--Hyginus, Fabulae 75
It is said that when the shepherd Tiresias saw two snakes mating, he struck one with a stick [others, however, say he kicked them]. Because of this, he was turned into a woman (in mulieris figuram). Later on, obeying a prophecy, he kicked mating snakes in the same place and returned to his original form.
HYGINUS
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MAP:
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Name: Gaius Julius Hyginus
Date: 64 BCE – 17 CE
Works: Fabulae*
De
Astronomica
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REGION 1 / 4*
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BIO:
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Timeline:
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Hyginus was a freedman of the Roman emperor Augustus who was in charge
of the Imperial library on the Palatine Hill in Rome. His work, the Fabulae,
are a sourcebook for Greek and Roman myths. Although there is quite a bit of overlap
between his writings and his contemporary and friend Ovid’s Metamorphoses,
Hyginus’ works are much more succinct.
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GOLDEN AGE ROME
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* There is evidence that suggests Hyginus was originally from Alexandria, Egypt (Suetonius, de Gramm. 20)
