Mythological cycles in Fabulae of Hyginus: translation and analysis

Author(s)

Diogo Martins Alves

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
• Defense date: 2013-08-30

Examining board members

Isabella Tardin Cardoso; Joaquim Brasil Fontes Junior; Matheus Trevizam

• Advisor: Isabella Tardin Cardoso

Abstract

The relevance of the work Fabulae, assigned to a certain Hyginus, tends to be more and more recognized in the mythographical studies, although scholars mostly disagree about the value of the work itself. The text is considered either as a simple and poor translation from one single Greek compendium, today lost, or as the most important mythological manual left by the Greco-Roman Antiquity. This study, whose corpus is composed by the fabulae I to CXXV (i.e. the first 14 mythological cycles and the fabula Odisseia), does not have the intention to qualify the Fabulae in those terms. The intention is, above all, to observe the text (by focusing its language and style), as well as to investigate the importance of such aspects to the general study of the myths there presented (including those myths to which Hyginus is the only ancient source). Therefore, the text of the first mythological cycle (Fab. I to VI) is compared to Ovidian's narrative of the same myths (Met. IV. 512-542; 563-603; Fast. III. 853-876 e VI. 473-562). Then, Fabula CXXV. Odisseia and its relations to Homer's homonymous epic are appreciates. Finaly selected aspects of the "objective" style that characterizes Hyginus's work as a mythological companion, that were identified during the translation to Brazilian Portuguese, are appreciated (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/13414-0 - Mythological cycles in Fabulae of Hyginus: translation and analysis
• Grantee: Diogo Martins Alves
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master