«Falsa canebat»: il modello di Cassandra nella Pizia lucanea

This article focuses on the Pythia Phemonoe as described in Lucan’s Book v (mainly Lucan. v 120-157). It will be argued that the use of the epithet Phoebas prompts us to detect a reference to the character of Cassandra. To distance himself from Virgil’s Sibylline episode (a widely recognized model), Lucan patterns the beginning of the Delphic episode after an Ovidian tale of rape. This erotic and violent dimension can be construed as evocative of Cassandra’s relationship with Apollo, whose sexual advances she resisted. Moreover, an in-depth analysis of the intertextual references to Seneca’s Agamemnon (specifically Sen. Ag. 710-725) shows how Cassandra’s inability to persuade others of her truthfulness is subverted in the Pythia’s deliberate deceitfulness. Taking into account the influence of the model of Cassandra on Phemonoe reveals that Lucan has enhanced the differences from Virgil’s Sibyl by giving the character of the Pythia an innovative tragic and mythological depth.