Metamorphoses Summary
Description
Here you will find a Metamorphoses summary (Ovid's book).
We begin with a summary of the entire book, and then you can read each individual chapter's summary by visiting the links on the "Chapters" section.
P.S.: As an Amazon Associate, we earn money from purchases made through links in this page. But the summaries are totally free!
Last Updated: Monday 1 Jan, 2024
Chapters
Chapters Metamorphoses Summary Overview
The narrative begins with an invocation to the divine entities for guidance and introduces the central theme of transformation. The narrator intends to recount an uninterrupted epic from the dawn of creation to the present era. The creation saga unfolds with an initial state of disorder evolving into a structured world, giving birth to humankind. However, human misconduct prompts divine retribution, and Neptune and Jupiter annihilate the entire human race, sparing only Deucalion and Pyrrha for their devoutness. Subsequently, a refreshed human race arises. The plot then transitions into divine-human relations across five books, starting with the topic of divine violation. The earliest incidents include Apollo's attempted assault on the nymph Daphne, who is saved by her father who transforms her into a laurel tree, and Jupiter's transgressions against Io, Callisto, and Europa. It explores the fatal chariot ride of Phaethon that almost brings world destruction. The founding of Thebes by Cadmus and related narratives, including the demise of Actaeon and Semele, the birth of Bacchus, and Pentheus's refusal to acknowledge Bacchus, form the core of subsequent stories. The segment concludes with a singing competition between the Muses and Pierides and a weaving contest between Minerva and Arachne, resulting in the transformation of the losers into birds and spiders, respectively. The narrative traverses into the territory of heroes and heroines in the next segment. It encapsulates Jason's quest for the golden fleece, stories exhibiting Medea's magic and power, Minos's war strategy against Athens, the siege of Alcathous, and Scylla's infatuation with Minos. The miraculous appearance of the Myrmidons, the melancholic story of Cephalus and Procris, the Calydonian boar hunt, and Meleager's tragic death craft the subsequent episodes. The section ends with a detailed account of Orpheus's life, including the stories of Pygmalion, Myrrha, Hippomenes, and Atalanta. The narrative then inches towards the Trojan War era, presenting Achilles' fight with Cycnus, Caeneus's combat with centaurs, the love story of Ceyx and Alcyone, and Ulysses's victory over Ajax in a verbal duel for Achilles' armour. The narrative then journeys through Roman history, prophesying a bright future for Rome and immortalizing the narrator's work.
book 1
Ovid kicks off Metamorphoses by calling on the gods for their support in his work. His narrative starts from the world's creation and progresses towards his time, focusing on bodily transformations. He then portrays the world's creation. A creator distinguishes earth from sky, water from land, and divides air based on weight. This creator then populates these spaces: divine beings and celestial bodies occupy the heavens, marine life the seas, animals on land, and birds in the air. Humans were made to govern the world. Four distinct eras followed: the golden age marked by trust, ethical excellence, and prosperity, the silver age where people had to earn their living, the bronze age that witnessed initial warfare but retained some morality, and the iron age where nothing was considered holy, leading to family disputes and bloodshed. In the iron age, divine beings witness human sacrilege. Jupiter, in particular, experiences Lycaon's disrespectful behavior, who even attempted to kill him during his sleep. This prompts Jupiter to inflict a flood on humanity as punishment. Deucalion and Pyrrha, due to their devoutness, survive, while others perish. Themis advises them cryptically about repopulating the world: they must veil their heads, loosen their clothes, and cast their great mother's bones behind them. Pyrrha is initially disheartened, viewing this advice as blasphemous. Deucalion, however, comprehends it differently – he believes the 'great mother' to be the earth itself. They follow this interpretation, and the stones they throw morph into people. Cupid triggers Apollo's love and Daphne's resentment with two arrows after Apollo speaks ill of him. Despite Apollo's persistence, Daphne refuses him and is transformed into a laurel tree by her father to escape Apollo's pursuit. While Apollo is still infatuated with the tree, Jupiter spots a nymph named Io and is filled with desire. He forces himself on her. Jupiter's wife, Juno, becomes suspicious, leading Jupiter to turn Io into a cow to avoid suspicion. Instead, this heightens Juno's suspicion, and she asks for Io as a gift, assigning Argus to watch over her. Distraught by Io's misery, Jupiter instructs Mercury to kill Argus. Mercury complies, and Io eventually returns to her nymph form, bearing a son, Epaphus, for Jupiter.
