{"id":140,"date":"2017-05-18T17:51:41","date_gmt":"2017-05-18T17:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/?p=140"},"modified":"2018-05-17T15:25:45","modified_gmt":"2018-05-17T15:25:45","slug":"podcast-the-chilling-fate-of-palinurus-aeneid-5-847-871","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/2017\/05\/18\/podcast-the-chilling-fate-of-palinurus-aeneid-5-847-871\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcast: The Chilling Fate of Palinurus (Aeneid 5.847\u2013871)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seth Levin discusses the character of Palinurus in Vergil’s Aeneid<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Palinurus<\/a>
Palinurus falls from the stern of a ship into the sea, the God of Sleep flies away with a branch in his hand. Engraving from a German children\u2019s picture-book version of the Aeneid by G. J. Lang and G. C. Eimmart, 1688.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cui vix attoll\u0113ns Palin\u016brus l\u016bmina f\u0101tur:
\n‘M\u0113ne salis placid\u012b vultum fl\u016bct\u016bsque qui\u0113t\u014ds
\nign\u014dr\u0101re iub\u0113s? M\u0113ne huic c\u014dnf\u012bdere m\u014dnstr\u014d?
\nAen\u0113\u0101n cr\u0113dam (quid enim?) fall\u0101cibus aur\u012bs\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 850
\nT\u0101lia dicta dabat, cl\u0101vumque adf\u012bxus et haer\u0113ns
\nnusquam \u0101mitt\u0113b\u0101t ocul\u014dsque sub astra ten\u0113bat.
\nEcce deus r\u0101mum L\u0113thae\u014d r\u014dre madentem
\nv\u012bque sop\u014dr\u0101tum Stygi\u0101 super utraque quassat\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 855
\ntempora, c\u016bnctant\u012bque natantia l\u016bmina solvit.
\nVix pr\u012bm\u014ds inop\u012bna qui\u0113s lax\u0101verat art\u016bs,
\net super incumb\u0113ns cum puppis parte revuls\u0101
\ncumque gubern\u0101cl\u014d liquid\u0101s pr\u014di\u0113cit in und\u0101s
\npraecipitem ac soci\u014ds n\u0113qu\u012bquam saepe vocantem;\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0860
\nipse vol\u0101ns tenu\u012bs s\u0113 sustulit \u0101les ad aur\u0101s.
\nCurrit iter t\u016btum n\u014dn s\u0113tius aequore classis
\npr\u014dmiss\u012bsque patris Nept\u016bn\u012b interrita fertur.
\nIamque ade\u014d scopul\u014ds S\u012br\u0113num advecta sub\u012bbat,
\ndifficil\u012bs quondam mult\u014drumque ossibus alb\u014ds\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 865
\n(tum rauca adsidu\u014d long\u0113 sale saxa son\u0101bant),
\ncum pater \u0101miss\u014d fluitantem err\u0101re magistr\u014d
\ns\u0113nsit, et ipse ratem nocturn\u012bs r\u0113xit in und\u012bs
\nmulta gem\u0113ns c\u0101s\u016bque animum concussus am\u012bc\u012b:
\n‘\u014c nimium cael\u014d et pelag\u014d c\u014dnf\u012bse ser\u0113n\u014d,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0870
\nn\u016bdus in ign\u014dt\u0101, Palin\u016bre, iac\u0113bis har\u0113n\u0101.’<\/p>\n

Scarcely raising his eyes Palinurus says: \u2018You order me to forget what I know about the appearance of the gentle salty sea and to forget the tranquil waves? To place my trust in this monster? For how could I entrust Aeneas to these fallacious winds, as I am often deceived by the guile of the serene sky?\u2019 He spoke these words, and grasping and clinging to the helm, he never lost his grip and kept his eyes on the stars. But behold, the god shakes above both of his temples a branch dripping with the dew of Lethe, a branch stupefied with the power of the Styx, and although Palinurus tried to resist, his floating eyes weakened. Scarcely an unexpected sleep relaxed his first limbs, and reclining above him, the god threw Palinurus, who called out to his friends many times in vain, headlong into the peaceful waves with a plucked out part of the stern and rudder; and the god flying as a bird, carried himself along the thin breezes. The fearless fleet traverses the voyage on the sea in no more danger than was foretold by the promise of father Neptune. And now the departing fleet approached the crags of the Sirens, white with the bones of many men. Formerly it was difficult to traverse, (at that time the rough rocks were resounding from afar with the constant waves). When Aeneas felt that his wavering ship was wandering without a helmsman, he steered the ship himself on the waves of the night, terrified by the fate of his friend and lamenting much: \u2018O Palinurus, confident too much in the sky and peaceful ocean, you will be thrown naked onto an unknown shore.\u2019<\/p>\n

