Libellum: The Publication of Germantown Friends School Classics

Providing an extracurricular opportunity for students interested in classical languages, literature, or culture to gain access to the wider world of scholarly and artistic work influenced by the classics.

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Claire Saint-Amour, ‘17 

Greek goddesses as 21st century feminists

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Preston Choe ‘17

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Evan McClelland ‘17

“I was drawn (pun not intended) to the scene of the River Styx and Charon the Boatman because it was so vivid in its description and action, and I had a clear sense of how I imagined the setting would look on paper. Plus, the idea of this boatman has long intrigued me since I learned of the Underworld in lower school - who is he, why is his job what it is, etc. I decided to depict the part, specifically, where huge Aeneas enters the boat because it was pretty darn cool to see our protagonist bypass such strict laws on behalf of his journey and his piety and honor towards his father. I've always liked the uber-masculine armored Trojan look, so I chose that for my Aeneas' appearance as opposed to more casual clothes. It also gives more of a sense of preparedness and unease in an unfamiliar and spooky place. In the case of Charon, I chose the faceless hooded figure due to my seeing him as not exactly human, but not exactly a ghost either, just a bridge between both. The Sibyl was more an afterthought, as she wasn't as significant to this particular moment as the other two, but I included her on the dock (wearing her robe she had hid the golden bough in) for accuracy. Lastly, the appearance of the ghost on the bench was drawn pretty much directly from popular media, for no particular reason, and is depicted as a very slightly humanoid cloud (like the kind a child would impersonate with a sheet). On the right side is the silent grove the Sibyl and Aeneas were coming from, and on the left is a sort of foreshadowing to what happens after this scene, when they encounter Cerberus. I tried to distance the sentinel to give a sense of the scale of the Underworld, and added a background for him to be a part of (with some more river in the back as well). All in all, a very fun scene to draw, and not having to deal with faces was a plus as well!”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Jess Shaw ‘17

“My project is about the Gates of Sleep; the calmer parts with the sort of fluttery high notes are the shades passing through the gate; then the gods of sleep create false dreams to send up, and the faster-paced part in the middle are the lies going through the gate, and at the end Aeneas walks through the false gate. The Latin depicts the gates themselves.”

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Aeneid Ecphrasis Book 6

James Pickering ‘17

“In this half music video, half abstract film, half sound collage, half skit, Pickering examines Dido and Aeneas's encounter in the underworld and transforms it into a visual and audio medium. Pickering uses many nuances throughout this piece, and it seems as if every detail was added and perfected for a reason. For example, in the beginning, Dido is shown listening to a composition by the musician Donnie Trumpet entitled "Don't Leave." This scene finds her remembering and reliving the moments shortly before and after Aeneas's unfortunate departure. This song resurfaces at the end of the piece, but this time, ironically, it expresses Aeneas's feelings of guilt and sorrow as Dido walks away from him back to her former lover Sychaeus. "I saw the opportunity to take one of my favorite scenes from the Aeneid and make it more accessible," Pickering says. "Virgil created this masterpiece. I am merely his messenger and translator."

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Garrett Melby ‘17

“For my project I tried to create a collage in the style of Romare Bearden's Black Odyssey. I also tried to use tissue paper and saran wrap to adda 3D effect. The scene I chose to recreate was when Aeneas had captured the doorway to the underworld having drugged Cerberus and having been carried by Charon across the river Styx.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Nick Dahl ‘17

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Peter Bixler ‘17

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Rachel Marcus ‘16

“My piece is based off of Cy Twombly’s Shade of Achilles, Patroclus, and Hector from his 50 Days at Iliam installation at the Philadelphia Museum of Art [pictured below Rachel’s piece]. I was drawn to this collection because it recontextualizes a classical text with contemporary art and gives it a new depth and meaning. Also, on a more aesthetic level, the colors that Twombly uses are saturated and powerful in a way that is not often seen; the red used in this series is so saturated that it looks like blood. In my piece, I chose to depict the scene where Dido chooses Sychaeus over Aeneas in the underworld. Dido was painted red because she was often described with the word “furens” and because of the way she committed suicide certainly involved blood. Sychaeus is blue fading into purple showing his connection to Dido. Aeneas is set far apart from the lovers and is painted black due to his detachment from the situation. The text below Aeneas (“like a man who sees, or thinks he sees”) furthers the sense of separation in this situation as he is not able to fully grasp how he has betrayed Dido. “Infelix Dido,” the text that describes Dido, is a phrase that is repeated many times in the text and gives the viewer an idea of the betrayal that she has felt. Sychaeus is the “husband in former times” to show his connection to Dido.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Rob Wilf ‘16

“Vergil only gives a passing mention of Caeneus, assuming his readers of the time would all be familiar with the character's life and death. Such a jarring description, especially of an issue that's so contested today and so promoted in our community, meant I had to know more.

I had some experience with comic making (never anything more than 3 pages), I consider my main tools to be single images or written short stories. The former would've killed the transformation scene, while the second would've mean I had to be much more explicit about Caenis's rape as well as mix English and Latin to fit the parameter's of the assignment. The transformation as a whole just lent itself much better to comics. As for my style I can't name a single illustrator but can tell you I'm much more familiar with Japanese Manga leading to uncolored pages but with dynamic bleed effects and expression. In fact the plan was to only use panels while Caenis/Caeneus was alive and completely leave them out while in the underworld.

You complemented me on my use of Styx as the second transformation saying that some other Greek author would be proud, but really I had the Riordan description in my mind where he states the Styx is polluted with things the dead leave when they leave their lives. I also wanted to include other branches for death that aren't talked about in The Aeneid such as my idea to have Caeneus being stabbed by an Enemy soldier who transforms into Thanatos before Caeneus turns into a butterfly and flies to the Styx but that changed when I read the cannon about Caeneus being immune to weapons and therefore crushed by centaurs. Parts where I diverged from cannon included leaving out the wedding that started the fight as it would be too long and hastening Caeneus's death would also underline the idea that gender roles sucked on both sides. I also included a much nicer alternate ending with Diana's intervention because Being forced to spend eternity in a body you don't feel is even yours would just be too cruel.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis: “Siste”

Jeremy Berman ‘16

Incipis recedere a mei loca. Siste!

Dum oro te manere, acceleras tuae gradum.

Necessest mihi excusare me digressum, teque…

Consumis extremum tempum nostri.

Alloquere me et ne subtrahere!

Patere me tenere te in aspectu.

In somno dei venerunt in aspectum

et imperaverunt me non morari gradum.

Sic egressi sumus ut naves pareamus nostros.

Volui morari, sed dei iusserunt “ne cras subtrahere.”

Invitus, regina, paravi discendo, animus clamans “siste!”

Iam requisivi Carthaginem, Punicique, teque.

Iussu eorundem deorum, ducor ad Ditem teque.

Durus pelagus et saevum iter decesserunt ex aspectu

et descendi in ima profunda, concludentia monstra non decet oculis nostris.

Tamen ivi per loca senta situ, sic ne subtrahere!

Per innumerabilia pericla persevero fato gradum.

Actus sum pietate ad patrem teque.  Non possum sistere.

Nunc adsum.  Ne expelle me ex tuae aspectu.

Post hodie tempum nostri una sistet

Et nequibo videre Anchisen teque.

Sic muta tuam cursum gradus.

Ex conloquio ne subtrahere.

Patere me reparare amorem perditum nostro

Ita credo nuncium veritum fuisse de Carthagine teque.

Audivi durum mortem te corripisse, postquam exitum nostri.

Non exspectavi si discedamus, mortem sit tuam gradum

et talis dolor veniat ad te, me egresso ex aspectu.

Utinam a vita non subtracta sis.

Saevissima fata, siste!

Ne persevera tuam ad infelicem gradum.

Ne abi cum eo in lucum ex aspectu

Satisfaciam; perficiamus conloquium in pace nostri.

Nolo in medium hunc sistere

Cum non possim sequi Sychaeum teque.

Mane cum me et ab extremum verbum ne subtrahere.

Ne subtrahere, infelix Dido, Sychaeus tuque fato in aspectum intratis.

Gradum mei non sistet ut te pro nostro separationi satisfaciam

Siste gradum teque aspectu ne subtrahere nostro.

