Section: LUXURIA (Licentiousness). View all emblems in this section.
Link to an image of this page [F2v p84]
Cavendum à meretricibus.
Beware of whores
Sole satae Circes tam magna potentia fertur,
Verterit ut multos in nova monstra viros.
Testis equûm domitor Picus,[1] tum Scylla biformis,[2]
Atque Ithaci postquam vina bibêre sues.[3]
Indicat illustri meretricem nomine Circe,[4]
Et rationem animi perdere, quisquis amat.
So great, we are told, was the power of Circe, daughter of the Sun, that she turned many persons into new monstrous shapes. A witness to this is Picus, tamer of horses, and Scylla with her double form, and the Ithacans who became pigs after drinking the wine. Circe with her famous name indicates a whore and shows that any man who loves such a one loses his reason.
1. Picus, an Italian king, a breeder of horses, turned into a woodpecker by Circe. See Ovid, Metamorphoses, 14.320ff.
2. Scylla was transformed into a figure that was half girl, half barking dogs. See Ovid, Metamorphoses, 14.51ff. Cf. Emblem 68 ([A50a068]).
3. Ithacans: See Homer, Odyssey, 10.229ff. for the story of Ulysses’ sailors (from the island of Ithaca), who were turned into pigs by Circe with a magic potion of wine.
4. Indicat...meretricem: ‘indicates a whore’. See Anthologia Graeca, 10.50 for this rationalisation of the Circe story.
Related Emblems
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Iconclass Keywords
Relating to the image:
- magic wand [13C33] Search | Browse Iconclass
- groups of mammals [25F21] Search | Browse Iconclass
- beasts of prey, predatory animals (with NAME) [25F23(LION)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- fabulous animals ~ mammals [25FF2] Search | Browse Iconclass
- winds [26C] Search | Browse Iconclass
- arm or hand held in front of the body (+ holding something) [31A2516(+933)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- standing, leaning, sitting or lying with legs crossed (+ sitting) [31A2627(+53)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- sitting on an elevation - AA - female human figure [31AA2352] Search | Browse Iconclass
- looking downwards [31B6212] Search | Browse Iconclass
- adult woman [31D15] Search | Browse Iconclass
- whore, prostitute [33C520] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dog (+ silent means of communication of animal(s): wagging of tail etc.) [34B11(+9491)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- courtyard [41A51] Search | Browse Iconclass
- dress, gown (+ women's clothes) [41D211(+82)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- drapery, draped garment, 'Gewandgebung' [41D27] Search | Browse Iconclass
- throne [44B1212] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Ulysses' companions are changed into all kinds of animals (+ variant) [7C81(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
Relating to the text:
- mis-shapen animals; monsters [25F9] Search | Browse Iconclass
- monsters of mixed human and animal shape; 'Mostri' (Ripa) [31A45] Search | Browse Iconclass
- whore, prostitute [33C520] Search | Browse Iconclass
- courtesan, hetaera [33C521] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Reason versus Amorous Lust; 'Combattimento della ragione con l'appetito' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [52B513(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Danger; 'Pericolo' (Ripa) (+ emblematical representation of concept) [54DD51(+4)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Picus changed into a woodpecker: Circe changes Picus into a woodpecker because, faithful to his wife Canens, he spurns the love of the goddess (Ovid, Metamorphoses XIV 386) (+ variant) [97D28(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
- Scylla changed into a sea-monster: Circe, to whom Glaucus has applied for aid in his love suit, changes Scylla the sea-nymph into a sea-monster (Ovid, Metamorphoses XIV 59) (+ variant) [97EE3(+0)] Search | Browse Iconclass
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