The Virgin, the Bear, the Upside-Down Strix
An Interpretation of Antoninus Liberalis 21
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11753800 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Laura Cherubini (corresponding author) |
| Year | 2009 |
| Volume | 42 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 77-97 |
| Publication date | 2009-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Arethusa (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0004-0975 • E-ISSN: 1080-6504 |
| Publisher | Johns Hopkins University Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1353/are.0.0016 |
| OpenAlex | W1978973347 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 16 |
Antoninus Liberalis tells us at Metamorphoses 21 about the misadventures of Poliphonte, who, having rejected Aphrodite in favor of Artemis and a virginal life in the wild, was cursed with becoming, first, the lover of a bear and, then, a nocturnal, ill-omened strix , which is curiously described as “upside-down.” This essay reconstructs the myth’s cultural meaning by exploring the relationship between its two central themes—sexual union between a maiden and a bear, and the metamorphosis of a woman into a strix . The interpretation focuses on the symbolic mechanisms underlying traditional Greek and Roman beliefs about both bears and striges , and examines how they (as well as other, related superstitions about witches) can clarify the ancient significance of girls’ transitions into women
Art · Epistemology · Interpretation (philosophy · Linguistics · Literature · Meaning (existential · Mythology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical and Architectural Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy
Animals in Roman life and art
Ancient Magic and Ritual Power
Dictionnaire etymologique de la langue latine
Romanisches Etymologisches Worterbuch
Fragmenta Historicorum Graecorum
Initiation in Ancient Greek Rituals and Narratives
Restless Dead
Strigiform Witches in Roman and Other Cultures
The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis
Antoninus Liberalis and the Story of Prokris
Paides e Parthenoi, I
The Story of the Strix
Eros and Greek Athletics
Death and the Maiden
The Bear's Son Tale in Northern Mexico
Sociologie et anthropologie
| Citations per year | 0.14 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2012 - 2021 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |