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Dionysiaca, Books 16-35
Nonnos of Panopolis in Egypt, who lived in the fifth century of our era, composed the last great epic poem of antiquity. The "Dionysiaca," in 48 books, has for its chief theme the expedition of Dionysus against the Indians; but the poet contrives to include all the adventures of the god (as well as much other mythological lore) in a narrative which begins with chaos in heaven and ends with the apotheosis of Ariadne's crown. The wild ecstasy inspired by the god is certainly reflected in the poet's style, which is baroque, extravagant, and unrestrained. It seems that Nonnos was in later years converted to Christianity, for in marked contrast to the "Dionysiaca," a poem dealing unreservedly with classical myths and redolent of a pagan outlook, there is extant and ascribed to him a hexameter paraphrase of the Gospel of John.
The Loeb Classical Library edition of the "Dionysiaca" is in three volumes.
The Loeb Classical Library edition of the "Dionysiaca" is in three volumes.
560 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 400
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About the author
Nonnus of Panopolis
54 books8 followersNonnus of Panopolis (Νόννος) was a Greek epic poet. He was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in the Egyptian Thebaid, and probably lived at the end of the 4th or early 5th century. He is known as the composer of the Dionysiaca, an epic tale of the god Dionysus, and the Metabole, a paraphrase of the Gospel of John.
There is almost no evidence for the life of Nonnus. It is known that he was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in Upper Egypt, by his naming in manuscripts. Scholars have generally dated him from the end of the 4th to the early part of the 5th century AD. He must have lived after a poem of Claudian's which he appears to be familiar with (after 394–397 AD), but before Agathias Scholasticus' reference to him as a "recent author." (before 530–580). He is known chiefly for his 48-book poem the Dionysiaca, the longest surviving poem in Greek from antiquity (it is only 7,000 lines shorter than the Iliad and Odyssey combined). A poetic paraphrase of the Gospel of John, the Metabole is attributed to him as well, which is thought by certain verbal echoes to have been composed after the Dionysiaca. At least two other works by Nonnus are lost. Only four lines of the Bassarica (also on the subject of Dionysus) have been preserved in a commentary by Stephanus of Byzantium, and according to an epigram in the Palatine Anthology (9.198), Nonnus was the author of a work titled the Battle of the Giants.
Also surviving is his paraphrase of the Gospel of John, which is chiefly interesting as an indication of Nonnus' apparent conversion to Christianity in his later years. The style is not inferior to that of his epic. A team of Italian scholars is currently producing a full commentary of the poem, book by book, of which several parts have already been published. They have shown that Nonnus was as learned in Christian theology as in pagan myth. That a learned Christian poem and a synthesis of Greek myths could come from the same pen continues to intrigue.
There is almost no evidence for the life of Nonnus. It is known that he was a native of Panopolis (Akhmim) in Upper Egypt, by his naming in manuscripts. Scholars have generally dated him from the end of the 4th to the early part of the 5th century AD. He must have lived after a poem of Claudian's which he appears to be familiar with (after 394–397 AD), but before Agathias Scholasticus' reference to him as a "recent author." (before 530–580). He is known chiefly for his 48-book poem the Dionysiaca, the longest surviving poem in Greek from antiquity (it is only 7,000 lines shorter than the Iliad and Odyssey combined). A poetic paraphrase of the Gospel of John, the Metabole is attributed to him as well, which is thought by certain verbal echoes to have been composed after the Dionysiaca. At least two other works by Nonnus are lost. Only four lines of the Bassarica (also on the subject of Dionysus) have been preserved in a commentary by Stephanus of Byzantium, and according to an epigram in the Palatine Anthology (9.198), Nonnus was the author of a work titled the Battle of the Giants.
Also surviving is his paraphrase of the Gospel of John, which is chiefly interesting as an indication of Nonnus' apparent conversion to Christianity in his later years. The style is not inferior to that of his epic. A team of Italian scholars is currently producing a full commentary of the poem, book by book, of which several parts have already been published. They have shown that Nonnus was as learned in Christian theology as in pagan myth. That a learned Christian poem and a synthesis of Greek myths could come from the same pen continues to intrigue.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 31, 2021
The first words out of my mouth when I finished this were "thank god that's over."
