The Annals of Quintus Ennius and the Italic Tradition

3. Ritual and Myth in the Augurium Romuli (Annals 72–91)

C h a p t e r 3 Ritual and Myth in the Augurium Romuli (Annals 72–91) The language of the Annals does more than tell a story. Combinations of words and even individual words that belonged to important cultural contexts, such as ritual, continually emerge, if only partially, and then submerge, leaving semantic ripples on the surface of the narrative. Although the promise that Jupiter will not overturn but support someone does not imply a ritual context (Ann. 204, discussed in chapter 1), the cult title Jupiter Stator is implicitly present in the phrase Iuppiter hac stat. The hybrid of Greek and Roman elements in the Ennian adaptation of the Homeric formula ›Ǔࠗ༖‫ݰ‬ රဎ˗‫ݰ‬မဎ ࠗ͗ ۟͗မဎ ࠗ͗ (e.g., Ann. 591, discussed in chapter 2) is so seamless that the play between pater and Iu-p(p)iter, an impossibility for the Greek name Zeus, is almost wholly eclipsed by the Homeric source text. Because the native figura etymologica cannot be entirely eclipsed, however, the words pater and divomque in patrem divomque hominumque (Ann. 592) could evoke archaic dedications to *DIUEI PATRI as much as the Homeric formula. In addition to these two examples, I have suggested other fragments that may be characterized as a hybrid of Greek poetry and Roman ritual. In contrast with the implicit ritual connotations of many of these fragments, Cicero quotes one of the longer fragments of the Annals, a passage that explicitly describes a Roman ritual, in his De Divinatione. Because Cicero, in the persona of his brother Quintus, quotes the passage in a discussion of augury (Div. 1.107–8), it is certain that some readers took the passage as a reasonably accurate description of the ritual. The passage is not only cited as an example of augury but is also explicitly termed an augury (auguratus) performed by Romulus who is an augur (item augure) and his brother Remus. Moreover, the passage is paired with another extended quotation of a poetic description of an augury, this time from Cicero’s own Marius (Div. 1.106). If Quintus can cite this passage in this context, then it is extremely unlikely that Ennius took too much artistic license with the realia of Roman augury. Although the beginning of the passage is corrupt, Romulus and Remus apparently take up different positions from where they will search the skies for 58 The Annals of Quintus Ennius and the Italic Tradition birds that will indicate whether the gods wish the new city to be named after Romulus (Roma) or Remus (Remora). Ennius describes the intense interest of the crowd, who observe Romulus and Remus, by means of an extended simile that compares the crowd to spectators waiting for the consul to start a chariot race in Ennius’ day. Soon after the simile, a single bird makes its appearance and then twelve more birds appear. Both are favorable omens that confirm that the new city will be named Roma and not Remora, but this clear sequence of events is obscured by the mention of a white sun, a bright light, and a golden sun over the course of the time it takes for the birds to appear. It is not obvious whether these suns represent the passage of time or some other phenomenon or are simply the result of textual corruption. However corrupt the transmission of the fragment may be, Cicero preserves Ennius’ entire description of the augury (Div. 1.107–8): Curantes magna cum cura tum cupientes regni dant operam simul auspicio augurioque. In †monte Remus auspicio sedet atque secundam solus avem servat. At Romulus pulcer in alto 75 quaerit Aventino, servat genus altivolantum. Certabant urbem Romam Remoramne vocarent. Omnibus cura viris uter esset induperator. Exspectant veluti consul quom mittere signum volt, omnes avidi spectant ad carceris oras 80 quam mox emittat pictos e faucibus currus: sic exspectabat populus atque ore timebat rebus utri magni victoria sit data regni. Interea sol albus recessit in infera noctis. Exin candida se radiis dedit icta foras lux 85 et simul ex alto longe pulcerrima praepes laeva volavit avis. Simul aureus exoritur sol cedunt de caelo ter quattuor corpora sancta avium, praepetibus sese pulcrisque locis dant. Conspicit inde sibi data Romulus esse propritim 90 auspicio regni stabilita scamna solumque. (Ann. 72–91) Careful with great care, each also in eagerness for royal rule, they are intent on the watching and the soothsaying of birds on a hill. Remus is seated for the auspicium1 and apart looks out for a favorable bird. But handsome [3.133...