The Myth of Hero and Leander

Silvia Montiglio is Basil L. Gildersleeve Professor of Classics at Johns Hopkins University. Her previous books include Silence in the Land of Logos (2000, paperback 2010); Wandering in Ancient Greek Culture (2005); From Villain to Hero: Odysseus in Ancient Thought (2011); Love and Providence: Recognition in the Ancient Novel (2013); and, most recently, The Spell of Hypnos: Sleep and Sleeplessness in Ancient Greek Literature (I.B.Tauris, 2015).

INTRODUCTION 1
The Scope of this Book 1
The (Nebulous) Origins of the Tale and its (Nebulous)
Literary Beginnings 11
1. SEDUCTION, LOVE AND ATHLETICISM: LEANDER
(AND HERO) IN ROMAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE 15
The Exemplary Lover 15
Why will Leander Swim? Heroides 18 and 19 20
From Emblem of Lust to Bridegroom 37
Hero’s Selfishness According to Fronto 41
Not Only a Love Story 43
Outside Literature 48
2. MUSAEUS’ HERO AND LEANDER, OR ‘LOVE
AGAINST THE WORLD’ 59
A Brief Introduction 59
Darkness and Light 60
The Bold Lover 67
The Fearless Swimmer 73
Leander’s Native Land 79
The Obstacles to the Couple’s Marriage 81
The Urgency of Passion 84
Love Conquers All 88
A Neoplatonic Allegory? 94
3. LUSTFUL FORNICATORS OR COURTLY LOVERS?
THE LEGEND IN MEDIEVAL EUROPEAN LITERATURE 101
Part One: Neo-Latin Texts 101
Part Two: French Literature 116
Part Three: Germany and the Low Countries 140
Part Four: Italian and Iberian Literature 148
4. THE TALE AS MUSAEUS TOLD IT: HERO AND LEANDER
IN MEDIEVAL GREEK LITERATURE AND THE
DIFFUSION OF MUSAEUS’ POEM IN EUROPE 177
Musaeus’ Fame in the Byzantine Period 177
The Novelistic Musaeus 185
Caring About Locality: East Versus West 197
And They Loved Happily Ever After: The Sequel to the
Tale According to Giovanni Grasso 200
Musaeus Enters Western Europe, or How to Advertise
a Poet 204
EPILOGUE Looking Back and Looking Forward 217