Source recordAncient text
Metamorphoses
Ovid · 8 CE · Latin
Ancient text
Metamorphoses
Ovid
A narrative poem of transformations spanning from the creation of the world to the deification of Julius Caesar. Contains over 250 Greek and Roman myths.
About this work
A narrative poem of transformations spanning from the creation of the world to the deification of Julius Caesar. Contains over 250 Greek and Roman myths.
Where to start
A.D. Melville's Oxford World's Classics translation (1986) is a reliable, readable entry point; Charles Martin's 2004 verse translation is a livelier modern alternative.
Figures in the text
Heroes and divinities who feature prominently, with where they appear.
Heroes and mortals
OrpheusBooks 10-11descends to the underworld for Eurydice
AchillesBooks 12-13his death and the contest for his armor are narrated
AjaxBook 13loses the contest for Achilles' armor and takes his own life
AeneasBooks 13-14his post-Troy journey and eventual deification are narrated
OdysseusBook 13wins the contest for the arms of Achilles through forensic eloquence
HeraclesBook 9burns on Mount Oeta after the poisoned robe of Nessus and ascends as a god
Key scenes
Turning points of the work, in reading order.
Apollo and Daphne
Apollo's pursuit of the nymph Daphne ends with her transformation into a laurel tree.
Perseus and Andromeda
Perseus rescues Andromeda from a sea monster and turns a rival suitor to stone with Medusa's head.
Orpheus and Eurydice
Orpheus's underworld plea to reclaim Eurydice fails when he looks back too soon.
The Judgment of the Arms
Ajax and Ulysses (Odysseus) contest for Achilles' armor in speeches before the Greek leaders; Ajax loses and kills himself.
The Deification of Aeneas
Aeneas's mother Venus secures his transformation into the god Jupiter Indiges after his death in Italy.
Stories drawn from it
Retellings in the atlas that quote or cite this work.
Cupid and PsycheromanceA mortal princess so beautiful that Venus grew jealous sent her son Cupid to punish her. Instead, Cupid fell in love. After betraying his trust and losing him, Psyche undertook impossible tasks set by Venus to win back her divine husband and gain immortality.
Perseus and MedusaheroThe hero Perseus, aided by divine gifts from the gods, undertakes a perilous quest to slay the Gorgon Medusa and uses her severed head to rescue the princess Andromeda.
Orpheus in the UnderworldtragedyThe legendary musician Orpheus descends to the realm of the dead to rescue his beloved wife Eurydice, moving even the gods of the Underworld with his song, only to lose her at the final moment.
The Rape of ProserpinaoriginPluto, god of the underworld, abducts Ceres' daughter Proserpina and takes her to reign as his queen. Ceres' grief causes the earth to become barren until a compromise is reached, explaining the cycle of seasons.
The Twelve Labors of HerculesadventureDriven mad by Juno's curse, Hercules kills his own family. To atone, he must complete twelve impossible tasks for King Eurystheus, ultimately achieving redemption and immortality through his heroic labors.
Icarus and DaedalustragedyThe master craftsman Daedalus and his son Icarus escape imprisonment in Crete by means of wings Daedalus constructs. But Icarus, ignoring his father's warnings, flies too close to the sun with fatal consequences.
Pygmalion and GalatearomanceThe sculptor Pygmalion, disillusioned with mortal women, carves an ivory statue so beautiful that he falls in love with it. When Aphrodite grants his prayer and brings the statue to life, art and love unite.
Echo and NarcissustransformationThe nymph Echo loves the beautiful youth Narcissus but is cursed to only repeat others' words. Narcissus, who rejects all love, falls fatally in love with his own reflection, and both are transformed in death.
The Abduction of PersephonemythHades carries off Persephone, daughter of Demeter, with Zeus's consent. Demeter's grief and her withholding of the harvest force the gods to bargain, but because Persephone has eaten a pomegranate seed below, she must return to the underworld for part of every year.
About this record
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
Dates and authorship follow standard scholarly references; for many ancient works both are approximate or disputed.