Is it a Bird, a Nymph, an Instrument of Magic? — the Word ἴυγξ and its Eccentricity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34624/agora.1.43431Keywords:
instruments of erotic magic, Idyll 2, ἴυγξ, iynx torquillaAbstract
Throughout the ritual of love enchantment that we witness in Theocritus’ Idyll 2, the young sorceress repeats the word ἴυγξ ten times. This curious word has sparked much debate among modern critics, who are not unanimous in their interpretation of the meaning that the Hellenistic poet intended to ascribe to it. Without any pretence of exhausting the subject, our aim is to summarise the most common uses of ἴυγξ across Greek literature. Finally, we’ll try to understand which of the various meanings of the word was most likely in the mind of the author of The Sorceress.
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