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Table of Metamorphoses in Ovid's Metamorphoses

by Spencer Scorcelletti

Commentary #9 ()

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  • Subject is who changed
  • From is what type they were
  • Into is what type the became
  • Kind, is what type of thing they were transferred into
  • Agent is who brought about this change,
  • Cause is reason for the change,

See Commentary #8 Causes of Metamorphosis for more information about causes.

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Order Subject From Into Kind Agent Cause Note Book Loc.
1 Chaos shapeless mass ordered world Cosmos the creator Creation The poem's own first metamorphosis: the proem promises to run from the first creation. 1 21–75
2 humankind earth, or divine seed men Human the son of Iapetus Creation Ovid gives two origins and commits to neither: the creator's seed, or fresh earth shaped by Prometheus. 1 78–88
3 Lycaön king wolf Animal Jupiter Punishment Some signs of old remain — the grey hair, the fierce eyes. The rule of Ovidian change: something is kept. 1 232–39
4 the stones stones men and women Human Deucalion and Pyrrha Creation On Themis' oracle. Men from the stones he threw, women from hers; the veins of rock kept their name. 1 400–13
5 the earth's seeds mud animals, and Python Animal the earth Creation The second creation, after the flood. Python is born of it against the earth's will. 1 434–41
6 Daphne nymph laurel Plant Peneus Escape At her own plea. Apollo takes the tree as his emblem, so the escape becomes the god's trophy. 1 548–52
7 Io girl cow Animal Jupiter Concealment Neither punishment nor rescue: Jupiter hides his own crime from Juno by changing its victim. 1 610–12
8 Syrinx nymph marsh reeds Plant the Naiads Escape Told by Mercury to put Argus to sleep, and cut off before he reaches the ending. 1 702–06
9 the reeds marsh reeds pan-pipe Object Pan Grief A second change in the same story: bound with wax and given the maiden's name. 1 707–12
10 Argus a hundred eyes the peacock's tail Bird Juno Grief Only the eyes change; the body stays dead on the rock. 1 722–23
11 Io cow girl Human Jupiter Reversal Restored by degrees — horns, hooves, jaw — until whiteness was her only bovine trait. 1 738–43
12 Io girl goddess God — Reward Worshipped by a linened throng: Isis, though Ovid never writes the name. 1 747–49
13 the Heliads girls poplars Plant — Grief Grief works the change itself; no god is named. Their mother tears the bark and draws blood. 2 346–63
14 the Heliads tears amber Object the sun Grief Hardened by sunlight and carried down the Eridanus, someday to tempt the wives of Rome. 2 364–66
15 Cygnus king of Liguria swan Bird — Grief For love of Phaëthon; the swan keeps to still water, mindful of Jove's bolt. 2 373–81
16 Jupiter god Diana's form God self Disguise He borrows the goddess's shape to rape her attendant; she will destroy Actaeon for seeing hers. 2 425
17 Callisto nymph bear Animal Juno Punishment Punished by Juno for what Jupiter did. Her former mind remained. 2 477–85
18 Callisto and Arcas bear and hunter constellations Star Jupiter Reward The Bears. Juno then has Ocean forbid them ever to set. 2 505–07
19 the Crow girl crow Bird Minerva Escape Told in flashback by the crow herself, fleeing Neptune along the shore. 2 579–88
20 Nyctimene girl owl Bird — Punishment Reported by the crow: made fowl for her foul sins, she shuns the light. 2 589–95
21 the Raven white bird black bird Bird Apollo Punishment A change of colour only, for telling a truth the god did not want told. 2 631–32
22 Ocyrhoë girl mare Animal — Punishment For prophesying too much. She names her own change as it takes her voice. 2 665–75
23 Battus old man stone Stone Mercury Punishment The touchstone, index: it still bears the informer's name. 2 706–08
