Immortality and the Legend of Alcyone: Metamorphosis as a Pathway to Eternal Life
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1303.20158Keywords:
Ovid, metamorphosis, immortality, ancient culture, myth, legend, religion, poetry, birds, Alcyone, kingfisher, identity fluidity, Plutarch, Alcman, Dante, CarducciAbstract
This article examines the myth of Alcyone and Ceyx in Ovid's Metamorphoses (Book 11) as a narrative of transformation driven by divine pity, contrasting with Apollodorus' punitive version in Bibliotheca (1.7.4). Through a comparative analysis with Plutarch's esoteric-naturalistic account in De Sollertia Animalium (35–36) and earlier sources such as Alcman's Fragment 26, the study posits that Ovid's redemptive metamorphosis symbolizes eternal union and spiritual immortality, potentially echoing proto-monotheistic or Christian concepts of grace, resurrection, and divine intervention. Etymological explorations (from ἅλς + κύω, "sea-conception") and ornithological critiques challenge the halcyon's identification with the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), emphasizing its mythical role over biological reality. Later receptions in Dante (Divina Commedia, Convivio, Vita Nova) and Carducci (Cèrilo in Odi Barbare) illuminate enduring themes of fidelity, rebirth, and transcendence. By bridging pagan esotericism with monotheistic sensibilities, the myth offers insights into identity fluidity and eternal life in ancient culture.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Giovanni Meledandri
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere are required to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) for both the print and online format and to include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers. Any material received without such evidence will be assumed to originate from the authors.
