A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius
This paper focuses on analysing fable II of Book IV of Ovidius moralizatus written by Petrus Berchorius (c. 1290-1362), in order to enlighten its uniqueness. I will discuss how Berchorius combined three mythological motifs – Juno’s gynogenesis of Vulcan as a direct response to the parthenogenesis of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eum edizioni università di macerata
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage |
| Online Access: | http://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/cap-cult/article/view/3395 |
| _version_ | 1797337598015832064 |
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| author | Elena Moscara |
| author_facet | Elena Moscara |
| author_sort | Elena Moscara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper focuses on analysing fable II of Book IV of Ovidius moralizatus written by Petrus Berchorius (c. 1290-1362), in order to enlighten its uniqueness. I will discuss how Berchorius combined three mythological motifs – Juno’s gynogenesis of Vulcan as a direct response to the parthenogenesis of Pallas from Jupiters’ head, Vulcan’s fall at Lemnos, and his marriage to Venus – and how he allegorically interpreted them. The first part of the essay will adress the literary fortune of these three motifs. The survey of textual souces demonstrates that Berchorius combined a minor mythographic tradition with two more successful ones, resulting in a original narrative absent in both the Ovidian Metamorphoses, and Barchorius’s predecessors and contemporary moral commentaries. Secondly, I will explore the figurative tradition of the fable, unveiling the interrelation between text and images. In particular, I will focus on the illuminated Gotha and Bergamo manuscripts, which translated the Bersurian fable into images. After studying the iconographical fortune of these motifs, I will argue that the above-mentioned miniatures are the only medieval iconographical sources of the non-Ovidian myth of double parthenogeneis, thus testifying the undeniable originality of the case study. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:15:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2fc90e8860654609afdc29de645641a9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2039-2362 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T09:15:55Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | eum edizioni università di macerata |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage |
| spelling | doaj.art-2fc90e8860654609afdc29de645641a92024-01-31T15:05:58Zengeum edizioni università di macerataIl Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage2039-23622024-01-010010513010.13138/2039-2362/33952404A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus BerchoriusElena Moscara0University of MacerataThis paper focuses on analysing fable II of Book IV of Ovidius moralizatus written by Petrus Berchorius (c. 1290-1362), in order to enlighten its uniqueness. I will discuss how Berchorius combined three mythological motifs – Juno’s gynogenesis of Vulcan as a direct response to the parthenogenesis of Pallas from Jupiters’ head, Vulcan’s fall at Lemnos, and his marriage to Venus – and how he allegorically interpreted them. The first part of the essay will adress the literary fortune of these three motifs. The survey of textual souces demonstrates that Berchorius combined a minor mythographic tradition with two more successful ones, resulting in a original narrative absent in both the Ovidian Metamorphoses, and Barchorius’s predecessors and contemporary moral commentaries. Secondly, I will explore the figurative tradition of the fable, unveiling the interrelation between text and images. In particular, I will focus on the illuminated Gotha and Bergamo manuscripts, which translated the Bersurian fable into images. After studying the iconographical fortune of these motifs, I will argue that the above-mentioned miniatures are the only medieval iconographical sources of the non-Ovidian myth of double parthenogeneis, thus testifying the undeniable originality of the case study.http://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/cap-cult/article/view/3395 |
| spellingShingle | Elena Moscara A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius Il Capitale Culturale: Studies on the Value of Cultural Heritage |
| title | A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius |
| title_full | A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius |
| title_fullStr | A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius |
| title_full_unstemmed | A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius |
| title_short | A non-Ovidian myth in the Ovidius Moralizatus: the double parthenogenesis of Pallas and Vulcan according to Petrus Berchorius |
| title_sort | non ovidian myth in the ovidius moralizatus the double parthenogenesis of pallas and vulcan according to petrus berchorius |
| url | http://riviste.unimc.it/index.php/cap-cult/article/view/3395 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elenamoscara anonovidianmythintheovidiusmoralizatusthedoubleparthenogenesisofpallasandvulcanaccordingtopetrusberchorius AT elenamoscara nonovidianmythintheovidiusmoralizatusthedoubleparthenogenesisofpallasandvulcanaccordingtopetrusberchorius |