24 Aglauros girl stone Stone Mercury Punishment Not white marble — her mind had stained the stone. 2 820–32
25 Jupiter god bull Animal self Disguise Cast off in the first line of Book 3. 2 847–52
26 Jupiter bull god God self Reversal The disguise of 2.850, shed before the book gives him a name. 3 1–2
27 the dragon's teeth teeth armed men Human Cadmus, at Minerva's bidding Creation Sown like seed. Five survive their own civil war to found Thebes. 3 105–14
28 Actaeon hunter stag Animal Diana Punishment Just his mind remained unchanged — he keeps it while his own hounds tear him apart. 3 193–97
29 Juno goddess Beroë, Semele's nurse Human self Disguise The one disguise in three books taken by a goddess, and taken to kill rather than to seduce. 3 274–79
30 Tiresias man woman Sex — Retaliation Seven years as a woman for striking two mating serpents with his staff. 3 324–27
31 Tiresias woman man Sex — Reversal He strikes the same snakes to undo it, and so becomes the one judge who has known both sides. 3 328–31
32 Echo nymph voice Sound — Grief Her body wastes to bone, her bones to stone, and only the voice is left. 3 396–401
33 Narcissus boy flower Plant — Pity No agent is named; the body is simply gone, the narcissus in its place. 3 509–10
34 Bacchus god drunk boy Human self Disguise Fair as a girl and seemingly heavy with wine — the sailors take him for plunder. 3 607–10
35 Bacchus boy god God self Reversal Grapes at his brow, a vine-wound spear, phantom tigers; the ship stops dead in the water. 3 666–69
36 Acoetes' crew sailors dolphins Sea-creature Bacchus Punishment Nineteen of twenty; Acoetes alone is spared, and tells it. 3 671–86
37 Dercetis goddess fish Sea-creature — Named in passing: the first tale Alcithoë's sister weighs and sets aside. 4 44–46
38 Semiramis queen dove Bird — Named in passing; her later years spent atop a tower. 4 47–48
39 a naiad, and the youths she charmed youths; a naiad fish Sea-creature the naiad Named in passing: her herbs turned the youths to fish, then did the same to her. 4 49–51
40 the mulberry white fruit dark fruit Plant the gods Pity Stained by Pyramus' blood; kept dark at Thisbe's dying prayer, in mourning for the two of them. 4 125–27, 158–65
41 the Sun god Eurynome Human self Disguise Takes the mother's form to be let into the daughter's room. 4 218
42 the Sun Eurynome god God self Reversal Resumes his own light, and rapes her. 4 230–31
43 Leucothoë girl frankincense Plant the Sun Pity Buried alive by her father. The Sun rains nectar on the mound, and a sprig of incense breaks it — she reaches heaven as smoke. 4 252–55
44 Clytië nymph heliotrope Plant — Grief Nine days on the bare ground watching him pass; rooted, pale, still turning her face after the Sun. 4 259–70
45 Daphnis shepherd stone Stone a jealous nymph Punishment Named in passing by Alcithoë. 4 276–78
46 Sithon man woman, and back Sex — Named in passing: “now woman, now man.” 4 279–80
47 Celmis Jove's friend steel Metal — Named in passing. 4 281–82
48 the Curetes rain men Human — Creation Named in passing. 4 282
49 Crocus and Smilax lovers flowers Plant — Named in passing. 4 283
50 Salmacis and Hermaphroditus nymph and boy one body of both sexes Sex the gods Prayer She prays never to be parted from him, and the prayer is granted to the letter. 4 373–79
51 the pool of Salmacis water unmanning spring Water Mercury and Venus Prayer At their son's request, the pool gives his new condition to every man who bathes in it. 4 385–88
52 the looms of Minyas' daughters looms and thread ivy and grapevines Plant Bacchus Punishment The weaving they did through his feast turns green. 4 394–98
53 Minyas' daughters women bats Animal Bacchus Punishment Named for the dusk they now fly in — Latin vespertilio, from vesper. 4 407–15
54 Ino and Melicertes mother and son the sea-gods Leucothea and Palaemon God Neptune Pity At Venus' plea, as they drown. Neptune changes names as well as forms. 4 539–42
