Changing Mythography : the Apollodorus' "Library" and its so-called epitomes

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to examine the text of the two so-called epitomes of the "Library" in order to critically reconsider some of the assumptions based on Wagner’s presentation at the time of their discovery. Firstly, we will see how these two collections of excerpts are texts different to each other and how they cannot simply be considered preparatory material. They are two authentic mythographic works, derived from the "Library", yet different from it. Both texts changed the form of Apollodorus’ work by eliminating its genealogical structure, which in the original text was the vehicle of the author’s aspiration for completeness. This fact invites us to reconsider the sharp difference sometimes drawn between works with a continuous form and works with a discrete form. These transformations can also change the mythical content of the work itself. Such modifications do not depend exclusively on the epitomist's inaccuracies, but in certain cases they are the result of a conscious desire to simplify the complexity of the tradition. Moreover, in some rare cases, it is even possible that the so-called epitomes have interpreted the text of the "Library" in an original way, creating new versions of ancient myths. These considerations, therefore, invite us to remain cautious against the common practice of using the "Epitome Vaticana" and "Fragmenta Sabbaitica" as if they were direct testimonies of the lost parts of Apollodorus’ work.