Palinurus is an unlucky soul struck down by fate and the gods so that\u00a0Aeneas might reach destined Italy. As Aeneas\u2019 helmsman, he is visited by Somnus<\/em> in the end of Book Five of the Aeneid<\/em>,\u00a0and is instructed to rest his eyes and let Somnus <\/em>take over steering the fleet. However, Palinurus does not listen and is put to sleep by the god, and falls into the ocean. The reason why Palinurus dies in this manner is because earlier in Book Five, Neptune promises Venus that Aeneas will safely reach Latium on calm waters, but only if a single life in given in return. Palinurus\u2019 main appearance is in Book Five, but he also makes an appearance in Book Six when Aeneas travels to the Underworld. During this scene, Palinurus begs Aeneas to give his bones a proper burial, and the Sibyl promises Palinurus that the people who discover Palinurus\u2019 body \u201cwill appease your bones, will build you a tomb and pay your tomb due rites and the site will bear the name of Palinurus now and always\u201d (Aeneid <\/em>6.379-80). But why is Palinurus unfairly chosen to die? Palinurus\u2019 death fits into\u00a0Vergilian pattern\u00a0of death\u00a0taking place at the end of books, or sections, of the Aeneid<\/em>. In Book Two, Creusa dies in the final lines; in Book Three, Anchises does; and in Book Four, the final scene is the suicide of Dido. Not only do these characters all die at the end of these books, but their deaths in some way help\u00a0Aeneas to arrive safely in Latium. They were all subject to fate and the intervention of the gods. This principle, as discussed by historian of religion Walter Burkert, is called pars pro toto<\/em>, and it refers to \u201caccepting the small loss in order to save the whole.\u201d Vergil uses it because it \u201cis highly rational [to employ] and highly emotional at the same time\u201d (Burkert 51).<\/p>\n

Through his use of pars pro toto<\/em>, Vergil creates a rather eerie and somber tone in this passage. Although Vergil uses a lot of adjectives noting how peaceful the ocean and sky were during Palinurus\u2019 death, those like placidi, quietos, sereni, <\/em>and liquidas<\/em> to name a few, Palinurus dies vocantem socios nequiquam<\/em>, “calling out to his comrades in vain,” while he is thrown headlong into the ocean, drowning without any \u201cindication that anyone heard the helmsman\u2019s cries\u201d (Fratantuono, 719). This eerie tone is especially present when Vergil writes about how the fleet approached the crags of the Sirens, which were white with the bones of many men. Sirens are mythological creatures, half human, half bird who lived on cliff-sides and would lure passing travelers to them by singing pleasant songs. Then, they would wreck the approaching ships, killing the sailors (Hinz). This detail about the Sirens could have been omitted, but Vergil cleverly writes about the Sirens to enhance the somber tone of Palinurus\u2019 death, as \u201csleep had to work quickly so as to ensure that Palinurus could be cast overboard as a quasi-offering to the Sirens\u201d (Fratantuono, 721).<\/p>\n

Further adding to the eerie tone of this passage are Vergil\u2019s final words in Aeneas\u2019 epitaph to Palinurus at the end: \u2018nudus in ignota, Palinure, iacebis harena\u2019 <\/em>(5.871). Palinurus will eventually wash up on the Italian shore, but Vergil notes that this shore will be ignota, <\/em>or unknown. Palinurus is lost forever, and no matter how hard the Trojans search for Palinurus\u2019 body, it will forever remain a mystery as to its whereabouts. Palinurus\u2019 body is also nudus<\/em>, or naked, stripped of its former Trojan distinction to whoever happens upon it. Vergil uses an eerie tone for this section because it complements the unfair fate of Palinurus. Everything seems to be going great for the Trojans after the games Aeneas holds for Anchises in\u00a0Book Five, until Palinurus is unjustly chosen for death. The eerie tone in this passage also sends chills down your spine, forcing you to shudder at the dark fate of an innocent victim.<\/p>\n