“My piece is a sestina, which is an unrhymed form of poetry containing six stanzas of six lines and one stanza of three lines.  The same six words are used at the end of each line in the six longer stanzas, and all six words are used in the last three lines.  I chose to write my sestina in Latin, and the poem retells the story of Aeneas as he pleads with Dido in the underworld.  I used the six words from the line of the Aeneid that I chose to be the last words of each line, and I ended the poem with the complete line.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis: “Reeling in Agony” (shown here with inspiration image)

Alexander Rittler ‘17

“This piece is a re-imagination of José de Ribera's Tityos (oil on canvas) from 1632. Original shading and black detailing from that work can be seen in this modern adaption. Unlike Ribera's piece, the present one accentuates the resultant pain and eternal nature of Tityos's punishment; indeed, the vulture—his attacker—can barely be seen. Examples of this point are many and include the removal of his right leg, meant to invoke the image of a spinning wheel in his (now) symmetry. The low poly triangle design is meant to be a modern update endeavoring to make the pain appear greater, almost as if his nerves are 'popping'. This style is loosely based off the artist's impression of what being "derezzed" might feel like. To summarize what has been brought forth so far, the piece shows the untenable nature of his pain. A particularly sharp-sighted critic may notice the canvas and oil textures, meant to balance the modernism of the popular triangle mesh, also adding to the feeling of eternal length associated with his sentence. In some ways, this interpretation is a translation of the 17th century painting to the 21st century. This combination of the untenable and the eternal makes for a paradoxical feeling in the observer. Thus, as the title suggests, one is meant to feel the agony and regret felt by the victim.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Lauren Easley ‘16

“This drawing depicts the scene in which Salmoneus is riding in his chariot pulled by four horses and holding a torch, imitating Jupiter with his lightning.  I put the original passage in the picture to show its context.  The drawing shows Jupiter being angry at Salmoneus for impersonating him and throwing a whirlwind at him as revenge.  I made Jupiter much larger than Salmoneus to emphasize how overwhelmingly powerful Jupiter is in comparison to Salmoneus.  Jupiter shouts, “SUM IUPPITER!” to emphasize the fact that he is angry that a mortal dare imitate him.  To make this drawing, I drew a rough sketch of Jupiter, Salmoneus, and the horses on paper and scanned it.  Using a drawing tablet and a computer software, I created smooth lines, moved parts of the image around, and added color and details.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Sophia Smith ‘17

“In medio ramos annosaque bracchia pandit

ulmus opaca, ingens, quam sedem Somnia vulgo

vana tenere ferunt, foliisque sub omnibus haerent

“In the middle, the dark elm opens its branches and ancient limbs, huge, which seat, it is commonly said, empty dreams hold and they cling beneath all the leaves. 

“When I translated this passage, the image of the empty/false dreams really intrigued me. I imagined them as light, transparent abstract shapes that attached themselves to the leaves of this massive tree. I like trees. I also think it is interesting that this huge tree, which can represent life (maybe not in roman culture but that's OK because it's my interpretation and I live in modern times) seems to be thriving in the underworld. I wasn't sure what Vergil was trying to say, or what this tree represents, so I thought that by using these lines in my project I might gain a better understanding of the text. I still don't really get the significance of the tree, but I really enjoyed making my sculpture. I painted fake leaves black to make my dark elm, and I made dream catchers out of wire to represent the empty dreams. I know that I am mixing cultures a little, but I think that seeing things from different perspectives is part of interpreting at art from a different time period.”  

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis: Initiation of the Sibyl

Claire Saint-Amour ‘17

"Book 6 of the Aeneid is a classic example of the hero-centric epic katabasis, or descent into the Underworld. Hidden inside this narrative, though, is a second heroic descent, the Sibyl’s initiation tour of Hades. I chose to depict this scene because it’s a heroine-centered rite-of-passage story hiding in the middle of a very masculine narrative -- Aeneas is, here, following in the heroic footsteps of Hercules, Orpheus, and Odysseus. The story of the Sibyl’s initiation is one of female knowledge; her power as an agent of divine will is made legitimate by the fact that Hecatë, goddess of witchcraft, has entrusted her with secrets to which virtuous men are not allowed access. I chose to use two different media to differentiate between the frame narrative (Aeneas talking to the Sibyl) and her own heroic backstory; the latter uses more vivid colors because she is seeing a truer and more complete view of the Underworld in all its atrocity.”

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis: Dr. Seuss

Zack Crenshaw ‘17

“I have always wanted to try and do a Dr. Seuss style poem for a proper assignment in school, and this ecphrasis gave me the chance. I really enjoyed the imagery of the Tartarus scenes in Book VI, and I thought it would be humorous to take the very macabre and violent descriptions of punishment and place them in a style usually associated with the goofy children’s books of Dr. Seuss. He wrote his texts in anapestic tetrameter, lines of four feet with “reverse dactyls” (short-short-long, instead of long-short-short). This feature of the meter maintains the driving force of heroic dactylic hexameter, the meter found in the Aeneid (as well as the Homeric epics), and so I thought it would be appropriate to create an ecphrasis using this meter.”

