This
study explores the hidden histories offered by Greco-Roman myths of
metamorphosis, and what they may reveal about the lived experience of
ancient men and women. It investigates the role of the body, and the
embodied experiences of emotions in these stories, arguing that these
narratives of transformation allow us to glimpse aspects of our
historical subjects which in other sources remain largely unseen.
In
these narratives of metamorphosis we discover ancient worldviews: they
disclose the perceived interrelationships of human, non-human, and
more-than-human entities. They show us that the human body was
understood not only as a part of an extended network of beings, but also
to consist of, and interact with, the same substances that were
believed to comprise the surrounding landscapes: earth, air, fire, and
water.
By grouping together stories according
to these elements, this study highlights the patterns that underline
different metamorphoses, comparing the experiences of male and female
protagonists. These stories, it argues, express risks of transgressions,
both for individuals and for the wider community. They tell us about
the dangers perceived to be inherent in social roles and in relations
with the gods. They describe bodies both at risk and of risk.
And
among those risks are extreme emotions, appearing as both cause and
result of these startling bodily changes. These are narratives of the
body that capture one of its most ephemeral aspects: the experience of
intense, even traumatic emotions, in which a person and the world around
them comes to seem transformed. Drawing on psychological research, this
study suggests that these stories evoke experiences that persist across
time and place, conveying an experience of the emotional body that
speaks to us still.
