Speech Acts and Embedded Narrative Structure in the Getty Hexameters

The Getty Hexameters are an enigmatic text that reveals a conception of the pragmatic force underlying mythic narratives. Although some scholars have concluded that the text is a composite of multiple spells, this paper argues for reading the text as a unified narrative marked by a hierarchy of auth...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Caliva, Kathryn (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: De Gruyter [2016]
In: Archiv für Religionsgeschichte
Year: 2016, Volume: 17, Issue: 1, Pages: 139-164
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Getty Hexameters / Paian, God / Hecate / Herakles / Narrativity
IxTheo Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BE Greco-Roman religions
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Volltext (Verlag)
Description
Summary:The Getty Hexameters are an enigmatic text that reveals a conception of the pragmatic force underlying mythic narratives. Although some scholars have concluded that the text is a composite of multiple spells, this paper argues for reading the text as a unified narrative marked by a hierarchy of authoritative speech acts that draw on the authority of three apotropaic divinities: Paean, Hecate, and Heracles. These layers of narrative acts follow a sequence of revelation, mythological analogy, and aitiology, all of which come together to demonstrate the efficacy of the text as an apotropaic charm.
ISSN:1868-8888
Contains:Enthalten in: Archiv für Religionsgeschichte
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1515/arege-2015-0009