book 2
Phaeton pays a visit to the Sun's palace, seeking the truth about his parentage. The palace doors are adorned with art featuring the sea, land, and sky and their various creatures. The Sun greets Phaeton and asserts that he, indeed, is his biological father. Skeptical, Phaeton asks for proof by seeking permission to control his father's chariot and winged steeds. Despite the Sun's attempts to dissuade him, Phaeton persists. The Sun instructs Phaeton on how to control the chariot and anoints his face with a holy ointment for heat protection. Upon flying, Phaeton's thrill rapidly turns into terror when he realizes he can't manage the chariot. His poor control results in catastrophe on earth, with water bodies drying up and mountains and forests burning. Heat traps Neptune in the sea. The earth's cries are silenced by the heat and smoke. Jupiter, witnessing the chaos, kills Phaeton with a thunderbolt. Phaeton's sisters, overwhelmed with grief, change into amber trees. His mother then embarks on a journey to locate his remains for a proper burial. Simultaneously, Jupiter evaluates the damage caused by Phaeton's disastrous flight, paying particular attention to his favored location, Arcadia. Here, he spots Callisto, a follower of Diana, and lust overcomes him. Masquerading as Diana, Jupiter forces himself upon Callisto. When Diana discovers Callisto's pregnancy nine months later, she banishes her. Juno, enraged by Jupiter's misconduct, transforms Callisto into a bear. During her wanderings years later, Callisto encounters her son, Arcas. She yearns to reconnect with her son, but he sees her as a threat and prepares to defend himself with a spear. To prevent a tragedy, Jupiter turns both of them into constellations. The proof of Jupiter's infidelity is now immortalized in the sky, inciting Juno to travel through the upper air in her peacock-chariot. Ovid narrates a dialogue between a raven and a crow. The crow advises the raven to stay silent about its knowledge, arguing that loyalty brings no rewards. The raven, however, ignores the warning and exposes Apollo’s lover, Coronis's unfaithfulness, leading to her death by Apollo's arrow. A remorseful Apollo turns the raven black from white and ensures Coronis's unborn child is saved and raised by Chiron, a centaur. Chiron's daughter, Ocyrhoe, prophesies that the child will be a healer for the Romans before she's transformed into a mare. Chiron seeks Apollo's help, but he's nowhere to be found. Mercury seizes the opportunity of Apollo's absence to rob his flock. He also falls for an Athenian maiden, Herse, and spruces himself up to impress her. He enlists the help of Herse's sister, Aglauros, in his endeavor. Minerva, observing these events, is displeased with Aglauros and enlists Envy's help to fill her with such intense envy that she eventually petrifies. With Minerva's revenge accomplished, Mercury's attempts to woo Herse fail. Eventually, Mercury is dispatched on a secret mission by Jupiter to orchestrate another forceful encounter.
book 3
After failing to locate his sister Europa, Cadmus, unable to return home, seeks Apollo's guidance for a new abode. Apollo predicts a heifer will guide him to a place for a new city. This prophecy is realized, but Cadmus' men are killed by a giant snake, which Cadmus defeats. Following Minerva's advice, he buries the serpent's teeth, from which aggressive men emerge and fight till only five are left. These men then help Cadmus set up the city of Thebes. The family of Cadmus faces tragedies. Actaeon, Cadmus' grandson, accidentally sees Diana bathing and is turned into a deer, eventually killed by his own dogs. Cadmus' daughter, Semele, bearing Jupiter's child, is tricked by Juno, in disguise, into requesting Jupiter to show his divine power during their lovemaking. Unable to withstand Jupiter's might, Semele dies. However, Jupiter ensures their son, Bacchus, is fully grown in his thigh. The narrative shifts as Jupiter and Juno debate over which gender derives more pleasure from sex. Tiresias, who has lived as both man and woman, sides with Jupiter. Enraged, Juno blinds Tiresias. In return, Jupiter bestows him with prophetic abilities. Tiresias foresees Narcissus' fate: a long life, provided he doesn't know himself. This prophecy comes to pass when Narcissus falls for his own reflection after rejecting all his suitors. The story then refocuses on Cadmus' family. Pentheus, despite failing to dissuade his family from worshipping Bacchus, remains unyielding. Not even Bacchus' follower Acoetes can convince him. Threatening to kill Acoetes as a warning, Pentheus heads to Mount Cithaeron to spy on Bacchus' followers. There, he is mistaken for a beast by his mother and aunt who brutally kill him in their frenzy, celebrating his death as a victory.
book 4
The three daughters of Minyas, instead of worshipping Bacchus, opt to weave and share stories. The first daughter shares a tragic tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, lovers whose union is opposed by their fathers. They plan to elope, but a misunderstanding involving a lioness leads to both of them taking their own lives. Leuconoe, the middle daughter, narrates another love saga involving Venus, Mars, and the Sun. Informed by the Sun of his wife Venus' affair with Mars, Vulcan confronts them. In revenge, Venus makes the Sun fall for Leucothoe, which leads to an affair. The Sun's wife, Clytie, spills the beans to Leucothoe's father, which leads to Leucothoe's premature burial and subsequent death. The Sun immortalizes her as a frankincense plant. The last tale comes from Alcithoe, the youngest daughter. She tells of Salmacis, a nymph with a strong desire for Hermaphroditus. When Hermaphroditus rejects her, Salmacis clings onto him as he dives into her pool, pleading with the gods to merge them into one. Her wish is granted, as Hermaphroditus gains feminine traits and Salmacis' essence becomes part of him. However, the sisters' storytelling session is interrupted by Bacchus's followers, and Bacchus turns them into bats as a punishment for their lack of reverence. The story shifts to Cadmus's household. Juno, who despises Cadmus's daughter Ino for her loyalty to Bacchus, instigates the Furies to drive Ino’s husband, Athamas, mad. Athamas kills one of his children in his madness, and Ino, in despair, leaps off a cliff with her other child. Neptune, at Venus's behest, transforms them into sea gods. Upon hearing about this, Cadmus abandons his city, prays to be turned into a serpent, and his wish is granted. His wife is also transformed, and they slither away together. Finally, Perseus makes his entrance. While travelling, he stops at Atlas's kingdom. Atlas, fearing a prophecy, treats Perseus with hostility. Unable to match Atlas's strength, Perseus uses Medusa's head to turn Atlas into stone. As he resumes his journey, he spots Andromeda chained to a rock, offered to a sea monster. Perseus bargains with her parents, defeats the sea monster using Medusa's head, and marries Andromeda.
book 5
Phineus, Andromeda's previous betrothed, interrupts her wedding feast with Perseus to challenge the union. He throws a spear at Perseus, but misses. Perseus fights back, ending up surrounded by over a thousand men. He defends himself using Medusa's head, freezing them into stone. Phineus begs for mercy, and Perseus assures him his sword won't harm him. However, he converts him into stone using Medusa’s head. Minerva pays a visit to the maiden Muses and the spring created by Pegasus. The Muses narrate the tale of Pyrenus, a savage Thracian man, to Minerva. Their conversation gets interrupted by the chatter of nine magpies. These birds were once human, daughters of Pierus, who competed against the Muses in a song duel. The daughters sang an offensive song about the Olympian gods. Calliope defended the Muses solo. Calliope performed a song about Venus and Cupid, who made Dis fall for Proserpina. Dis abducts Proserpina while she is picking violets and takes her to his realm beneath the earth. Cyane, a Sicilian nymph, leads Ceres, Proserpina’s mother, to the crime scene but can't stop it. Her tears make her part of the spring she lived in. Ceres, unable to find her daughter, punishes Sicily’s fertile soil. Arethusa, a holy spring, explains to Ceres that Dis is at fault, not the earth. She follows her grief with a conversation with Jupiter. Jupiter defends Proserpina's marriage to Dis but offers a deal that Proserpina will split her time between Dis and Ceres, if she hasn't consumed anything from the underworld. However, Proserpina has, leading Jupiter to propose a compromise. Arethusa narrates her transformation from a nymph to a sacred spring to evade Alpheus, a river god, to Ceres. Ceres, riding her snake-driven chariot, gives Triptolemus seeds that ensure bountiful crops. Triptolemus takes this gift to Scythia, where the king, Lyncus, tries to kill him out of jealousy. Ceres steps in and morphs Lyncus into a lynx. Calliope finishes her song, and the nymphs declare her the winner. Despite losing, the daughters of Pierus disrespect the Muses and are consequently turned into magpies.
book 6
Minerva, disguised as an elderly woman, confronts Arachne, her weaving competitor. She advises Arachne to apologize to Minerva. However, Arachne refuses, leading to Minerva revealing herself and chastising Arachne. In their ensuing competition, Minerva crafts a tapestry showcasing the power and glory of the gods, including her triumph over Neptune. Arachne, meanwhile, weaves a disturbing scene of gods violating and tricking humans. Arachne's talent infuriates Minerva, who violently assaults her, causing Arachne to hang herself. Afterward, Minerva changes Arachne into a spider. Upon learning of Arachne’s punishment, people understand the importance of honouring the gods. Despite this, Niobe remains unconvinced of the gods’ superiority. Blessed with a loving husband, noble ancestry, a vast kingdom, and numerous children, she sees no reason to feel lesser than the gods. Manto, the daughter of Tiresias, urges Niobe to pay homage to Latona and her offspring, Apollo and Diana. Niobe disregards this counsel and ridicules her subjects for giving heed to Manto. She even questions why they don’t worship her instead. Enraged, Latona and her children bring a series of calamities upon Niobe’s family. All of Niobe’s children are killed, she is turned into a tearful wreck, and the fear of Latona becomes widespread. The narrative then shifts to Tereus, a tyrannical ruler from Thrace. He rescues Athens from invaders and weds Procne, the Athenian king's daughter. However, their marriage is doomed from the start, with heavenly beings like Juno, Hymenaeus, and the Graces absent from their wedding. After five years, Procne desires to see her sister, Philomela. Tereus travels to Athens to bring Philomela to Thrace. Once he sets eyes on Philomela, he is consumed by desire. Back in Thrace, he forces himself upon her repeatedly and slices off her tongue to prevent her from revealing his crime. Philomela manages to communicate her ordeal by weaving a depiction of it on a cloth, which she sends to Procne. Outraged, Procne kills her and Tereus's son, Itys, and feeds him to Tereus. After revealing the horrifying truth to Tereus, Procne and Philomela evade his murderous wrath by transforming into birds, and Tereus is similarly changed into a bird.
book 7
Jason presents himself to King Aeetes to claim the Golden Fleece. The king sets tasks he must complete to earn it. Medea, understanding her father and the difficulties Jason faces, is conflicted. Despite her loyalty to her father, she can't ignore her feelings for Jason. Upon Jason’s vow to wed her for her assistance, Medea uses her magic to help him, leading to his success in getting the Golden Fleece. Jason then requests Medea to pass on some of his strength to his aging father, Aeson. Touched, Medea works her magic to rejuvenate Aeson instead. Feigning conflict with her husband, Medea seeks shelter in aged Pelias's palace. She promises to rejuvenate him as she did Aeson, demonstrating her abilities on an old sheep. Pelias's daughters request Medea to restore their father's youth. Medea instructs them to drain their father of his old blood using knives. Failing to witness their father’s blood, the daughters strike blindly ending up killing him accidentally. Medea then escapes to Athens, only to be forced to run again after an attempted murder of the king's son, Theseus. Minos is in search of allies for a war against Athens. He tries to recruit Aeacus, the king of Aegina, but his loyalty lies with Athens. Aeacus shares how his land has experienced a severe plague. He prayed to Jupiter to either end his life or restore his people. That night, he dreamt of being beneath a holy tree teeming with hard-working ants. The following night, he awakens from a similar dream to find a group of men, the Myrmidons, acknowledging him as their chief. Cephalus reveals to Phocus, Aeacus's son, his story with his wife, Procris. He explains how the goddess Aurora kidnapped him during hunting but released him when she saw his devotion to Procris. However, she prophesied he would regret his decision, causing Cephalus to question Procris’s loyalty. He disguised himself to test her faithfulness only for her to fail. She then exiled herself out of guilt and anger. Cephalus sought forgiveness and they reconciled. One day, while calling to the breeze for comfort, a person misinterpreted his call as a summon to a nymph named Breeze. This person informed Procris who decided to investigate during one of Cephalus’s hunts. Sadly, Cephalus mistook her for a beast and unintentionally killed her with his golden spear.
book 8
Minos wages war on Alcathous, governed by Nisus. Nisus's daughter, Scylla, develops feelings for Minos and gives him her father's strength, symbolized by a purple hair, earning Minos's disgust. Despite this, Minos treats the defeated city with leniency and departs, leaving a distraught Scylla who is prevented from following him by her transformed father, Nisus, now an osprey. Back in Crete, Minos asks Daedalus to build a maze to hide the Minotaur, an unwanted result of his mother's affair with a bull. Not satisfied with his predicament, Daedalus constructs wings for his son, Icarus, and himself to flee. However, Icarus flies too close to the sun, the wings' wax melts, and he plummets to his demise. In the aftermath of Theseus defeating the Minotaur, his reputation grows and the Calydonians call on him to kill a marauding boar. Several renowned heroes partake in the hunt, though it doesn't go smoothly. Eventually, a female warrior, Atalanta, manages to wound the boar, which is then killed by Meleager. When Meleager insists that Atalanta should be recognized for the hunt, it incites anger, leading to a brawl in which Meleager kills his own uncles. His mother, Althaea, mortified by the death of her brothers, recalls a prophecy that ties Meleager's life to a specific log. She throws the log into a fire, resulting in Meleager's life extinguishing as the log burns. During a stopover at Achelous's place on his way to Athens, Theseus and his host swap stories of transformations. Achelous narrates how he changed islands into naiads as a penalty for not inviting him to a feast. This tale is greeted with suspicion by Pirithous, one of Theseus's men. Another tale is shared by Lexes about Jupiter and Mercury, who were welcomed only by the poor Baucis and Philemon despite knocking on numerous doors in disguise. The couple's endless supply of wine revealed their guests' divine identity, resulting in them becoming Jupiter's priests and being granted their wish to live and die together. Achelous shares another tale about Erysichthon, a man who disregards the gods and recklessly chops down a sacred tree. As punishment, Ceres sends Hunger after him, causing him to experience an insatiable appetite. He sells his daughter to slavery for food money and eventually ends up eating himself to death.
book 9
Achelous recalls his duel with Hercules for Deianira's love. His persuasive efforts fail, and Hercules tears off his horn. The story then shifts to Nessus, a centaur, who tries to violate Deianira. Hercules stops Nessus by wounding him with an arrow. As he lay dying, Nessus deceives Deianira by giving her a toxic cloak, claiming it's a love charm. Fearing Hercules no longer loves her, Deianira gives him the cloak, causing his agonizing demise. With the gods' approval, Jupiter turns Hercules into a deity. Alcmene, Hercules' mother, and Iole, Alcmene's daughter-in-law, share tales of grief. Alcmene recounts how Juno and Lucina, the childbirth goddess, prolonged her labor for seven days until her maid, Galanthis, intervened. Iole tells the story of her half-sister, Dryope, who picked a lotus plant for her infant. The plant, once a nymph, started bleeding, and Dryope was turned into a tree as punishment. The next narratives depict unconventional love stories. Byblis falls in love with her twin brother, Caunus. Understanding the social impropriety, she justifies her feelings by pointing to gods who consorted with their sisters. Caunus rejects her advances and leaves. Byblis turns into a spring after unsuccessful attempts to find him and incessant crying. The second story is about Iphis. Ligdus, a straightforward Cretan, instructs his wife, Telethusa, to abandon their baby if it's a girl. Unable to do so, Telethusa makes Ligdus believe their child, Iphis, is a boy. A marriage is arranged for Iphis, now thirteen, with a girl named Ianthe. They fall in love. Telethusa prays to Isis for a miracle, and Isis transforms Iphis into a boy, much to their joy.
book 10
Eurydice is fatally bitten by a serpent. Her husband, Orpheus, ventures to the underworld, and with his moving song, manages to convince Proserpina and Pluto to let his wife return. However, the stipulation is that he must not look back at her until they have left the underworld. Succumbing to concern, Orpheus glances back and Eurydice is lost to him forever. In his sorrow, Orpheus sings of boys' love. Jupiter, taking on the form of a bird, snatches Ganymede away to heaven. Apollo loves Hyacinthus, but accidentally kills him during a discus game. Orpheus also sings about women's desires. The Propoetides become prostitutes, and Venus transforms them into stone as punishment. Seeing this, Pygmalion grows disgusted with women and sculpts a flawless woman from ivory. He falls in love with this statue and prays for a woman like her. The gods bring the statue to life, and she and Pygmalion have a daughter, Paphos, who gives birth to Cinyras. Cinyras's daughter, Myrrha, falls in love with her own father. She deceives him into sleeping with her and becomes pregnant. When the truth comes out, Cinyras tries to kill her. Myrrha, however, escapes and turns into a tree. From this unusual pregnancy, Adonis is born. Cupid unintentionally makes his mother Venus fall for Adonis by piercing her with an arrow. Venus adores him to the point she prefers him over heaven itself. She recounts a story about Atalanta who, following an oracle's advice, remains unmarried. Hippomenes desires to wed her, but must first win a race against her or face death. Venus aids him by giving him three golden apples to distract Atalanta. Hippomenes wins but forgets to thank Venus, so she turns him into a lion. After the story, Adonis dies in a hunting accident, causing Venus to grieve.
book 11
Orpheus encounters violent Thracian women who assail him with stones. His songs enchant the stones into immovability, but the women overpower his music and violently end his life. His spirit finds its way to the underworld, reuniting with Eurydice. As a retribution, Bacchus turns the Thracian women into trees. Meanwhile, Bacchus rewards King Midas in Asia Minor with a wish for finding Silenus. Midas wishes for a golden touch, turning everything he touches into gold, including food and drink. He eventually deems his gift a curse, prompting Bacchus to revoke it. Midas later witnesses a musical competition between Pan and Apollo, with Apollo emerging victorious, a verdict Midas opposes. As punishment, Apollo gives him donkey ears before heading off to Troy. Laomedon, the founder of Troy, deceives Neptune and Apollo into building Troy's wall without sufficient compensation, resulting in a divine punishment - a devastating flood. Laomedon is told he must also sacrifice his daughter, Hesione. He seeks Hercules' assistance in saving Hesione in exchange for horses, which he fails to provide after Hercules succeeds. Hercules gives Hesione to his ally, Telamon. The story then turns to Peleus, Telamon’s brother, who becomes infatuated with Thetis. However, his aggressive advances drive Thetis to transform into a lioness. Despite his actions, Peleus is banished for killing his brother. Peleus finds refuge in Ceyx’s kingdom where he learns about the tragic story of Daedalion, Ceyx's brother. Daedalion's daughter, Chione, is highly sought after by suitors, including Apollo and Mercury, who father her twins. Proud of her children, Chione mistakenly believes herself superior to Diana and faces deadly consequences. Devastated, Daedalion is changed into a bird. Amidst this recounting, news arrives about a dangerous wolf causing havoc. Peleus takes it upon himself to handle the situation as Ceyx ventures to consult Apollo's oracle. Despite his wife Alcyone’s pleas, Ceyx sets off, only to perish in a massive storm. As he dies, he implores the waves to carry his body home. Through a dream, Alcyone learns about her husband's demise from Juno's messenger, Sleep. Upon spotting Ceyx's body in the sea, she plunges into the water and morphs into a bird. Ceyx undergoes a similar transformation.
book 12
Priam grieves for his lost son, Aesacus, while Paris runs off with Helen, initiating a war between Greece and Troy. The Greeks' journey is halted by harsh winds which are only calmed after Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, Iphigenia, to appease Diana's anger. A doe substitutes Iphigenia at the last moment. Upon reaching Troy, a fierce battle breaks out. Neptune's son, Cycnus, single-handedly kills a multitude of Greeks. Despite his best efforts, the renowned Greek warrior, Achilles, fails to penetrate Cycnus's invincible skin. Ultimately, Achilles resorts to strangling Cycnus using his own helmet strap. Their victory is celebrated and Nestor commences a new narrative. Young maiden Caenis is assaulted by Neptune while walking along a deserted beach. After the incident, Neptune grants her a wish, leading her to request a gender transformation to prevent further attacks. Consequently, she becomes Caeneus, a formidable warrior. Caeneus attends the marriage feast of Pirithous and the lovely Hippodame. Chaos ensues when Eurytus, a drunk centaur, attempts to kidnap and assault Hippodame, leading to a melee. Theseus kills Eurytus with a large bowl, while the unyielding skin of Caeneus frustrates the centaurs. There are varying accounts of Caeneus's fate: some say he was crushed to death, others claim he transformed into a bird. Nestor wraps up his narrative, but Tlepolemus (Hercules’ son) is irked that his father's triumphs over the centaurs weren't mentioned. Nestor explains his omission by citing his dislike for Hercules, who slew all his brothers. The story then returns to the Trojan War where Neptune and Apollo conspire against Achilles. Apollo, concealed in a mist, instructs Paris to aim his arrows at Achilles, leading to Achilles's death.
book 13
Ajax and Ulysses engage in an intense argument over Achilles' arms before the Greek military leaders. Ajax highlights his extensive battlefield achievements, underlines his divine lineage, and mocks Ulysses for abandoning his ally Nestor in a skirmish. He also taunts Ulysses, claiming the latter's armor remains unscathed. Ulysses retorts that valor, not lineage should be the deciding factor. He argues that his own lineage surpasses that of Ajax and counters that joining a fight late is not a fault, as Achilles did the same. Ulysses displays his battle wounds as proof of his bravery, a testament Ajax lacks. He emphasizes his strategic intelligence over Ajax’s brute strength, comparing himself to a general while labeling Ajax a mere soldier. Ultimately, the leaders grant Ulysses Achilles' arms, leading to Ajax committing suicide. The narrative shifts to the unfortunate fate of the Trojans. Cassandra, Apollo’s priestess, is enslaved, and Trojan women are killed or claimed as loot. Even royal Hecuba, Priam's wife, becomes a servant to Ulysses. Her daughter, Polyxena, is mercilessly sacrificed to appease the ghost of Achilles. Hecuba's sole remaining son, Polydorus, is deceitfully murdered after Troy's fall. A vengeful Hecuba blinds his killer, Polymestor, and is subsequently transformed into a dog. Despite the tragedies, there is a glimmer of hope for Troy as Aeneas, the son of Venus, embarks with his family on a quest to create a new homeland. During his journey, Aeneas visits Anius, a king and Apollo's priest. Anius reveals that his daughters, who can magically turn everything into grain, wine, and oil, were abducted by Agamemnon. Tired of servitude, they escaped and transformed into doves. The story takes another turn with the love tale of Galatea and Acis, the son of Faunus and a nymph. Polyphemus, smitten with Galatea, fails in his attempts to win her over. In a fit of jealousy, he hurls a boulder at the lovers, killing Acis and leaving Galatea devastated.
book 14
Glaucus turns to Circe for aid in winning Scylla's heart, but the smitten Circe, jealous, transforms Scylla into a dog-like monster instead. Scylla retaliates, slaying some of Ulysses' men before being morphed into a crag. Aeneas, after a brief period in Dido's realm, heads to Sicily. The Sibyl prophesies his future success and shares her story of trading intimacy with Apollo for a long life, which, unfortunately, lacks youthful vitality. The tale shifts to Achaemenides and Macareus, two Greeks who got separated post the Trojan War. Achaemenides is inadvertently left on Polyphemus's island by Ulysses and is later rescued by a passing ship. Simultaneously, Macareus and Ulysses manage to evade Antiphates, Lamos's ruler. They meet Circe, who uses a magical potion to transform their reconnaissance team into pigs. One evades the transformation and summons Ulysses, who rescues them with the help of Mercury. During their yearlong stay on the island, Macareus gets to know about Picus, Saturn's son and his love for Canens, a nymph. Circe, in love with Picus, uses a phantom boar to tempt him. Failing to win him over, she transforms him into a woodpecker. Aeneas reaches Latium, and King Latinus greets him warmly, promising his daughter's hand in marriage. This provokes Turnus, to whom Latinus's daughter was betrothed. Devoid of support from Diomedes, the renowned Greek warrior, Turnus attacks regardless. His attempt to burn Aeneas's ships is thwarted as the ships magically transform into nymphs. Despite putting up a fight, Turnus eventually falls. Aeneas's bravery earns him godhood, and his son, Ascanius, takes over the Latin kingdom. Pomona, a nymph, rejects all her suitors, including the god Vertumnus. Vertumnus, disguised as an elderly woman, narrates the tragic love tale of Iphis and Anaxarete to Pomona. After the tale, he reveals his true identity and is on the verge of forcing himself upon Pomona, but she is moved by the narrative and willingly surrenders. Following Proca's rule, a war breaks out between the Romans and Sabines. Romulus establishes peace and successfully unifies the two under one law, subsequently gaining divine status.
book 15
Numa departs from his native Cures, traveling to Croton to gain knowledge about the cosmos. An elderly man narrates the city's miraculous origin story, which involves Hercules instructing Myscelus, Alemon's son, in a dream to found the city. Initially, fear of death penalty for abandoning his homeland holds Myscelus back. However, following another dream visitation from Hercules, he sets up Croton without any repercussions. Numa acquires understanding of the cosmic laws from Pythagoras, a celebrated philosopher. Pythagoras advises against consuming meat, deeming it a brutal act that contradicts the universal law of constant change and the absence of death. This law, he elaborates, is seen in the transformation of landscapes and people over time. He reminds Numa that even Hercules’ strength wanes, and Helen ages. Cities crumble and are rebuilt. Rome, though obscure now, is destined to become a global hub, while Sparta, Mycenae, and Thebes lose their past glory. Upon Numa's death, his spouse, Egeria, grieves profoundly. Hippolytus, Theseus's son, encourages her to control her sorrow. To console her, he narrates his own struggles with his stepmother, Phaedra, and his harsh afflictions. Despite the consoling efforts, Egeria's tears persist until she turns into a water spring. Hippolytus then shares the tale of Cipus, who the Etruscan high priest prophesied would become a king after noticing his horns. Cipus, however, rejects the crown. Following these narratives, Rome is ravaged by a devastating plague. All human efforts fail, leading the Romans to call upon the deities. They require Asclepius, Apollo's son, to cure the plague. Asclepius first appears in their dreams and then in person. The Romans revere him as a deity and invite him to Rome, ending the plague. Ovid concludes by detailing the murder and subsequent deification of Caesar, and the ascent and anticipated triumphs of Augustus.
