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Ovid · 43 BC - AD 17/18

Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses
Ancient Sources / Ovid / Metamorphoses

The Metamorphoses, about 12,000 lines of hexameter in fifteen books, tells the story of the world from the creation of the universe to the deification of Julius Caesar through some 250 tales of transformation, nearly all of them drawn from Greek myth. The sections here follow the tales: the Creation and the Flood, Apollo and Daphne, Phaethon, Cadmus, Narcissus, Perseus, Persephone, Medea, Theseus, Hercules, Orpheus, Midas, the Trojan cycle, and the philosophy of Pythagoras. Citations are by book and line (1.452-567), and the line numbers are those of the Latin; the English is a verse translation with its own line count.

Read from the start
Text
Latin original with English translation, 119 passages, about 135600 words in English.
Translator
Brookes More (1922)
Edition
Hugo Magnus (ed.), Die Metamorphosen des P. Ovidius Naso, Gotha: F. A. Perthes, 1892 (Latin text as digitised by Perseus); English: Brookes More, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Boston: Cornhill Publishing Company, 1922
Cite as
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.1 (by book, line)

Contents · 119 passages

  1. 1.1–88Invocation and the Creation895 words
  2. 1.89–162The Four Ages705 words
  3. 1.163–252Lycaon and the council of the gods844 words
  4. 1.253–312The Great Flood471 words
  5. 1.313–415Deucalion and Pyrrha1002 words
  6. 1.416–451Apollo and the Python311 words
  7. 1.452–567Apollo and Daphne1314 words
  8. 1.568–688Io and Argus1315 words
  9. 1.689–746Pan and Syrinx; the death of Argus577 words
  10. 1.747–779Phaethon and Epaphus405 words
  11. 2.1–100The palace of the Sun; Phaethon's request1039 words
  12. 2.101–297Phaethon drives the chariot of the Sun1929 words
  13. 2.298–400The fall of Phaethon; the Heliades and Cycnus1077 words
  14. 2.401–526Callisto and Zeus1314 words
  15. 2.527–632Coronis and the Raven1205 words
  16. 2.633–707Ocyroe and Battus863 words
  17. 2.708–832Aglauros and Envy1401 words
  18. 2.833–875Europa and the Bull444 words
  19. 3.1–137Cadmus and the Dragon1514 words
  20. 3.138–250Actaeon1202 words
  21. 3.253–315Semele and Zeus584 words
  22. 3.316–399Teiresias and Echo1025 words
  23. 3.402–510Narcissus1305 words
  24. 3.511–583Pentheus and Dionysus835 words
  25. 3.584–733Acoetes and the sailors turned into dolphins; the death of Pentheus1636 words
  26. 4.1–52The daughters of Minyas560 words
  27. 4.53–168Pyramus and Thisbe1329 words
  28. 4.169–271Ares and Aphrodite; Leucothoe and Clytie1239 words
  29. 4.272–395Salmacis and Hermaphroditus1377 words
  30. 4.396–562The Minyades become bats; Athamas and Ino1707 words
  31. 4.563–662Cadmus and Harmonia; Perseus and Atlas1020 words
  32. 4.663–801Perseus and Andromeda1577 words
  33. 5.1–148Perseus' wedding feast: the battle1676 words
  34. 5.149–249Phineus turned to stone1126 words
  35. 5.250–337Athena visits the Muses; Pyreneus979 words
  36. 5.338–461Typhoeus; the rape of Persephone1314 words
  37. 5.462–571Demeter searches for Persephone1167 words
  38. 5.572–678Arethusa; Triptolemus; the Pierides1251 words
  39. 6.1–145Arachne and Athena1713 words
  40. 6.146–312Niobe1913 words
  41. 6.313–411The Lycian peasants; Marsyas; Pelops1211 words
  42. 6.412–541Tereus and Philomela1597 words
  43. 6.542–674Procne's revenge1651 words
  44. 6.675–721Boreas and Orithyia495 words
  45. 7.1–158Jason and Medea2002 words
  46. 7.159–296Medea rejuvenates Aeson1608 words
  47. 7.297–403Medea and the daughters of Pelias1233 words
  48. 7.404–452Medea and Theseus522 words
  49. 7.453–613Cephalus at Aegina; the plague1859 words
  50. 7.614–657The Myrmidons623 words
  51. 7.658–791Cephalus and Procris1685 words
  52. 7.792–865The death of Procris877 words
  53. 8.1–151Scylla and Nisus1794 words
