Glossary

Achaeans

one of the names Homer uses to refer to the Greeks who fought at Troy

bard

a skilled singer and musician who improvised songs on mythical themes while performing them for a live audience

Choephoroi

Greek word meaning ‘the libation bearers’ (i.e. those who carried offerings at a funeral). It is the title of a play by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus in the fifth century BCE. The play is one part of a three part series of tragedies that are referred to under the title ‘The Oresteia’. These plays are the earliest extant trilogy of Greek tragedies and tell the story of King Agamemnon who returns from the Trojan war and his family (including his son Orestes after whom the trilogy is named).

cosmologies

theories that explain the origin and nature of the universe. Here we are referring to cosmologies in the form of stories, but they can also take the form of philosophical theories or scientific hypotheses. The Greek words ‘cosmos’ (world) and ‘logos’ (word, thought or explanation) make up the word cosmology.

epic

in ancient literature, lengthy narrative poems (such as Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey), usually telling of the exploits of a hero or heroes, and often involving battles or difficult journeys as well as supernatural characters

epithets

in Homeric poetry, adjectives or short phrases used repeatedly to describe a particular character

Euphorbus

a Trojan warrior, who is well known from Homer’s poem The Iliad. He was killed by Menelaus, the king of the Spartans. After he had killed him, Menelaus took Euphorbus’ shield to the temple of Hera (who is called Juno in Latin) at Argos, in Greece, and put it on display. This is what Ovid is referring to in line 177 in this passage.

Hellas

Greek term meaning ‘Greece’

human exceptionalism

refers to the idea that humans are unique and special, and are more important than animals, plants or other living organisms because of this special uniqueness.

hybrid

a mixture of two different things, making one thing with two different types of characteristics. (The term is often used of cars: a hybrid car is a car that uses two different energy sources, usually electricity and petrol).

Julian calendar

a calendar proposed (and taking its name from) Julius Caesar in 46 BCE. It uses the position of the sun and comprises a year of 365 days most years, and a 366-day leap year every four years. Julius Caesar intended this new calendar to solve a problem with the earlier Roman calendar. The earlier version had 355 days, and so an extra 27 or 28 day period (known as the Mensis Intercalaris in Latin) had to be inserted some years to make sure that a year encompassed all of the seasons. Julius Caesar hoped that the Julian calendar would keep the calendar aligned to a whole year without need for the insertion of these extra days.

Jove

another name often used for the god Jupiter, the king of the gods (who is usually said to overlap with the Greek god Zeus).

metaphor

a figure of speech that compares two things directly, usually by using one of them in place of the other or by saying that one is the other. A famous example of a metaphor is found in William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, in the line ‘All the world’s a stage’ (Act 2, Scene 7, line 139). Here, Shakespeare does not literally mean that the world is a stage, but that a stage is a metaphor for the world. Shakespeare uses this comparison to describe what the world is like.

muse

the name often given in Greek (and later) poetry to the goddess who is said to have inspired poetry, songs, stories and other creative work. In many Greek texts we are told that there were nine muses. In some texts they are said to be the daughters of Zeus, while in others they are said to have been followers of the Egyptian god Osiris.

nostos

(plural nostoi) Greek term meaning ‘homecoming’

nymph

one of several minor divinities, usually taking the form of a young woman and often associated with a particular location or natural feature. The nymph Calypso lives on the island of Ogygia in the Odyssey and rescues Odysseus when he is shipwrecked there

republic

a state in which power is held by representatives of the people (who are usually elected) rather than by a monarch. The phrase ‘Roman Republic’ usually refers to the time period 509–27 BCE, before Rome became an empire under the emperor Augustus.

Pallas

one of the names given to the goddess Athena

simile

a figure of speech in which one thing is compared to something different. In English, these are usually introduced by the words ‘like’ or ‘as’

Sirens

mythical creatures, often depicted as half-woman and half-bird. In the Odyssey they lure sailors to their death with their singing