April 24, 2016
ACTUAL RATING: 3.5
In my review of the first volume of the DIONYSIACA, I stated that the book felt like a poor man's rendition of Homer and Ovid. As it turns out, I complained far too soon—Nonnus is clearly parodying the epics of old, and infusing it with an utter cynicism that makes manifest one of the greatest critiques of ancient literature ever put to pen.
That, or I've developed literary Stockholm syndrome.
In all seriousness, Nonnus penned DIONYSIACA as the Roman Empire began crumbling into pieces, and it shows in his writing. Honorable warfare and strategy are presented only to be utterly devastated by the uncontrollable whims of the gods, who care little for the morality of their actions. Even in a prolonged siege war a la the myth of Troy, the best warriors have little chance of survival, and great heroes rarely receive honorable deaths for their efforts. Everything represents the failings of Rome in one way or another, especially in terms of hubris. The ridiculousness of Dionysus’ entire campaign would not have been lost on Roman citizens, who were tired of suffering for distant wars that they had no personal stake in.
The philosophies of the old mythologies are despised by the narrative, as Dionysus rewards carpe diem attitudes above all else. In fact, he frequently has to be pressed back into his obligations by other gods, and the Indians themselves are often tricked into unfavorable battles so that the conflict can continue. The fickleness of Dionysus and his fellow deities provides an interesting allegory as to how flawed logic manifests itself in war, and how out-of-touch commanders can doom their legions. In conjunction with Nonnus' attempt to weave together as many myths as possible into a linear narrative, the DIONYSIACA depicts a pessimistic, yet realistic, rendition of truly pagan Greek gods interacting with the world. Nonnus certainly calls into question the purpose of mythology, if nothing else.
The nature of a "hero" is likewise contested by the text, as Dionysus is often compared and contrasted to legendary men, especially Perseus. The difference between the praise Dionysus receives and how he actually conducts himself is clearly intentional, as graphic detail is given to the battles of which Dionysus takes part. Both Dionysus and his enemies try to live up to the tales of old, and they’re even criticized when they fail to do so—despite the text making it exceptionally clear that those stories are impossible to emulate in the real world. Dionysus himself only succeeds by the combined efforts of his divine family aiding him and his utterly ridiculous situations to battle. If Dionysus succeeds at being the ideal of society despite how poorly he fits the image, who's to say the mythic heroes were actually heroic? Disillusionment is the name of the game.
The second volume shines in its depiction of female characters. Unlike the exaggerated and hyperbolic parody of Dionysus’ triumphs and losses, Nonnus appears to have genuine sincerity about the struggles of the women he writes. Men who try to control or hurt women are openly despised by the text, with the sole exception of Dionysus himself. Nonnus often invokes archetypal damsel-in-distress situations solely to give the “damsels” actual agency and power to overcome whatever threatens them. Many of the epic's female cast are both intelligent and fearless, and in many cases they are the true instigators of the plot's progression.
In truth, the only time that the narrative stumbles with women is with the rape of Nicaea--and unfortunately, she's the focus of the very first book of the second volume. On the one hand, she’s unrepentant murderer, and Nonnus evidently doesn’t want to minimize the seriousness of her crime. On the other hand, her rape and the Iliad-esque speech about it is framed as a spoiled brat’s refusal to acknowledge her own complacency in her “punishment” by the gods. The entire situation is extremely similar to date rape, and very uncomfortable to read. Sensitive readers should brace themselves if sexual assault and victim-blaming content bothers them.
Despite my new found appreciation for Nonnus’ jabs at ancient classic literature, the DIONYSIACA continues to be a tedious read. Many of my gripes with the first volume persist into the second, although I still cannot decide whether the problem is with the translation or with Nonnus himself. The story is further hampered by the fact that there are multiple lost sentences and passages of key events in this volume. At least the DIONYSIACA continues to be fascinating, warts and all.