  54. 8.152–263The Minotaur; Daedalus and Icarus1126 words
  55. 8.264–444The Calydonian boar hunt1922 words
  56. 8.445–546Althaea and the death of Meleager1225 words
  57. 8.547–610Theseus at the house of Achelous; Perimele747 words
  58. 8.611–720Philemon and Baucis1351 words
  59. 8.721–884Erysichthon and Famine1866 words
  60. 9.1–97Achelous and Heracles1150 words
  61. 9.98–272Nessus and the death of Heracles2090 words
  62. 9.273–321Alcmene and Galanthis579 words
  63. 9.322–412Dryope and Iolaus1156 words
  64. 9.413–571Byblis and Caunus1873 words
  65. 9.572–665Byblis turned into a spring1082 words
  66. 9.666–797Iphis and Ianthe1566 words
  67. 10.1–85Orpheus and Eurydice1018 words
  68. 10.86–142Orpheus sings: the trees and Cyparissus612 words
  69. 10.143–219Ganymede and Hyacinthus857 words
  70. 10.220–297The Propoetides and Pygmalion992 words
  71. 10.298–430Myrrha1706 words
  72. 10.431–518Myrrha's flight and the birth of Adonis1079 words
  73. 10.519–709Aphrodite and Adonis; Atalanta and Hippomenes2299 words
  74. 10.710–739The death of Adonis344 words
  75. 11.1–84The death of Orpheus951 words
  76. 11.85–145Midas and the golden touch750 words
  77. 11.146–193Pan and Apollo; Midas' ears532 words
  78. 11.194–265Laomedon and Hesione; Peleus and Thetis885 words
  79. 11.266–409Peleus, Ceyx and the wolf1758 words
  80. 11.410–572Ceyx and Alcyone: the voyage963 words
  81. 11.573–687The storm and the death of Ceyx969 words
  82. 11.688–748Iris and Sleep; Ceyx and Alcyone become birds2094 words
  83. 11.749–795Aesacus572 words
  84. 12.1–63The Greeks at Aulis; the House of Fame681 words
  85. 12.64–145Achilles and Cycnus969 words
  86. 12.146–209Caeneus696 words
  87. 12.210–326The Lapiths and the Centaurs: the wedding feast1257 words
  88. 12.327–458The Lapiths and the Centaurs: the battle1432 words
  89. 12.459–533The death of Caeneus809 words
  90. 12.534–628Periclymenus and the death of Achilles993 words
  91. 13.1–120The contest for the arms of Achilles: Ajax speaks1366 words
  92. 13.121–254The contest for the arms of Achilles: Odysseus replies1504 words
  93. 13.255–381Odysseus' speech: his services at Troy1439 words
  94. 13.382–438The arms awarded; the death of Ajax; the fall of Troy628 words
  95. 13.439–480Polyxena459 words
  96. 13.481–575Hecuba and Polymestor1051 words
  97. 13.576–622Memnon's birds538 words
  98. 13.623–747Aeneas at Delos; Anius' daughters; Scylla1327 words
  99. 13.748–899Acis and Galatea1781 words
  100. 13.900–968Glaucus843 words
  101. 14.1–74Scylla and Circe831 words
  102. 14.75–157The Cercopes; the Sibyl992 words
  103. 14.158–220Achaemenides704 words
  104. 14.221–319Macareus and Circe1101 words
  105. 14.320–439Picus and Canens1262 words
  106. 14.440–526Diomedes' companions; the wild olive936 words
  107. 14.527–608The ships of Aeneas; Ardea; Aeneas becomes a god911 words
  108. 14.609–697Pomona and Vertumnus1077 words
  109. 14.698–771Iphis and Anaxarete898 words
  110. 14.772–851Romulus and Hersilia889 words
  111. 15.1–59Numa and Myscelus658 words
  112. 15.60–142Pythagoras: against eating meat942 words
  113. 15.143–258Pythagoras: all things change1301 words
  114. 15.259–358Pythagoras: the changing earth1081 words
  115. 15.359–476Pythagoras: the phoenix, the rise and fall of cities1328 words
  116. 15.477–551Egeria and Hippolytus823 words
  117. 15.552–621Tages and Cipus811 words
  118. 15.622–744Asclepius comes to Rome1336 words
  119. 15.745–879The deification of Julius Caesar; epilogue1528 words

English translation by Brookes More (1922). Original text: Hugo Magnus (ed.), Die Metamorphosen des P. Ovidius Naso, Gotha: F. A. Perthes, 1892 (Latin text as digitised by Perseus); English: Brookes More, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Boston: Cornhill Publishing Company, 1922.

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.