From Trojan Argonauts to a Tyrant’s Smile: Three Readings in the Amycus Episode in Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica Book 4

Abstract This article advances three readings in the story of the Argonauts’ encounter with the boxer-giant Amycus in Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica Book 4. In reworking the Hellenistic accounts of Apollonius and Theocritus, Valerius gave the adventure a new first half based chiefly on elements inspired by Odyssey Book 9 and the Thrace and Cyclops episodes of Aeneid Book 3. The first section of the article argues that this arrangement prompts the question of the Argonauts’ valour through an indirect intertextual comparison with the Trojans, who, unlike the Argonauts, ultimately fled Thrace and the Cyclops. Moreover, it suggests that this use of allusion can be linked to the theme of the Argonauts’ heroism developing after Hercules’ exit from the group in Book 3. The second half of the article addresses two challenging elements in the episode. When Amycus makes his appearance, it is said of him that ‘nowhere do mortal signs remain’, thus implying that he has somehow been transformed. To account for this change, scholars have proposed different interpretations, including metapoetic ones. The article’s second part, in contrast, reads this transformation through an allusion to Theocritus’ Idyll 22. In its last section, the article addresses the question of to whom ore renidenti of Arg. 4.234 belongs. Based on observations of Valerius’ stylistic practices, it argues against the majority view and suggests that this ‘smiling look’ must belong to Pollux, not Amycus. All in all, the article enhances our understanding of the Amycus episode and sheds additional light on Valerius’ densely allusive and sometimes difficult poetic style.