When Typhoeus met the volcano: natural catastrophes accounts in Greek Mythology
(2019) Myths, Archetypes and Symbols: “Models and Alternatives” — Location: London (28.September.2019)
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- Authors
Lancini, Loredana 
- Abstract
- An Euhemeristic interpretation of mythology, according to which characters and facts appearing in myths are presumed to take their origin in historical persons and events, was in use among Greek scholars. The very same theoretical approach defines Geomythology, a modern perspective to the study of myths and legends that was first introduced by the geologist D.B. Vitaliano in her pioneering book “Legends of the Earth: their geologic origins” (1973). Geomythology suggests that some myths can refer to natural phenomena and that people have tried to leave a tangible trace of real events considered worth to be remembered, such as natural catastrophes, in mythological accounts for their evocative and suggestive power. In this paper, I will present the myth of Typhoeus under that perspective. In ancient literature, Typhoeus is the main character in stories concerning volcanos, represented in different circumstances and contexts. Thus, we can find Typhoeus under Mount Etna and Vesuvius, on Mt. Haemus, under the island of Ischia in the bay of Naples, under Mt. Nysa, and in the Cilicia and Catakékaumène regions of Asia Minor (Apollod. Bibl. I, 6, 3; Pind. Pyth. I, 13-31; Verg. Aen. IX, 710-716; Strab. XIII, 4, 11). Moreover, if some accounts are related to historical eruptions – such as that of the Etna in 479 BC known by Pindar (Pyth. I, 13-31) and Aeschylus (PV 349-974) – others concern areas where volcanic activity ended in prehistoric times. Therefore, following a geomythological approach, I will demonstrate that these stories bore an important role for the community in the Past, encoding observations of volcanic activities and environmental changes.
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Lancini, L. (2019). When Typhoeus met the volcano: natural catastrophes accounts in Greek Mythology. Myths, Archetypes and Symbols: “Models and Alternatives”, London. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/239664