Snakes, “land snails” and Hesiod: Commentary on Nic. Ther. 153

Abstract

The article offers a comprehensive interpretation of verse 153 of Nicander of Colophon’s didactic poem Theriaca, in which the seps — one of the varieties of poisonous snakes — is compared to a snail. The passage is analyzed both in the context of the passage about the seps (145–156) and in relation to the literary tradition of Greek didactic epic poetry. Analysis of this comparison shows the inconsistency of its generally accepted interpretation, based on the fact that the snake and the snail are similar in color. On the contrary, the author of the article suggests that the passage in question in Nicander’s Theriaca is more likely to be influenced by a different kind of external resemblance rather than color — for example, the texture of the skin of both animals or the coiled shape of the snail’s shell and of the body of the snake. Furthermore, the author reveals the Hesiodic subtext in the comparison of the snake to the snail, and points out that Nicander creates it by means of a reference to Hesiod’s ‘Works and Days’. This reference is based on the descriptive designation of the snail, which in its manner is strongly reminiscent of the so-called ‘kennings’ in Hesiod’s didactic poem.