Fate, Destiny, Prognostication and Dream Divination across Pagan and Christian Cultures: the Case of Dracontius
Dr. Maria Jennifer Falcone
Università Cattolica di Milano, Dipartimento die Filologia Classica, Papirologia e Linguistica Storica
Research stay: October 2016 - September 2017
Fate, Destiny, Prognostication and Dream Divination across Pagan and Christian Cultures: the Case of Dracontius
The research seeks to list and analyse words and expressions related to the themes of fate, destiny, prognostication, and dream divination in both pagan and Christian works of the poet Dracontius (5th century AD). The author seems particularly suitable for this approach: on the one hand, his pagan works traditionally refer to the ancient concepts of paganism; on the other hand, he seems to have taken into account many aspects of Christian theology in his religious works. No less importantly, his works show a remarkable cultural continuity during the Medieval period (for instance in the works of Eugenius Toletanus). Particular attention will be paid to identifying the differences in context and use of these themes within the two types of works. A complete analysis of every occurrence will be provided, and all contexts will be broadly discussed.
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