In my review of the first volume of the DIONYSIACA, I stated that the book felt like a poor man's rendition of Homer and Ovid. As it turns out, I complained far too soon—Nonnus is clearly parodying the epics of old, and infusing it with an utter cynicism that makes manifest one of the greatest critiques of ancient literature ever put to pen.
That, or I've developed literary Stockholm syndrome.
In all seriousness, Nonnus penned DIONYSIACA as the Roman Empire began crumbling into pieces, and it shows in his writing. Honorable warfare and strategy are presented only to be utterly devastated by the uncontrollable whims of the gods, who care little for the morality of their actions. Even in a prolonged siege war a la the myth of Troy, the best warriors have little chance of survival, and great heroes rarely receive honorable deaths for their efforts. Everything represents the failings of Rome in one way or another, especially in terms of hubris. The ridiculousness of Dionysus’ entire campaign would not have been lost on Roman citizens, who were tired of suffering for distant wars that they had no personal stake in.
The philosophies of the old mythologies are despised by the narrative, as Dionysus rewards carpe diem attitudes above all else. In fact, he frequently has to be pressed back into his obligations by other gods, and the Indians themselves are often tricked into unfavorable battles so that the conflict can continue. The fickleness of Dionysus and his fellow deities provides an interesting allegory as to how flawed logic manifests itself in war, and how out-of-touch commanders can doom their legions. In conjunction with Nonnus' attempt to weave together as many myths as possible into a linear narrative, the DIONYSIACA depicts a pessimistic, yet realistic, rendition of truly pagan Greek gods interacting with the world. Nonnus certainly calls into question the purpose of mythology, if nothing else.
The nature of a "hero" is likewise contested by the text, as Dionysus is often compared and contrasted to legendary men, especially Perseus. The difference between the praise Dionysus receives and how he actually conducts himself is clearly intentional, as graphic detail is given to the battles of which Dionysus takes part. Both Dionysus and his enemies try to live up to the tales of old, and they’re even criticized when they fail to do so—despite the text making it exceptionally clear that those stories are impossible to emulate in the real world. Dionysus himself only succeeds by the combined efforts of his divine family aiding him and his utterly ridiculous situations to battle. If Dionysus succeeds at being the ideal of society despite how poorly he fits the image, who's to say the mythic heroes were actually heroic? Disillusionment is the name of the game.
The second volume shines in its depiction of female characters. Unlike the exaggerated and hyperbolic parody of Dionysus’ triumphs and losses, Nonnus appears to have genuine sincerity about the struggles of the women he writes. Men who try to control or hurt women are openly despised by the text, with the sole exception of Dionysus himself. Nonnus often invokes archetypal damsel-in-distress situations solely to give the “damsels” actual agency and power to overcome whatever threatens them. Many of the epic's female cast are both intelligent and fearless, and in many cases they are the true instigators of the plot's progression.
In truth, the only time that the narrative stumbles with women is with the rape of Nicaea--and unfortunately, she's the focus of the very first book of the second volume. On the one hand, she’s unrepentant murderer, and Nonnus evidently doesn’t want to minimize the seriousness of her crime. On the other hand, her rape and the Iliad-esque speech about it is framed as a spoiled brat’s refusal to acknowledge her own complacency in her “punishment” by the gods. The entire situation is extremely similar to date rape, and very uncomfortable to read. Sensitive readers should brace themselves if sexual assault and victim-blaming content bothers them.
Despite my new found appreciation for Nonnus’ jabs at ancient classic literature, the DIONYSIACA continues to be a tedious read. Many of my gripes with the first volume persist into the second, although I still cannot decide whether the problem is with the translation or with Nonnus himself. The story is further hampered by the fact that there are multiple lost sentences and passages of key events in this volume. At least the DIONYSIACA continues to be fascinating, warts and all.
March 22, 2014
Provided you accept the rhetorical artificiality of the whole thing, it's oddly fine, and reading it in translation, you don't have to decide as the translator did that the verse is too monotonous. He seems a bit obsessed with hairy breasts. I liked the description of cottebos. There's a lot of pornographic violence especially towards women and a suggestion of necrophiliac fantasy! All to the good, all to the good.
September 20, 2012
Still no Aura!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews