Euryalus and Nisus

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Euryalus and Nisus in Vergilius Vaticanus , Codex Vat. Lat. 3225, f. 73v

Euryalus and Nisus are two characters from the Aeneid , the Roman epic Virgil (1st century BC). They are companions of the hero Aeneas . Nisus is the son of Hyrtacus , Euryalus the son of Opheltes (his mother comes from the family of Priam ). Both are inventions of Virgil and do not appear in Homer's Iliad .

As a pair of friends, they first appear in the fifth book of the Aeneid during the competitions as part of the funeral games for Anchises , then in book 9 as guards under the leadership of Aeneas, in which they attack the Rutulian camp with the desire for fame .

background

Appearance in Book 5 of the Aeneid

At the games of the dead in honor of his father Anchises, Aeneas goes to a racetrack after competitions at sea. Virgil is the first of the Trojan and Scianic runners Euryalus and Nisus to arrive there and describes them briefly (286-302). Finally, Aeneas gives a speech in which he promises gifts to all participants (303–314). Already at the beginning of the race Nisus managed to take the lead, and Silius followed directly behind him and Euryalus came third. Nisus can hold his position until the end, but then slips on a pool of blood and falls. Not forgetting his companion Euryalus, he pulls the approaching Silius with him to the ground and thus ensures the victory of the friend (314–347). Salius, angry about the ruse, complains about Euryalus' victory by deceit, who, however, is spared sanctions because of his beautiful figure. Because Salius receives a lion's skin to appease, Nisus, from whom victory was also snatched by a misfortune, demands a reward and receives a shield (348–361).

Appearance in Book 9 of the Aeneid

Influenced by Juno , Turnus and the Rutuls attack the Trojan castle in the absence of Aeneas. But the guards of the Trojan gates, Nisus and Euryalus, do not want to stand idly by. Nisus, the son of Hyrtacus, can handle spear and arrow skillfully and his companion Euryalus is the most beautiful of Aeneas' entourage (176-187). Because it is known that the Rutuls are inattentive and their camp is not heavily guarded, Nisus forges a plan to attack the Rutuls and thus get to Aeneas. Euryalus wants to join this plan, which Nisus tries to prevent because of the great danger, albeit without success (188–223). So the two rush to the meeting of the Trojan leaders and ask for permission to carry out this endeavor (224–245). Aletes and Ascanius , son of Aeneas, agree to the plan and express trust and confidence in Nisus and Euryalus (246–280). The young Euryalus finally asks Ascanius to take care of his mother if he does not return from this undertaking (280–307), before the two of them finally set off armed and led by their friends to the gate (308–313).

Jean-Baptiste Roman: Nisus and the corpse of Euryalus . 1827. Louvre

Overwhelmed by the lust for murder , the pair of friends wreak havoc in the enemy camp before they devote themselves to the booty: Euryalus takes the armor of Rhamnes , his military gauntlet and puts on the helmet of Messapus . When they try to sneak out of the camp (314–366), they are discovered by the Latin horsemen led by the people through the helmet of Euryalus, which sparkles in the moonlight. On the escape route, the young hero is hindered and captured by his prey, while Nisus is able to escape. Only later does he discover the loss of his friend (267–398), wants to rush to his aid and neglects his mission to inform Aeneas about the situation as quickly as possible (399–402). After a supplication to Diana (403-409), Nisus first kills Sulmo (410-415) and then also the Tagus in a cruel manner (416-419). Volcens desperately attacks the helpless Euryalus (420-424), whereupon Nisus takes on all the guilt and reveals himself (425-430). But the hope of saving Euryalus' life in this way is not fulfilled; his death by the sword of the people (431–434) is compared to a picked flower and falling poppies (435–437). Nisus too is now killed and dies - united in death - over the motionless Euryalus (438–445). Virgil apostrophizes both as "happy" and sets them - and himself - an eternal monument in his work (446–449).

The victims of the young hero couple are discovered in the Rutulian camp (450–458); a new day begins with the angry rotation (459–464) and the demonstrative impaling of the heads of the two youths (465–467). The Aeneades, mourning the double loss, position themselves (468–472). This is followed by a haunting lamentation from the mother of Euryalus (473–497), after which she is led away from the crowd (498–502).

Characterization at Virgil

Euryalus

Euryalus is described in Book 5 as a young man who is distinguished by his beauty and youthful freshness. The close relationship with his friend Nisus is evident in the competition. In Book 9, he is introduced as a gatekeeper. Here, too, he is Nisus 'companion and is described as the most beautiful young man from Aeneas' entourage. Euryalus is the son of Opheltes and was trained by him to be a warrior at a young age. When it comes to attacking the Rutulian camp, his only interest is the impending death and the alluring fame, which he even puts above his life. So he sees Aeneas as his role model and thus the "magnanimitas" (generosity, greatness of soul) as his duty.