And Aeneas looked backward and what did he see?

A cliff on the left side with Tartarus beneath

Surrounded by walls, they’re wrapped all around thrice

A river of fire, no songs, no ice

The river was swift, Phlegethon was its name

Hurling huge rocks, resounding quite loud

The river rushed by, overflowing with flames

Creating a racket, as Deiphobus peaced out

The opposite port had a bunch of huge columns

Made of the strongest material on Earth 

And no man nor a woman could tear them all down

Not even the “superi” of divine birth.

With her robe of men’s blood having been wrapped

Tisiphonë waited all night and all day

And she slept not a wink

In the massive doorway

From this place could be heard

A great number of screams

The clanking of iron

The dragging of chains

Aeneas stood still, all frightened with fright

And he asked the great Sibyl, “What goes on over there?

Not right are the punishments, they’re simply not right!”

“Oh light of the Trojans” the Sibyl responded,

“What’s simply not right, what’s simply a sin

Is for you to be here, drinking all of this in!”

When Hecate appointed me “Keeper of Woods”

She lead me through all this great suffering and pain

To handle this burden I am very well trained,

But no pious man should but cross this sad gate

Gnossian Rhadamanthus rules all of this land

He listens, and judges all the Diti at hand

He makes them confess all their crimes they committed

Up, up above where they thought they were acquitted.

It’s too late for them now as Tisiphone has grabbed

Her whip which avenges all their unlawful acts

She leaps upon them with her snakes in her hand

And calls all her sisters; what a terrible band!

Do you see, do you see?

The horrible gates being opened?

Behind Tisiphone who sits over there

Guarding the doorway, concentration unbroken.

A huge, big, black Hydra with fifty maws yawning!

Beastly, and awful, it sits in that awning

With the path down to Tartarus reaching through all the shadows

With twice the great distance from that point on down

Than reaching up, upwards to Olympus town!

Here lives the Titans, Earth’s great ancient race

And by divine lightning were thrown into that place.

Here lie the twins: Ephialtes and Otus,

Whose attempt to bring down the gods’ home was quite odious

Thrown down there by Juno, now inhabit the space

I see Salmoneus, who mimicked Jove’s fire,

and took her “honorem” (his plan went haywire)

Whom Jupiter struck down with but one prong

Of his own kind of fire, and struck him headlong

And not not Tityon, child of Terra

Whose body was stretched over nine whole “jugera”.

Whose liver was torn apart with a curved beak

By a vulture who came every day of the week

It tore at his flesh, with no thought of relief

The liver grows back like you wouldn’t believe!

Now as for the Lapithian Ixion and Pirithous,

Their fate was all the more outright atrocious

Above them there threatened about slip down

A black block of stone, falling right on their crowns

The golden supports for a banqueting couch

Are laid out before them in full regal splendor

The oldest by birth of the Furies she crouched

Before the great table (she was its defender)

She let out a cry if anyone came near

Her purpose, it thundered loud and clear

Here were the people who were mean to their brothers

In life they were mean to their fathers and mothers,

Cheated their dependents

Keeping everything splendid

To themselves, lying over the new found riches

Got struck many times by her bloody, cruel switches

Here were the cheaters, unfaithful, unkind

To their masters or wives, or both at the same time

A great crowd of sinners awaiting correction

But their penance and punishment, please never question!

Some roll a great boulder, some spun on big spokes

Unlucky Theseus will sit there forever

Phlegyas calls out to all the good folks

“Never questions the gods

Not once, not ever”

(Know of their punishments, however)

This one right here betrayed his homeland

For gold he put in a powerful man

To rule his country, and all that he saw

And with every whim he could change all the laws

This other one here invaded the room

Where his daughter was sleeping, to become her old groom 

They all dared what they dared and paid the right price

If not on Earth, than here in the afterlife

If I had a hundred tongues

Hundred mouths and iron voice

I could not tell you the penance of all these bad boys.

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Aeneid Book 6 Ecphrasis

Spencer Emerson ‘17

“My piece was inspired by the idea of a mosaic, and as such is meant to be viewed as if it was in the center of a room. This inspired the concept of a spiraling mosaic so that some aspect of the project could be viewed from any angle or place in the room.”