PETRONIUS - a spooky story Flashcards
servirem
Line 1
the speaker is now a freedman, but this tale took place whilst he was still a slave. There was a Roman stereotype that the lower classes were more prone to superstition
uxor Terentii cauponis… contubernalis
Lines 1-2
- One reading is that Melissa is the uxor of Terentius - he is a freedman (running the inn on behalf of his former master)
- She also had a contubernalis - this is the word used for ‘partner’ when traditional marriage could not take place because both parties were slaves and therefore could not marry
- This would suggest that Melissa has a husband who was a freedman and a partner who was a slave and ran his master’s farm (ad villam), where he has now died, clearing the way for Niceros
- An alternative reading is that Niceros is simply using the wrong vocabulary – Melissa only has one partner, Terentius, an innkeeper who just happened to be at the farm when he died
pulcherrimum bacciballum
Line 2
- bacciballum is a compound of bacca (‘berry’) and ballum (‘something round’)
- The context shows us that it is a term of affection, and the tone is suggestive
- The speaker uses the superlative pulcherrimum to show just how appreciative he is of her beauty
per scutum per ocream egi
Line 3
- an asyndetic (lack of conjunctions) proverb implying much the same as ‘by hook or by crook’.
- It has been suggested that it originated with gladiators putting every effort into arming themselves for combat in the arena.
- Again this continues the colloquial tone of this account
egi aginavi
aginavi the asyndeton and half-rhyme of this verb and the preceding egi gives this whole clause the sound of an everyday phrase
in angustiis amici apparent
Linea 4-5
the alliterative sound suggests this might be another proverb: ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’
dominus
Line 6
a reminder that the speaker is a slave. His master’s convenient absence gives him the opportunity for his adventure
fortis tamquam Orcus
Lines 8-9
- fortis tamquam Orcus foreshadows the immense magical strength of the werewolf
- By using the word Orcus the scene is also set for the supernatural: Orcus was the personification of the punishment aspect of the Underworld
gallicinia
Line 9
‘cock-crow’ was about two hours after midnight
luna lucebat
Line 9
the soft lalliteration draws attention to the night time setting and
adds to the relaxed tone at the start of the journey
tamquam meridie
Lines 9-10
- the full moon has made the night into day (nature has been reversed) suggesting magical forces at work
- The full moon was not explicitly linked to werewolves in Roman times, but the moon in general was linked to magic and supernatural happenings
inter monimenta
Line 10
- they are just outside the city, the streets lined with tombs
- This is a suitable place for a supernatural encounter
homo meus
Line 10
this creates a friendly tone
sedeo ego
Line 11
the singsong rhyme suggests what Niceros is doing and continues the light-hearted nature of the scene
cantabundus stelas numero
Line 11
- the implication is that the soldier is taking his time and Niceros has to amuse himself
- This jovial mood is suddenly changed with the verb respexi
ille exuit se
Line 12
- the removal of clothing is seen in ancient werewolf tales as a step in shedding humanity
- It is also used in this text as a halfway point in the transformation: our narrator knows that something unusual is happening but does not yet fully understand what
mihi anima in naso esse
Line 13
- the Romans believed that on the point of death a person’s soul left through either the nose or the mouth
- The speaker’s soul is on the point of departing
tamquam mortuus
Line 14
the sudden change from the previous light-heartedness to horror is emphasised with the simile
circumminxit vestimenta sua
Line 14
- a humorous detail, linked to the Roman belief that werewolves needed access to their old clothes to turn back to their human form again
- Here the man marks his territory (like a wolf) with a protective circle before he turns into a werewolf
subito lupus factus est
Line 15
the brief statement, coupled with the use of subito, marks a dramatic moment in the text
nolite me iocari putare
Line 15
an acknowledgement of the fantastical nature of his story, and again a reminder that our narrator is addressing an audience at a dinner party
ululare
Line 15
a vividly onomatopoeic word (‘to howl’) which brings the scene to life
in silvas
Line 16
- the woods are, like the necropolis, places where magical events take place
- This is no doubt rooted in genuine fears of wild animals and ambushes, and can be observed in a wide range of folk tales from across the world
lapidea
Line 17
building on the concept that the clothes need to be protected, this is a detail unique to Petronius’ werewolf account
gladium…strinxi
Line 19
iron was believed to dispel magic and to drive away magical beings – in contrast to bronze (mentioned in our Virgil text), which encouraged magic. Here, his attempts are presented as comically futile
Melissa mea mirari
Lines 22-23
- the soft alliteration mirrors the calming effect of Melissa’s presence upon the speaker and also mimics her sense of wonder
- At this point in the story Niceros gets a moment of calm: this allows for greater impact when it is shattered moments later when Melissa tells her tale
tamquam lanius
Line 25
the simile is very effective: it is simple and clear yet manages to convey both the professionalism of the kill and its savagery (the lanius is no surgeon, the root of this word is in verbs meaning ‘tear, shred’ and it is cognate with lacer ‘mangled’)
luce clara
Line 28
- we can see here the continuation of a common theme - supernatural threat is more likely at night and so our speaker will not venture out until day
- It will become apparent that the werewolf has also changed back to human form now that it is daytime
nihil inveni nisi sanguinem
LIne 30
- the placing of nihil at the beginning of the sentence shows us the speaker’s wonder and relief as soon as he came upon the location of his previous adventure, whilst the delay of sanguinem demonstrates how he slowly realised what he was looking at as he surveyed the scene
- Petronius is also using this word order, mimicking the order of the actual events being described, as it is common in spoken language
tamquam bos
Line 31
- another brief and effective simile. With one word the speaker conveys the strength and size of the soldier, whilst reminding us that he is also an animal - even when he outwardly appears human
- The word order here is also reversed in a similar way to line 30, showing us the order in which the speaker took in the scene he saw
intellexi
Line 31
the emphatic word position at the start of the sentence shows the sudden, dramatic realisation of the complete truth
Students may question how it took so long for Niceros to reach this conclusion, but he has been characterised as slightly dim-witted throughout the text
