The Nile, the Muses, and the God of the Mask
Nonnus’ Dionysus and the Roman Concept of Numen
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63872/DNLE8227Keywords:
Nonnus, Dionysus, Late Antiquity, Roman poetry, Latin poetry, syncretismAbstract
This article explores Nonnus’ Dionysiaca through the lens of the Roman concept of numen, focusing on how Dionysus is reimagined as a divine presence intimately tied to space, poetic inspiration, and masculinity. Particular attention is given to the Nile as a mythic landscape that functions both as the home of the Muses and as a site of Dionysian manifestation. The study argues that Nonnus’ poetic practice deliberately engages with the Roman semantic field of numen, presenting Dionysus simultaneously as a geographical principle, a source of inspiration, and a masked force of power. Through this triadic role, the epic reconfigures the relationship between the divine and the human within the rhetorical framework of late antique poetry.
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