus credits Athena with the invention of the double-piped aulos (see above, section 2), in D. 40.215â233 the goddess is out of the picture. Moreover, Pindarâs word choice alludes to a distinction between the unarticulated, animalistic goos of the Gorgons and Athenaâs artistically fashioned thrÄnos (cf. chapter 5, section 2, 8, 21), while Nonnus treats goos (228) and thrÄnos (233) as synonyms, applying both terms to Euryaleâs and Sthennoâs lament. Phraseological comparison between Nonn. D. 40.224â233 and Pythian Twelve allows us to recognize further common traits:
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4 Nonn. D. 30.264â267
In Nonn. D. 30.249â¯ff. Athena confronts Dionysus who is trying to get away from the battlefield. In holding up the achievements of his archrival Perseus to the god, the goddess recalls her role as helper of the hero in the fight against the Gorgons.
Nonn. D. 30.264â267ÎÎ¹Î²á½»Î·Ï á¼Ïá½³Î²Î·Ï ;á¼¢ ΠεÏÏá½³Î¿Ï Îµá¼¶ÏÎµÏ á¼Î³á¿¶Î½Î± ;á¼¢ Î£Î¸ÎµÎ½Î½Î¿á¿¦Ï á¼´Î´ÎµÏ á½Î¼Î¼Î± λιθώÏÎ¹Î´Î¿Ï á¼ á½² καὶ αá½Ïá¿Ï δύÏμαÏον Îá½ÏÏ á½±Î»Î·Ï Î¼Ï Îºá½½Î¼ÎµÎ½Î¿Î½ á¼Î½Î¸ÎµÏεῶνα ;á¼¢ ÏÎ»Î¿Îºá½±Î¼Î¿Ï Ï á¼Î½á½¹Î·ÏÎ±Ï á¼Ïιδνοκόμοιο ÎεδούÏηÏ
Have you gone to Libya? Have you had the task of Perseus? Have you seen the eye of Sthenno which turns (things) to stone, or also the bellowing invincible throat of Euryale herself? Have you seen the tresses of viperhair Medusa?
Nonnusâ expressions partly resemble those of Pindarâs Pythian Ten and Pythian Twelve:
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5 Conclusions
From the analysis of three passages by Nonnus concerning Athena, her invention, and the Gorgons, it is possible to deduce Nonnusâ solution to a few debated aspects of Pythian Twelve, namely:
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The match between Nonn. D. 24.37
ÎοÏγείÏν and P. 12.7 â¨ÎοÏγόνÏν â© indirectly supports the integration â¨ÎοÏγόνÏν â© fromΣ P. 12.15ab Dr., as proposed by von Schroeder 1900 (cf. Pavese 1990:71); -
Nonn. D. 24.38
á½Î¼Î¿Î¶Ï γέÏν Ïá½»Ïον αá½Î»á¿¶Î½ identifies Athenaâs invention with the double-piped aulos and not with theÎ½á½¹Î¼Î¿Ï ÏÎ¿Î»Ï Îºá½³ÏÎ±Î»Î¿Ï . Nonnus thus aligns withΣ P. 12.12a Dr., according to which theÏá½³Ïνα (6) discovered by Athena is auletic art itself; -
The fact that, in Nonn. D. 40.216,
á¼ÏÎ¿Ï Î²Î¿á½¹ÏνÏÎµÏ precedes the thrÄnos section parallels the sequence of mythological events, which we reconstruct for Pythian Twelve by accepting the readingá¼Ï Ïεν at 11. This coincidence, however, cannot be considered decisive. A shout of triumph over the defeated enemy or a battle cry is a topos of warlike contexts. Consequently, there is no guarantee that Nonnus readá¼Ï Ïεν nor that D. 40.216 relies upon Pindarâs Pythian Twelve; -
The correspondence between
á¼Î½á½³Ïλεκον â¦Î¼Î¿Î»Ïήν (Nonn. D. 40.224) andθÏá¿Î½Î¿Î½ διαÏÎ»á½³Î¾Î±Î¹Ï á¾½ (α ) speaks in favour ofδιαÏÎ»á½³ÎºÏ meaning âto weaveâ, i.e. âto fashionâ (cf. Held 1998), not âto interweaveâ (as per Clay 1992).
As a recent reference on Nonn. D. 40.227â233 cf. Gigli Piccardi 2018:268â269 and Massetti 2023.
If we integrate
Mycale is the name of a city and a mountain range on the West coast of Asia Minor, corresponding today to Dilek DaÄı (cf. BlümelâLohmann 2006). It is possible to identify the place with Hitt. Arinnanda. According to Il. 2.869, Mycale was occupied by the Carians. Herda 2006:85â93 points out that, according to Eustathius (ad Il. 2.498), Perseus founded the temple of Zeus Mycalesios (dated around 700â¯BCE). So, he proposes that the killing of the Gorgons was already linked to the city of Mycale by the end of 8th c. BCE.
E.g. Theocr. 26.20
The Etymologicum Magnum makes a connection with
Cf. also Nonn. D. 40.228, on which see chapter 6, section 3.
Cf. also Steph. Byz. Ethn.
On this concept, see Conte 2014 and 2017, who discusses the creative dynamics of imitatio in Latin literature.
Cf. A.R. 4.1515
On the similarities and discrepancies between this passage and Il. 22.395â472 cf. BannertâKröll 2016:490â491.
A battle cry is also possible, cf. chapter 9, section 4.1.
Cf. Nonn. D. 36.20