Nisus

Nisus, the son of Hyrtaces, is introduced in Book 5 as a participant in the races. He is not only characterized by his talent, but above all by his genuine love for Euryalus. Like Euryalus, he appears in book 9 as a gate guard and brave warrior. The huntress Ida is said to have sent him to Aeneas, since he is an excellent spearman and archer. His speeches, which are always longer than those of his friend, reveal his greater expertise, his life experience and his argumentative character.

Research questions

The main research question discussed is the nature of the relationship between Nisus as the elder and Euryalus as the younger of the two youthful heroes. Many couples from myth ( Heracles and Hylas , Achilles and Patroclus , Jupiter and Ganymede , Apollo and Hyacinthus ) as well as from history can be cited (selectively) for comparison ( Harmodios and Aristogeiton , Alexander and Hephaistion , Hadrian and Antinous ). - The vocabulary used in each case is decisive: love for one another (not after hunting or fighting) is expressly designated as such, not just intimate friendship. The (ideal) image of the hero couple in the sense of pederastic love, drawn by Virgil after Plato, is revealing : characterization as erastés (Nisus) and erómenos or paidiká (Euryalus). The question to be answered here is whether it is such a pedagogical-pederastic relationship or whether it is practiced homosexuality .

The marriage legislation of Augustus and Virgil's attitude could be related from these sections. Finally, the question arises of the assessment of the passage, which is sometimes regarded as a separate epyllion , with regard to the entire Aeneid . The ultimate failure of the nocturnal expedition has to be analyzed from different perspectives, that of the hero couple themselves and the camps of the Rutulians and the Trojans. The end of the young heroes refers to the death of those who will enjoy loot armor too much in the future. After all, Nisus and Euryalus are considered examples of Roman valor.

Nisus and Euryalus in the Homeric epics

The Nisus- and Euryalus episode is inspired by the Dolonie the 10th song of the Iliad . This passage is also about two heroes who raid an enemy camp during the night and cause a bloodbath. The fact that Ascanius promises the two young men many valuable gifts is mainly developed from the 9th book of the Iliad . Euryalus is known not only from the Aeneid as a competitor, but also from the Iliad and Odyssey . The Homeric Euryalus was a suitable model for Virgil, since he also has a close relationship with Diomedes in the Iliad . As a handsome young man, however, according to J. Dingel, the Vergilian Euryalus is closer to the figure from the Odyssey . Like Nisus from the Aeneid , Diomedes wants to take care of his companion and wishes for his victory. In addition, like Diomedes in the Dolonie, Nisus is given a lion's skin. In the Odyssey , Nisus is comparable to Odysseus .

Because the two figures of Virgil were created as a couple from the beginning, the name Nisus was added to suit Euryalus. So the two names are complementary to each other. The name Euryalus means "wide sea". Hence the name Nisus, which the Megarian king also bore, who was transformed into a sea eagle, seems appropriate. The idea of ​​a fast bird of prey corresponds to the portrayal of Virgil of Nisius as a fast runner and hunter. The name also belonged to a Homeric minor character, the father of Amphinomus , a suitor of Penelope . According to Vergilian ideas, Nisus is the son of Hyrtacus , who is known from Homer's Iliad as the ruler of the Hellespont . Because of this connection, features of the Homeric Hyrtacid Asios , the son of Hyrtacus, can be recognized in him. For him and his companion, like Nisus and Euryalus, his carelessness is fatal.

Nisus differs from the heroes of the Homeric Dolonie in the motif of amor and the renunciation of material gain. Also in the Homeric Dolonie the wanted scouts are not present, as with Virgil. Like their role models in the Iliad , Nisus and Euryalus are equipped with weapons before they go to the Rutulian camp, but in the Iliad this is shown by two armor scenes with the motif of exchanging / giving weapons . With Virgil this representation is omitted and is limited to the ideal value, since the two are already armed as guard posts. Also in the Dolonie, Diomedes and Odysseus know what they are going to do there when they penetrate the Thracian camp. In Virgil, on the other hand, everything happens in the moment.

reception

The diverse literary reception extends from the Augustan period, in particular the imperial period of the 1st century AD, until the material was finally taken up again in the early Italian Renaissance ( Dante's Inferno 1; Boccaccios Amorosa visione , Canto 8 and since then in English ( Lord Byron's paraphrase of Virgil's Aeneis 9, 176–449 in his Hours of Idleness ) and German works ( Hölderlin's translation of Aeneis 9, 176–318; Johann Gottfried Seume scoffs at these verses in his walk to Syracuse in 1802) occasionally In most cases, however, it is a very brief but impressive processing or references to the special friendship of the young hero couple, for example in Ovid's three poems of his exile strategies / tristies (1, 5; 1, 9; 5, 4 ). Seneca stresses v. a. the ongoing fame of the poet (ep. mor. 21). the mythological compendium of Hyginus joins the close friendship in a catalog sol celebrities and mentions the winning prizes in their race, referring only to the episode of the Corpse Festival in Virgil's Aeneid 5.

The two epic poets Statius and Silius Italicus imitate the apostrophes on the death of the hero couple and the sphragis of the poet, but also the unsportsmanlike running scene, which is excused because of mutual affection (cf. on the other hand Cicero , de officiis 3, 42). Ausonius , in the 4th century AD, referred briefly to their friendship in two letters to Paulinus (ep. 24 and 27). In addition, two epigrams of the Codex Salmasianus / Anthologia Latina (36 and 65) deal with the mother of Euryalus and with the value of friendship. Enea Silvio Piccolomini's novella Historia de duobus amantibus / Eurialus et Lucretia portrays Nisus as a faithful companion of Euryalus.

In the fine arts of antiquity, the pair of friends Euryalus and Nisus are occasionally depicted on vases, mosaics and in wall paintings. The motif is extremely rare in post-ancient art, one of the few examples being the sculpture "Nisus and Euryalus" (1827) by the French classical sculptor Jean-Baptiste Roman (1792–1835).

literature

Lexicon article

Essays

  • GE Duckworth: The Significance of Nisus and Euryalus for Aeneid IX-XII , 129-150, in: American Journal of Philology (= AJP) 88 (1967).
  • PG Lennox: Virgil's Night-Episode Re-examined (Aeneid IX. 176-449) , 331-342, in: Hermes 105 (1977).
  • A. Parry: The Two Voices of Virgil's Aeneid , 66-80, in: Arion II 4 (1963); see. Ndr. In S. Commager (Ed.): Virgil, A collection of critical essays , New York 1966, 107-123.
  • E. Potz: Fortunati ambo. Function and meaning of the Nisus / Euryalus episode in Virgil's 'Aeneis' , 325–334, in: Hermes 121 (1993).

Comments / monographs

  • J. Dingel: Commentary on the 9th Book of the Aeneid Virgil , Heidelberg 1997.
  • P. Hardie: Virgil. Aeneid. Book IX , Cambridge 1994.
  • N. Horsfall (Ed.): A Companion to the Study of Virgil , Leiden et al. 1995, 170-178.
  • GN Knauer: The Aeneid and Homer. Studies on Virgil's poetic technique with lists of Homer's quotations in the Aeneis , Göttingen 1964 ( Hypomnemata. Investigations on antiquity and its afterlife , volume 7).
  • Tilman Schmit-Neuerburg: Virgil's Aeneid and the ancient Homerexegesis. Studies on the influence of ethical and critical reception of Homer on Imitatio and Aemulatio Vergils , Berlin / New York 1999 ( Studies on ancient literature and history , volume 56).
  • Werner Suerbaum : Virgil's "Aeneid". Epic between past and present , Stuttgart 1999.
  • RD Williams: The Aeneid of Virgil , Vol. I, Books 1-6, London 1972.

homosexuality

  • S. Lilja: Homosexuality in Republican and Augustan Rome , Helsinki 1983.
  • JF Makowski: Nisus and Euryalus. A platonic relationship , 1-15, in: The Classical Journal 85 (1989).
  • E. Hartmann: homosexuality. In: The New Pauly (DNP). Volume 5, Metzler, Stuttgart 1998, ISBN 3-476-01475-4 , Sp. 703-707.

Web links

Commons : Euryalus and Nisus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 9, 295.
  2. ↑ Virgil, Aeneid 9, 179-180.
  3. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 9, 199-206.
  4. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 9, 204.
  5. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 5, 296.
  6. ^ Virgil, Aeneis 9, 176-177.
  7. ↑ See Virgil. Aeneis 5, 295-296 and 9, 177-182. 334, 430.
  8. ^ Plato, Symposium 178 A 6-180 B 8; 205 E.
  9. ↑ Homer, Iliad 23, 677ff.
  10. ↑ Homer, Odyssey 8, 115ff., Esp. 126f.
  11. ↑ See Dingel 1997, 102.
  12. ↑ Virgil, Aeneid 9, 306f.
  13. ↑ See Dingel, 1997, 21-22.
  14. ↑ Homer, Odyssey 16, 395 and ö.
  15. ^ Virgil, Aeneid 9, 303-307.
  16. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 257.
  17. ^ Hyginus, Fabulae 273.
  18. ^ Statius, Thebais 6 and 10.
  19. ↑ Silius Italicus, Punica 4 and 16.