The ablative absolute

Review the slides from last Wednesday’s class introducing the absolute.

Create a file in your github repository named “absolute.md”, and analyze the following selections from Hyginus as follows.

1. Identify verbal units: - clauses (dependent and independent) - indirect statements - participial expressions. Indicate levels of subordination indented, as we have done before.

2. Then, for each participle, write:

1. find the noun or pronoun it agrees with in gender, case number
2. identify the tense and voice of the participle

3. Look for clues in the narrative and in the language of the passage to help you choose one English clause to translate the participle. Be prepared to discuss in class why you preferred one specific translation; were others possible?

Passages from Hyginus

Hyginus 30pr.3 This passage is from Hercules’ canonical twelve labors: he slew the many-headed Hydra.

Hercules Hydram Minerua monstrante interfecit.

38pr.3 We looked in class at the story of Procrustes, who chopped off the body of his guests to fit the size of the bed they were offered.

Procrustes erat Neptuni filius. ad hunc hospes cum venisset, minori lecto proposito, reliquam corporis partem praecidebat.

40pr.4 Pasiphae was the wife of Minos, king of Crete. Juno made Pasiphae fall in love with a bull (!) – but in reality if was Daedalus in a bull costume (!!). Minos punished Daedalus when he found out.

Minos re cognita Daedalum in custodiam coniecit

54pr.4 Prometheus was chained to a rock on Mount Caucasus where an eagle ate his liver every day. Prometheus alone knew of an oracle that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father. When Jupiter was going to sleep with Thetis, Prometheus made a deal with him: in exchange for telling Jupiter about the oralce, Jupiter would free Prometheus. Jupiter agreed, and sent Hercules to set Prometheus free.

aquila interfecta Prometheus post ⅩⅩⅩ annos de monte Caucaso est solutus

68pr.1 Eteocles and Polynices, two sons of Oedipus, each claimed the throne of Thebes after the death of their father. Polynices led a force of seven generals to attack Thebes where Eteocles was in power.

Polynices Adrasto rege adiuuante cum septem ductoribus Thebas uenit

3pr The story of the Golden Fleece gets off to a weird start even by mythological standards. Phrixus was instructed to ride a golden ram to the land of Colchis, and sacrifice it to Mars. At the temple of Mars, the golden skin was guarded by a dragon. Jason and the Argonauts later sailed to Colchis to bring the Golden Fleece back.

Phrixus arietem immolauit pellemque eius inauratam in templo Martis posuit quam seruante dracone Iason Aesonis et Alcimedis filius dicitur petisse.

Glosses:

• adjuvo, adjuvare, adjuvi, adjutus: “to aid, help”
• hospes, hospitis (m): “guest”
• monstro, monstrare, monstravi, monstratus: “to show, point out, advise”
• pars, partis (f): “part”
• praecido, praecidĕre, praecidi, praecisus: “to cut off”
• propono: “offer, present”
• reliquus, reliqua, reliquum: “remaining, left over”
• solvo, solvĕre, solvi, solutus: “release”