Vázlatok és beszédtöredékek a szenvedélyről: az Erótika pathémata és a Georgica szerelmi mítoszai
Sketches and speech fragments of passion: Myths of Love in the Erotica Pathemata and the Georgica

Summary/Abstract: At the end of the Georgics (IV, 563–564) Virgil represents himself as someone nursed by sweet Parthenope. According to the Servian tradition, Parthenope would be an allusion to one of the Sirens, patron divinity of Naples-Parthenopolis, place favourit of the poet. Nevertheless, Parthenope used to be considered as well as a self-referential joke on the nickname of Virgil, called Parthenias (a virgin) because of his moral excellence. The paper offers a new metapoetic reading completing the earlier interpretations based on biographical data and local tradition. The allusion should also be regarded as a statement about inspiration. By suggesting a new approach to the mythology, Parthenope seems to create an homage to Parthenius of Nicaea and to his collection of erotic myths. The studies about the impact of the Erotica pathemata on Latin poetry generally focus on the Elegiacs and Ovid. Nevertheless, it cannot be excluded that the mythological allusions of the Georgics may also be influenced by some typical narrative patterns of Parthenius. Virgil’s short aetological notes might transmit a concept of human passion, which sometimes is rather similar to the emotional world of the Parthenian narratives, but which is always much more rich in ethical concerns.

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