55 Ino's companions Theban women stone Stone Juno Punishment For blaming Juno. Each is fixed in the gesture she was making. 4 549–60
56 Ino's companions Theban women birds Bird Juno Punishment The rest skim the water where she fell. 4 561–62
57 Cadmus man snake Animal — Prayer He asks to become a snake if the serpent he killed was sacred — and is. The voice at 3.98 foretold it. 4 571–80
58 Harmonia woman snake Animal — Prayer She asks to follow him; mild dragons, they remember what they were. 4 594–603
59 Jupiter god shower of gold Object self Disguise Named in passing: how Perseus was begotten on Danaë. 4 611–12
60 the Gorgon's blood blood snakes Animal the earth Creation Drops from Medusa's head over Libya — why the land teems with snakes. 4 617–20
61 Atlas Titan mountain Stone Perseus, with Medusa's head Retaliation For driving off a guest. Heaven and all its stars now rest on him. 4 653–62
62 the seaweed seaweed coral Stone Medusa's head An accident of where Perseus set the head down; the sea-nymphs sow it, and coral still hardens in air. 4 744–52
63 Medusa's victims men and beasts stone Stone Medusa Seen by Perseus along the road to the Gorgons. 4 779–81
64 Medusa's blood blood Pegasus and Chrysaor Animal — Creation Sprung from their mother's blood as her head comes off. 4 785–86
65 Medusa's hair hair snakes Animal Minerva Punishment For being raped by Neptune in Minerva's shrine. The goddess punishes the victim, and wears the snakes on her breast. 4 798–803
66 Phineus' followers warriors stone Stone Perseus, with Medusa's head Retaliation For attacking the wedding feast. Thescelus mid-throw, Nileus mid-boast; two hundred in all. 5 180–209
67 Aconteus Perseus' ally stone Stone Medusa's head He fought on Perseus' side, and glanced once. 5 200–02
68 Phineus man stone Stone Perseus, with Medusa's head Retaliation Promised he would last for ages; his supplicating pose is kept in marble in Cepheus' house. 5 230–35
69 Proetus king stone Stone Perseus, with Medusa's head Retaliation For usurping Acrisius' citadel. 5 236–41
70 Polydectes king stone Stone Perseus, with Medusa's head Retaliation For calling Medusa's death a lie. 5 242–49
71 the rock of Helicon rock spring Water Pegasus Creation The Hippocrene, struck by the winged horse's hoof. 5 256–64
72 the Muses goddesses winged Bird self Escape They take wings to get out of Pyreneus' house; he tries to follow off the tower. 5 288–91
73 the gods gods ram, goat, cat, crow, cow, ibis, fish Animal self Disguise In the Pierides' song, fleeing Typhon: Jupiter a ram (why Ammon is horned), Bacchus a goat, Diana a cat, Apollo a crow, Juno a cow, Mercury an ibis, Venus a fish. 5 326–31
74 Cyane nymph water Water — Grief For Proserpine's rape and her own rights ignored. The thinnest parts go first — hair, fingers, feet. 5 425–37
75 Stellio boy gecko Animal Ceres Punishment For mocking her thirst. Latin stellio, a lizard flecked with star-like spots — its naming fits its shaming. 5 451–61
76 Ascalaphus boy owl Bird Proserpine Punishment For reporting the pomegranate seeds that keep her below. 5 538–50
77 the Sirens girls birds with girls' faces Bird the gods Prayer They asked for wings to search the sea for Proserpine; their faces and voices were left them. 5 552–63
78 Arethusa nymph spring Water Diana Escape Hidden in a cloud from Alpheus and sweated into water, then carried under the sea to Ortygia. 5 632–41
79 Alpheus man river Water self Reversal Sheds the man's shape he pursued her in, to mix his waters with hers. 5 636–37
80 Lyncus king lynx Animal Ceres Punishment For trying to murder Triptolemus in his sleep and claim the gift of grain. 5 657–61
81 the Pierides girls magpies Bird the Muses Punishment For losing and jeering. Already magpies when Minerva meets them at 299; they keep their old prattle. 5 669–78

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