Carmela LAUDANI (Università della Calabria)
DEL BUON USO DELLA LIRA: ERMES (HOM. 4) E TEUTRA (SIL. 11, 288-482)
Keywords: Hermes, Teuthras, Chiron, lyre.
Abstract: The good use of the lyre: Hermes (Hom. 4) and Teuthras (Sil. 11, 288-482). In the eleventh book of the Punica, Silius Italicus reinterprets in his own way the epic motif of a bard singing during a banquet. A significant literary model is represented by the Hymn to Hermes. This reinterpretation can be read as a legitimization of some of Silius’ choices, starting with the insertion of two related musical performances by the same singer in the same narrative sequence. The model of the Homeric hymn also constitutes a precedent for the importance given to the pedagogical role of the centaur Chiron in the second song of Teuthras.