Caerulean Hounds and Puppy-Like Voices
The Canine Aspects of Ancient Sea Monsters
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9664730 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Ryan Denson (0000-0001-5140-8696, Trent University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 520-531 |
| Publication date | 2023-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Classical Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0009-8388 • E-ISSN: 1471-6844 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0009838823000915 |
| OpenAlex | W4392385109 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 14 |
This article examines the dog-like aspects and associations of two marine monsters of Graeco-Roman antiquity: Scylla and the κῆτος. Both harbour recognizably canine features in their depictions in ancient art, as well as being referenced as dogs or possessing dog-like attributes in ancient texts. The article argues that such distinctly canine elements are related to, and probably an extension of, the conceptualization of certain marine animals, most prominently sharks, as ‘sea dogs’. Accordingly, we should understand these two sea monsters and the sea dogs as being interrelated in the ancient imagination. Such a canine resonance to certain sea creatures offers a valuable insight into the Graeco-Roman imagination of the marine element as being the abode of creatures reminiscent of terrestrial dogs
Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Biology · Creatures · Literature · Natural (archaeology · Puppy · Ecology · History · Marine Ecology and Invasive Species · Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology · Maritime and Coastal Archaeology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |