The Classical Quarterly AEQVOR: THE SEA OF PROPHECIES IN VIRGIL'S AENEID

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AEQVOR: THE SEA OF PROPHECIES IN VIRGIL'S
AENEID
M. Pilar García Ruiz
The Classical Quarterly / Volume 64 / Issue 02 / December 2014, pp 694 - 706
DOI: 10.1017/S0009838814000159, Published online: 20 November 2014
Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0009838814000159
How to cite this article:
M. Pilar García Ruiz (2014). AEQVOR: THE SEA OF PROPHECIES IN VIRGIL'S
AENEID. The Classical Quarterly, 64, pp 694-706 doi:10.1017/S0009838814000159
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doi:10.1017/S0009838814000159
AEQVOR: THE SEA OF PROPHECIES IN VIRGIL’S AENEID*
I. INTRODUCTION
In a well-known article, Hodnett pointed out that Virgil emphasizes the peacefulness
andquietofthesea,itsimmensityandlimitlessness,incontrasttotheviewarticulated
bytheRomanpoetsoftheRepublic,whichpresentstheseaasdeceptiveandfearsome.1
AmongthemanytermsusedintheAeneidtodenotethesea,aequorstandsoutprecisely
because it is the term most frequently used by Virgil in place of the word mare.2
Aequorisapoeticterm,aderivationoftheadjectiveaequus,whoseprimarymean-
ingconnotesanyformofflatsurface.InRepublicantimes,thetermwasusedinanum-
beroffigurativesenses,movingfrom‘theflatnessoftheland’to‘thesurfaceofthesea’,
andthuscomingtomean‘thecalmsea’.BothVarroandCiceroobservethattheword
aequorusedinreferencetotheseapertainedtothelanguageofpoets;3infact,thefirst
instancesoftheterminprosecolouredbyitspoeticusedatetotheworkofSenecathe
Elder.4
The image of the sea as a simile or metaphor for ‘plain’ or ‘flat surface’ probably
comes from Homer. In Latin poetry, the image is found in the work of Ennius, only
afewexamplesofwhichareextant,5andinLucretius,whoalsousedthetermaequor
in a simile. For Lucretius, aequor denotes a sea that is calm at first, before being
troubled by the buffeting of the wind.6
DeployedinatentativewayintheEcloguesandtheGeorgics,7theseabeginstoplay
a more prominent role in the Aeneid, the story of the adventures of the Trojan hero,
where aequor displaces other terms that denote the sea. We can trace 90 instances of
aequor used in a marine sense in the three works; 75 of these uses occur in the
Aeneid,855ofwhich areto be foundin the firstsixbooks, covering Aeneas’ wander-
ings, and 20 in the second half of the narrative.
*I am grateful to V. Cristóbal, C. Castillo, J.B. Torres, E. Reinhardt, and particularly to the
anonymousCQreviewerandtothisjournal’seditor,B.Gibson,foradvicethatclarifiedtheargument.
Myinterestinaequorisduetooneofmystudents,N.AlvarezCastro,whowroteaessayon‘Aequor:
itspresenceinsimilesintheAeneid’.Somedataweretakenfromthereandareusedwithherconsent.
1 M.P. Hodnett, ‘The sea in Roman poetry’, CJ 15 (1919), 67–82, at 71, recently echoed by J.
LuqueMoreno,Marenostrum:reflexionessobreelléxicolatinodelmar(Granada,2011),17.
2 Intermsoffrequencyofuse,aequorisfollowedbymare,pelagus,fluctus,pontus,altum,fretum,
uada,salum,sal,etc.;seeH.H.Warwick,AVirgilConcordance(Minneapolis,MN,1975).
3 Varro,Ling.7.1–2,23;Cic.Acad.2(citedbyNon.65.2).
4 A.ErnoutandA.Meillet,Dictionnaireétymologiquedelalanguelatine:histoiredesmots(Paris,
1959);G.Aricò,s.v.aequor,inEnciclopediaVirgiliana1.37–8.
5 Enn.Ann.124,505Skutsch.
6 Lucr.1.8;2.1,375–6,766,772,781;3.1002;4.411;5.266,388,1227;6.440,621,623,634.
7 Verg.Ecl.9.57:Etnuncomnetibistratumsiletaequor;G.3.201:illeuolatsimularuafugasimul
aequorauerrens;G.3.359:neccum|praecipitemOceanirubrolauitaequorecurrum.
8 Virgil’sworkincludesatotalof110usesofthewordaequor,usedmostcommonlytomean‘sea’
(90instances),with20usesreferringtothe‘flatnessoftheland’.
AEQVOR 695
Theuseofaequorandothermetaphoricaltermssuchasaltum,fluctus,andsal,and
ofGreekloanwordssuchaspelagusandpontus,hasbeenreadasarequirementofuar-
iatioinexpression:sonorousandevocativeterms,κύριαὀνόματα,9usedinsteadofthe
common noun.10 However, metrical necessity should not be overlooked as a selection
criterioninthisregard:thespondeeaequorandthedactylicformsaequoreandaequora
areeasiertocombineforthepurposesofprosodythanthederivativeformsoftheword
maresuch as maria.11
Furthermore, a lexical-stylistic reason for the use of aequor in a figurative sense
should also be noted: by using aequor to mean a ‘smooth sea’, the poet implies that
the sea is calm, thus setting aside other terms such as altum, pelagus, and pontus,
which connote the danger, mystery, or uncertainty often associated with the image of
the ocean.12 However, a close reading of the passages in which aequor occurs in the
Aeneid discloses that the metaphor has at times been lexicalized and simply denotes
the sea as such. Perhaps the word functions as a metaphor only in certain contexts or
selectioncriteriaotherthanthosesetoutabovemayunderlieitsuse.Theissuerequires
morewide-ranging study.
My reading of the passages in which the word aequor occurs appears to reveal a
heretoforeundiscoveredpatterninVirgil’spoem,whichcomprisesthecoreoftheargu-
ment pursued in this paper: a series of interlinked scenes in which, through religious
language and in the form of prophecies, Aeneas progressively discoversthe main ele-
ments of his destiny. Each scene involves an announcement made to him by the
gods: the Trojans have to cross a sea (referred to as aequor, without exception) and
are also given a promise of lands, arua, awaiting them on the far side of the sea.13
These repeated instances amount to more than formulaic repetition; they comprise an
ordered sequence in the form of a short narrative.14 The textual coherence of these
scenes, as well as the meaning and function of the term aequor in them, is explored
below.
II. AEQUOR IN THE PROPHECIES IN THE AENEID15
1.CreusaprophesiestoAeneasalongvoyageleadingtoahappylanding
(2.780–2)
JustasheisabouttosetoutfromTroy,AeneasistoldforthefirsttimethroughCreusa
abouthowtheexpeditionwillgoandwhatthefinaldestinationofthevoyageistobe:
9 M.Leumann,‘Lalinguapoeticalatina’,inA.Lunelli(ed.),Lalinguapoeticalatina(Bologna,
1974),131–78,esp.174–5.
10 Quint.Inst.8.3.16.
11 Ancientcriticsdrewattentiontothiscriterion,aboveallinrelationtodactylicpoetry:Cic.Deor.
202;Quint.Inst.1.6.2;Serv.Ecl.5.36.
12 R.G.Tanner,s.v.mare,inEnciclopediaVirgiliana3.371–2;A.Borgo,s.v.pelagus,pontus,in
EnciclopediaVirgiliana4.4–6,206–8.
13 Thesetextsrepresentsixteenexamplesofaequorandconstitutethebasisforthepresentarticle.
14 Onthedifferencebetweenrepetitionsascompositionalunitsandformulaicrepetitionasaform
oftransferandtheso-calledtibicines,seeW.Moskalew,FormularLanguageandPoeticDesignin
theAeneid(Leiden,1982),73–80,112.
15 Propheciesthatdonotcontainthepromiseofavoyageandalandhavenotbeenincludedinthis
study: 1.257–96 (Jupiter to Venus); 2.289–95 (Hector to Aeneas); 3.94–8 (Apollo to Anchises in
696 M. PILAR GARCÍA RUIZ
longatibiexsiliaetuastummarisaequorarandum,
etterramHesperiamuenies,ubiLydiusarua
interopimauirumlenifluitagmineThybris. (2.780–2)16
Longexileisyourlot,avaststretchofseayoumustplough;andyouwillcometothelandof
Hesperia,whereamidtherichfieldsofhusbandmentheLydianTiberflowswithgentlesweep.
Whatdoesuastummarisaequorarandummean?HowisonetofindaLydianriverina
Westernland?Certainly,toAeneashimselfCreusa’slanguagemustsoundriddlingand
oracular.Throughoutthepoem,andthankstothefulfilmentofprophecies,theherowill
find answers to his perplexity.
TheshadeofCreusa17forewarnsAeneasofatiringvoyage,a‘longexile’inwhich
‘you must plough avaststretchof sea’. The phrase maris aequorechoesthe formulas
used by Ennius and Lucretius: ponti/maris/campi aequor.18 At the same time, aequor
arandum is an expression of Virgil’s own making, a beautiful image that harks back
to the poet’s voice in the Georgics, which views the length and trials of the mission
ahead through the eyes of a farm labourer. The dangers of storms and sea monsters
to befall him in the future are overlooked here.
ThedestinationisHesperia,anindeterminatelandthatliestothewest,whichcould
be either Italy or Hispania.19 The poet’s approach at the beginning is ambiguous. The
final destination of the journey is to be revealed in the subsequent omens.20 ‘The
Lydian Tiber flows with gentle sweep …’:21 since ancient times, the Etruscans were
regarded as having come from the region of Lydia in Asia Minor, hence the use of
theadjective‘Lydian’inrelationtotheTiber.22Thus,Virgilemphasizestheethniciden-
titythatbindstheplaceofdeparturetothejourney’sdestination.23Moreover,thelands
that await Aeneas as his new homeland are arua opima, fertile fields;24 and they are
repeatedly referredto as arua in the sequence of prophecies.25
Two echoes of this prophecy are especially noteworthy. In saying goodbye to
Helenus and Andromache, Aeneas draws a sharp contrast between the peace which
his relatives have already achieved and his ownfate:
Delos);3.245–57(theFuryCelenustotheTrojans);6.83–97(theSibyltoAeneas);6.756–853and
868–86(AnchisestoAeneas);and12.834–40(JupitertoJuno).
16 Latin text from R.A.B. Mynors, P. Vergili Maronis: Opera (Oxford, 1969); translations into
English: H.R. Fairclough, Virgil: Eclogues, Georgics, Aeneid, Loeb Classical Library 63 and 64
(Cambridge,MA,1916,rev.G.P.Goold,2000),withminormodifications.
17 TheshadesofthedeadalsopossessthegiftofprophecyintheAeneid:seeServ.Aen.10.470.
18 Aequoracampi:Enn.Ann.124Skutsch;Lucr.3.1002;aequora ponti/marisLucr.1.9;2.772,
781;4.411;5.1001;6.440,628;marisaequor:Verg.Aen.2.780,3.495;pontiaequor:Verg.G.1.469.
19 Serv.Aen.1.530:autenimHesperiamsolamdicisetsignificasItaliam,autaddisultimamet
significasHispaniam,quaeinoccidentisestfine.
20 OntherepetitionofAusonia,Hesperia,Italia,andThybrisaskeywordsintheprophecies,see
Moskalew (n. 14), 111–12; Virgil plays on the scepticism and lack of understanding among the
Trojansasregardstheprophecies.Hence,acertaindramatictensionisgeneratedbetweenthefuture
asrevealedinthepropheciesandwhatthecharacterspresumemaybethecase.Thismayalsoexplain
theinconsistencybetweenthispassageandthebeginningofBook3:incertiquofataferant,ubisis-
teredetur(3.7).
21 VirgilhastakenoverEnn.Ann.163Skutsch;Lucr.5.271,6.637.
22 Lydiaregnain8.479–80.
23 R. Austin, P. Vergilii Maronis: Aeneidos: Liber secundus (Oxford, 1964), 283; E. Paratore,
Eneide(Rome,1990–7),1.362.
24 Opima,ahypallageofuirum;seeAustin(n.23),ad.loc.
25 3.171(thePenatestoAeneas);418,496(AeneastoHelenusandAndromache);4.311(Didoto
Aeneas);8.38(TibertoAeneas);and9.100(Jupitertohismother,Cybele-Berecyntia).
AEQVOR 697
uobispartaquies:nullummarisaequorarandum,
aruanequeAusoniaesempercedentiaretro
quaerenda. (3.495–7)
Yourrestiswon.Noseashaveyoutoplough,norhaveyoutoseekAusonianfieldsthatmove
foreverbackward.
Aeneashasalreadytakenhisfateonboard;hehasexperiencedthefatigueofafruitless
journeythathastakentheexilesofftheircourseandsentthemtoCrete;and,following
theensuingpropheciesofthePenatesandHelenus,heknowsthatthearuawhichawait
him are the Ausonian fields.
A second correspondence may be traced to Book 4, where Dido, filled with rage,
decries Aeneas’ determination to set sail in the middle of winter:
quid,sinonaruaalienadomosque
ignotaspeteres,etTroiaantiquamaneret,
Troiaperundosumpetereturclassibusaequor? (4.311–13)
What!Ifyouwerenotinquestofalienlandsandhomesunknown,wereancientTroyyetstand-
ing,wouldTroybesoughtbyyourshipsoverroughseas?
Here,ourpatternofrepetitionsofaequormeetsanother,ofdomus,withthetwocycles
meetingintheprophecyoftheTiber.26Suchinternalechoesandrepetitionssuggestthat
Aeneas had told Dido of the prophecies in the same terms asthey had first been deli-
vered to him. The use of adjectives such as aliena, ignotas, and undosum reflects the
attitude of a person who yearns to keep the hero to herself, reading the promise of
the gods as athreat.
2. The Penates set the true course of the voyage (3.154–71)
After Anchises’ mistaken interpretation of the prophecy of Apollo (3.94–8) and the
expedition’s failed bid to settle on Crete, the Penates appear to Aeneas in a dream to
undotheerror.Thisprophecy(3.154–71)setstheTrojansonthetrailofthetruecourse
of the voyage:
nosteDardaniaincensatuaquearmasecuti,
nostumidumsubtepermensiclassibusaequor
…tumoeniamagnis
magnaparalongumquefugaenelinquelaborem
…Corythumterrasquerequirat
Ausonias;DictaeanegattibiIuppiterarua. (3.156–7,159–60,170–1)
WefollowedyouandyourarmswhenDardaniawasburned;underyouwetraversedonships
the swelling sea … Prepare mighty walls for the mighty, do not shrink from the long toil of
flight…toseekCorythusandthelandsofAusonia.JupiterdeniesyoutheDictaeanfields.
26 ThisnextsequencebeginswiththeprophecyofApollotoAnchises(3.97):hicdomusAeneae
cunctisdominabituroris,followedbytheprophecyofCassandratoAnchises(5.637–8):‘hicquaerite
Troiam,/hicdomusest’inquit‘uobis’.ItisfollowedinturnbyAeneas’srecollectionoftheomenof
thetablesasasignofhavingarrivedathishomeland,‘saluefatismihidebitatellus|uosque’ait‘ofidi
Troiaesaluetepenates’.|hicdomus,haecpatriaest(7.120–2),andcomestoaclosewiththegod
Tiber’s assurance that they have arrived at the long-awaited arua and domus (8.38–9): exspectate
soloLaurentiaruisqueLatinis,/hictibicertadomus.
698 M. PILAR GARCÍA RUIZ
The native godsthat accompany him on the journeyacknowledge the difficultyof the
task and try to encourage him: ‘We followed you and your arms when Dardania was
burned; under you we traversed on ships the swelling sea; … [do not] shrink from
the long toil of flight.’ The use of the expression tumidum aequor, an oxymoronic
phrase (‘the swelling sea’), is striking since other, more dramatic nouns are available,
such as pontus, pelagus, or altum. In two other passages, Neptune calms the waters
of atumidum aequor; and in both passages aequor may be read asthe seathat settles
after the divine intervention of Neptune to calm troubled waters (Verg. Aen. 1.142:
dicto citis tumida aequora placat; 5.820–1: subsidunt undae tumidumque sub axe
tonanti | sternitur aequor aquis).27 The meaning of the word aequor may have a pro-
leptic function in the three cases: the sea is aequor because it will be calmed by the
gods who accompany Aeneas on his voyage, Delius Apollo (3.162) and Jupiter
(3.171), and send him the oracle.
ThePenatesagainspeakofHesperiaasVirgil’sdestination,givingitthenameItaly,
whence came his distant ancestor Dardanus,28 ‘to seek Corythus and the lands of
Ausonia’:29 the toponym Corythus or Corythum30 is usually identified with the
Etruscan city of Cortona. Hence, the expedition to Italy is a return to the homeland
of Dardanus, Aeneas’ ancestor and the founder of Troy (Hom. Il. 20.215–18). The
lands and the port of Ausonia stand for journey’s end in both the prophecy of the
Penates(3.171)andtheprophecyofHelenus(3.378).IntheAeneid,Ausoniastretches
over the land of Latium, with the river Tiber forming a natural border to the north.31
3. Helenus warns of the dangers ahead and sets out the stages in the
journey (3.374–462, 475–9)
The Trojans come ashore at the port of Buthrotum in Epirus, and there Helenus,
Hector’s brother and a priestof Apollo, speaks an oracle in Aeneas’ presence:
Natedea(namtemaioribusireperaltum
auspiciismanifestafides;sicfatadeumrex
sortituruoluitqueuices,isuertiturordo),
paucatibiemultis,quotutiorhospitalustres
aequoraetAusoniopossisconsidereportu,
expediamdictis. (3.374–9)
Goddess-born,sincethereisclearproofthatunderhigherauspicesyoujourneyoverthesea–
forthusthekingofthegodsallotsthedestiniesandrollsthewheelofchange,andsuchisthe
circlingcourse–afewthingsoutofmanyIwillunfoldtoyouinspeech,thatsomoresafelyyou
maytraversetheseasofyoursojourn,andfindrestinAusonia’shaven.
Hewarnstheheroofthedangerswhichhemustavoidsoastojourneymoresafelyover
hospita aequora and reach the port of Ausonia. The verb lustres (377) has religious
27 OtherpassagesinwhichtheadjectivetumidusappearsareVerg.Aen.5.125,8.671,11.393.
28 Serv. Aen. 3.167 confirms Virgil’s version of the origins of Dardanus, by citing a legend in
whichDardanuswasthesonofCorythusandleftthecitynamedafterhisfather,settingoutinthe
directionofTroad.
29 AusoniaisapoetictermforItaly;thenamecomesfromAuson,sonofUlyssesandCirceor
Calypso:Serv.adAen.3.171.
30 Serv.Aen.1.380,3.167,7.209,10.719;Serv.auct.Aen.3.170.
31 M.Cancellieri,s.v.Ausonia,inEnciclopediaVirgiliana1.421–2.
AEQVOR 699
connotations;strictlyspeaking,itmeans‘topurifyoneself’,butinthecontextofthesea
andseafaring itmeans‘to makeacrossing’.32TheTrojanscannotsimplydropanchor
onanystretchofcoasttheyfind,becausemanyofthoselandsareinhabitedbyhostile
Greeks(3.396–8);instead,theymustgoroundSicilyandheadforCampania(3.412–13,
429–30),wheretheSibylwillinstructthemconcerninghowtoovercomefuturedangers
(3.441–7,456–60).Infact,itisAnchiseswhospeakstohimofthesemattersfromthe
world beyond the grave; the repetition of the final verse cited above (3.459) at 6.892
puts this beyond question.33
Helenus also speaks a brief prophecy to Anchises (3.477–9):
eccetibiAusoniaetellus:hancarripeuelis.
ettamenhancpelagopraeterlabarenecesseest:
AusoniaeparsillaproculquampanditApollo.
BeforeyouisthelandofAusonia!Makesailandseizeit!Andyetpastthisshoreyoumustdrift
uponthesea;farawayisthatpartofAusoniawhichApolloreveals.
ThisprophecytellsagainoftheneedtojourneytowardsAusonia,eventhoughtheymay
beunabletolandonthecoastofItalyimmediately.34Tomymind,theslightvariation
markedbytheuseoftellusratherthanarua,andpelagusinsteadofaequor,reinforces
thelexicalchainselectedbythepoetinthissequenceofprophetictexts:theseaandthe
land of Ausonia promised to the Trojans are aequorand arua Ausonia, whereasthose
envisaged by Anchises, albeit lands of Ausonia, are not the ones that Apollo has des-
tined for them. Apollo is referred to here once again asthe guide to theirexpedition.
4.TheriverTiberpromiseshelptoAeneasandcalmsitswaters(8.36–65,
86–96)
Theclimaxofthefirstpartofthepoemismarkedbythedescentintohell.Thesecond
partopensasAeneasandhismensailintotheport(7.6–7)wherethewatersoftheTiber
meetthesea(7.30–2).TheTrojanssetupcamponthebanksoftheriver;thefirstinci-
dentsoccuraftertheirvisittoKingLatinus.Takingtheformofanoldmanwithalong
flowingbeard,thegodTiberinusappearstoAeneasinadream(8.36–65),assuringhim
that he has arrived at his destinationand bidding him welcome to his lands:
exspectatesoloLaurentiaruisqueLatinis,
hictibicertadomus,certi (neabsiste)penates.
neubelliterrereminis. (8.38–40)
32 R.D.Williams,P.VergiliiMaronis:Aeneidos:Libertertius,comm.(Oxford,1962),adloc.
33 3.459:etquoquemquemodofugiasqueferasquelaborem;6.892:etquoquemquemodofugiat-
que feratque laborem. G. Duckworth, Foreshadowing and Suspense in the Epics of Homer,
Apollonius,andVergil(AnnArbor,MI,andLondon,1933),104,115,maintainsthatthisdiscrepancy
isnotanoversightormistake;rather,itisanarrativedeviceonthepoet’sparttomaskthedeathofthe
oldmanuntilthetimeisright.SeealsoJ.J.O’Hara,DeathandtheOptimisticProphecyinVergil’s
Aeneid(Princeton,NJ,1990),28.
34 WhenAnchisestellsthemofthedestinationoftheirwanderingvoyage(3.182–6),herecallsthat
CassandrahadoftenspokentohimofHesperiaandtheItalickingdoms,buthedidnotpayattention.
Thisremarkwouldappeartoconfirmwhatwasnotedabove(n.20)regardingtheTrojans’sceptical
attitudetotheprophecies.
700 M. PILAR GARCÍA RUIZ
YouwhohavebeenlonglookedforonLaurentinegroundandLatinfields,hereyourhomeis
sure–drawnotback–andsureareyourgods.Benotscaredbythreatsofwar.
TheseterritorieswereruledbyLatinus,withwhomAeneashadjustarrangedamarriage
pact; some time before, a prophecy had revealed to Latinus that his daughter was to
marry a foreigner. Laurentum was the kingdom that Anchises had foreseen for his
son in Elysium, Laurentisque docet populos urbemque Latini (6.891). Thus, the arua
Latinaandthecertadomus35standfortheendpointofthejourney,althoughthebattles
foretold forcontrol of the territory were still to come.
TheTiberpromisestoflowinsuchawayastoallowthetravellerstoovercomethe
cross-currents in the river, so the ships maysail unhindered:
‘ipseegoteripisetrectoflumineducam,
aduersumremissuperessubuectusutamnem’…
Thybriseafluuium,quamlongaest,noctetumentem
leniit,ettacitarefluensitasubstititunda,
mitisutinmoremstagniplacidaequepaludis
sterneretaequoraquis,remoutluctamenabesset. (8.57–8,86–9)
‘Imyselfwillguideyoualongthebanksstraightupthestream,thatso,impelledbyyouroars,
youmayovercometheopposingcurrent’…AllthatnightlongTibercalmedhisswellingflood,
andflowingbackwithsilentwavesohaltedthatlikeagentlepoolorquietmerehesmoothed
hiswateryplain,sothattheoarsmightknownostruggle.
Virgil recalls this beautiful image shortlyafterwards:
olliremigionoctemquediemquefatigant
etlongossuperantflexus,uariisqueteguntur
arboribus,uiridisquesecantplacidoaequoresiluas. (8.94–6)
Theywiththeirrowinggivenightanddaynorest,passthelongbends,areshadedwithdiverse
trees,andcleavethegreenwoodsonthecalmsurface.
In other words, the Trojans ‘cleave’ through the reflection of the green trees in the
smooth surface of the water with their oars.36 Once again, the poet describes sailing
by drawing on turns of phrase linked to farm work.37 Placidum aequor is another
sign of the good omens wished for the Trojans by the god of the river.38
5.TheTrojanshipsareturnedintonymphsbythepowerofCybele(9.91–
103, 114–17)
HavingbeentoldbyIrisofAeneas’absence,TurnuslayssiegetotheTrojancampand
attempts to burn their ships. The poet now reveals that when Aeneas was putting his
35 Cf.n.26above.
36 Serviusadloc.interpretsaequormetaphorically,areadingthatanumberofscholarsincluding
ConingtonandWardeFowlerregardastoomodern;cf.Paratore(n.23),adloc.
37 Secareisjoinedtoaequorat8.96,674;9.103,222.
38 IncontrastwiththebenevolentstillnessoftheTiberhere,seeAen.8.330–2,wherethedecision
oftheItalianstonametheriverafterthemonstrouskingThybrissuggeststheotheraspectoftheriver,
i.e.itscapacitytofloodandtodestroythesurroundingland.
AEQVOR 701
fleettogethernear MountIda,thegoddessCybeleaskedhersonJupiter toensurethat
ships built from wood felled in the sacred forest would not be destroyed:39
In turn, Jupiter promises that theyare to enjoya unique fate:
immo,ubidefunctaefinemportusquetenebunt
Ausoniosolim,quaecumqueeuaseritundis
DardaniumqueducemLaurentiauexeritarua,
mortalemeripiamformammagniqueiubebo
aequorisessedeas,qualisNereiaDoto
etGalateasecantspumantempectorepontum. (9.98–103)
‘Nay,whenoneday,theirservicedone,theygainanAusonianhaven,fromalltheshipsthat
have escaped the waves, and borne the Dardan chief to the fields of Laurentum, I will take
away their mortal shape, and bid them be goddesses of the great sea, like Doto, Nereus’
child,andGalatea,whocleavewiththeirbreaststhefoamingdeep.’
TheshipsthatsucceededinaccomplishingtheirmissionoflandingatportusAusonios
andbringingtheyoungDardanchieftotheLaurentinefields(8.38)wouldbestrippedof
theirmortalformandtransformedbyJupiterintogoddessesofthe‘greatsea’;magnum
aequorisanaptdescriptionofaseaflushwithdivinebeings,butitisalsoforetellshow
thatsameseawilllaptheshoresofmanylandstobeconqueredbythedescendantsof
the noble Dardanus.40
Thus, before Turnus can do his worst to the Trojan ships, Cybele in her role as
Berecyntia41 worksthe necessary miracle:
‘uositesolutae,
itedeaepelagi;genetrixiubet.’etsuaquaeque
continuopuppesabrumpuntuincularipis
delphinumquemododemersisaequorarostris
imapetunt.hincuirgineae(mirabilemonstrum)
redduntsetotidemfaciespontoqueferuntur. (9.116–22)
‘Gofree,go,goddessesofocean,theMotherbidsit.’Andatonceeachshipbreakshercable
fromthe bank,and like dolphinsthey diptheir beaks anddivetothewater’sdepths;then as
maidenforms–wondrousportent!–theyresurfaceinlikenumberandswiminthesea.
Thevesselsbegintodiptheirkeelsintothesea,divelikedolphinsdowntotheseabed,
and surface in the form of young maidens. Where once they resembled the Nereids,
‘whocleavewiththeirbreaststhefoamingdeep’(9.102–3),nowtheylooklikedolphins
sporting in the waves. The simile of the dolphins is not simply decorative; it will also
play a significant role in the relationship between the world of Aeneas and the world
of Augustus.
Cybelereferstothenymphsasdeaepelagi;theuseofthewordpelagimaysounda
certain dissonance with the preferential use of the term aequor argued for here.
However, a reading of the passage as a whole discloses the poet’s use of a number
39 Virgilisthefirstepicpoettopausetheplotsoastoprovideadetaileddescriptionofaprophecy
immediatelybeforeitsfulfilment,thuscreatingabriefburstofdramatictension:Duckworth(n.33),
42–3.
40 Cf.Verg.Aen.1.278–9:Hisegonecmetasrerumnectemporapono|imperiumsinefinededi.
Nevertheless,itcannotbeconcluded,asE.Saint-Denis,LeRoledelamerdanslapoésielatine(Lyon,
1935),484,argues,thatVirgilarticulatesasenseofownershipofthesea.
41 Regardingtheoriginoftheepithet‘Berecyntia’forCybeleandthecultofCybele-ReainRome,
seethecommentarybyParatore(n.23)involumes3and5to6.784and9.82.
702 M. PILAR GARCÍA RUIZ
of variations for ‘sea’, besides pelagi: ponto (103, 122), maria (115), and aequora
(120); as well as variant terms for ‘ship’: nauis (114), pinus (116), and puppes (118).
Nevertheless,thattheuseofaequorisreservedforthecharmingimageofthedolphins
isnoteworthyinthisregard,delphinumquemododemersisaequorarostris|imapetunt
(119–20),asisthefactthatthislinkbetweenaequoranddolphinsisretainedinanum-
berof the other passages explored below.
6. The nymph Cymodocea warns Aeneas of the dangers awaiting the
Trojans (10.219–45)
Thenymphsdonotdepartthescene;rather,theystayandallythemselvestotheTrojan
cause.TheygoouttomeetAeneas,andCymodocea,mostskilledinspeech,drawshim
into theworking of the wonder they perform:
‘uigilasne,deumgens,
Aenea?uigilaetuelisimmitterudentis.
nossumus,Idaeaesacrodeuerticepinus,
nuncpelaginymphae,classistua…
rupimusinuitaetuauinculatequeperaequor
quaerimus.’ (10.228–31,233–4)
‘Areyouawake,Aeneas,scionofgods?Wakeandflingloosethesheetsofyoursails.We–
pinesofIda,fromhersacredcrest,nownymphsofthesea–areyourfleet!…wereluctantly
brokeyourmoorings…andweareseekingyouoverthesea.’
In a paraphrase of 9.116–22 (cited above), Cymodocea explains that the nymphs are
Aeneas’ fleet (10.231), whom mother Cybele commanded to be goddesses of the sea,
totransformfromshipsintonymphs(10.221).42Again,thispassageexhibitsanumber
ofvariationsfor‘sea’:maris(221),pelagi(231),fluctus(222),aequor(233),andundis
(227, 235); and for ‘ship’: nauis (221), pinus (230), and classis (231).
However, what is distinctive about the passage isthat Cymodocea alerts Aeneasto
thedangerswhichhismenarefacingandurgeshimtoissueacall-to-armstohisallies:
etclipeumcapequemdeditipse|inuictumignipotensatqueorasambiitauro(‘andtake
the invincible shieldwhich the Lord ofFirehimself gaveyou and rimmed with gold’,
10.242–3).Myviewisthatthereferencetothegoldrimontheshieldcomprisesanother
textualecholinkingtheworldofthenymphs,thegoddessesoftheseaofAeneas,tothe
seasurroundingthescenesdepictedontheshield,whichisdescribedindetailinBook8
(as discussed below).
7. Aequor in the ekphrasis of the shield (8.626–731)
Following the overview of scenes which contain echoes of the Trojan legend outlined
above, the focus shifts to discerning traces of aequor and arua in recent history in
theekphrasisoftheshield,whichcomesbeforetheinterventionofthenymphs(seesec-
tions5and6above).ThefabulousshieldforgedforAeneasbyVulcanwasdecorated
with scenes representing the history of Rome: the first part depicts memorable events
from legendary times and the Republic (8.626–70); the second part shows the Battle
42 10.220–21:quasalmaCybebe|numenhaberemarisnymphasqueenauibusesse;cf.9.101–2,
117.