Besides the tone, another aspect of Vergil\u2019s portrayal of Palinurus which I find interesting is the dichotomy between his brief speech in the beginning of this section and Aeneas\u2019 at the end. Palinurus makes it very evident that he does not trust the calm waves and the clear sky. Palinurus is an experienced helmsman, and would not easily be thrown overboard by the worsening of conditions. However, \u201cin the last lines of the book Aeneas laments the steersman\u2019s fate and comments, pathetically inappropriately as it seems in view of Palinurus\u2019 earlier indignant refusal to trust the elements, that Palinurus died through overconfidence in the calm sea and sky\u201d (Nicoll, 459). It seems odd for Vergil to credit Palinurus with being a great helmsman, only to have Aeneas discredit this distinction a mere twenty lines later. However, it is not uncommon for\u00a0Aeneas to be ignorant of the facts, contrary to other epic heroes. When Aeneas is fighting for Troy in Book Two, for example, Venus has to come down to show him how the gods were destroying Troy and there was no hope in saving the city. Similarly, in the Underworld, Aeneas sees Dido for the first time since leaving Carthage and has no idea she killed herself because he left. Fortunately for Palinurus, Aeneas eventually realizes that divine foul-play was involved when he meets Palinurus in the Underworld.<\/p>\n

There are many instances in this passage which exemplify Vergil\u2019s distinct style. He\u00a0employs vocabulary in this section in order to generate a more epic emotion to the lines. In line 861, he uses ales <\/em>(“bird,” literally “wing”)\u00a0to describe Somnus<\/em> flying away from Palinurus, instead of using more colloquial terms such as avis <\/em>or volucris<\/em>. Additionally, Vergil does not use mare<\/em> even once to describe the ocean, instead opting to use the epic word aequor <\/em>in line 862. For the other instances when Vergil mentions the ocean, he uses nouns such as salis, fluctus, and undas<\/em> to describe features of the ocean, which further enhance the imagery of the scene, contributing to the epic feel.<\/p>\n

Another stylistic feature present within this passage which is characteristically Vergilian is the repetition of an idea using different sets of words. In Palinurus\u2019 short speech alone there are two examples of repetition of the same idea. The first is in line 848: mene salis placidi vultum fluctusque quietos<\/em>. Palinurus references the ocean twice in the adjective-noun pair salis placidi vultum <\/em>and fluctus quietos<\/em>. The example in Palinurus\u2019 speech is in lines 850-51: Aenean credam (quid enim?) fallacibus auris et caeli totiens deceptus fraude sereni?<\/em> This time fallacibus auris <\/em>and caeli sereni<\/em> describe the treachery of the weather. These two examples of repetition allow the reader to better picture the scenery Palinurus is currently experiencing, adding to the vividness of the poem.<\/p>\n

To summarize, this passage at the end of Book Five is dark, as it highlights the fated death of an innocent victim, while sticking to the Vergilian theme of death at the end of sequential books, or pars pro toto<\/em>.<\/p>\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Burkert, Walter.\u00a0Creation of the Sacred: Tracks of Biology in Early Religions<\/em>. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.<\/p>\n

Fagles, Robert, trans.\u00a0Virgil: <\/em>The Aeneid<\/em>. London: Penguin, 2010.<\/p>\n

Fratantuono, Lee, and R. Alden Smith. Vergil:<\/em>\u00a0Aeneid 5: Text, Translation, and Commentary<\/em>. Leiden: Brill, 2015.<\/p>\n

Hinz, Berthold, \u201cSirens.\u201d In Maria Moog-Grunewald, ed., Brill\u2019s New Pauly Supplements I \u2013 Volume 4: The Reception of Myth and Mythology<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Nicoll, W. S. M. \u201cThe Sacrifice of Palinurus.\u201d Classical Quarterly<\/em>\u00a038 (1988): 459\u201372.<\/p>\n

Thomas, Richard F., Jan M. Ziolkowski, Anna Bonnell-Freidin, Christian Flow, and Michael B. Sullivan.\u00a0The Virgil Encyclopedia<\/em>. Malden: Wiley Blackwell, 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Seth Levin discusses the character of Palinurus in Vergil’s Aeneid Cui vix attoll\u0113ns Palin\u016brus l\u016bmina f\u0101tur: ‘M\u0113ne salis placid\u012b vultum fl\u016bct\u016bsque qui\u0113t\u014ds ign\u014dr\u0101re iub\u0113s? M\u0113ne huic c\u014dnf\u012bdere m\u014dnstr\u014d? Aen\u0113\u0101n cr\u0113dam (quid enim?) fall\u0101cibus aur\u012bs\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 850 T\u0101lia dicta dabat, cl\u0101vumque adf\u012bxus et haer\u0113ns nusquam \u0101mitt\u0113b\u0101t ocul\u014dsque sub astra ten\u0113bat. Ecce deus r\u0101mum L\u0113thae\u014d r\u014dre madentem v\u012bque … Continue reading Podcast: The Chilling Fate of Palinurus (Aeneid 5.847\u2013871)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2573,138297],"tags":[5514,138308,138307,5513],"class_list":["post-140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-podcasts","category-reading-vergil","tag-aeneid","tag-palinurus","tag-seth-levin","tag-vergil"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.dickinson.edu\/classicalstudies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}