Paul Murgatroyd

THE INTERVENTION OF TYPH?S AT

VALERIUS FLACCUS 4, 517 ff.

Little attention has been paid by scholars so far1 to the intervention

of Typh?s to rescue the Harpies (his daughters)2 from the pursuing
/ Boreads at Valerius Flaccus Argonautica 4, 517 ff. That is an unfortu
nate omission which needs to be remedied. For this variation on Valerius'
main source (Apollonius Rhodius 2,286 ff., where Iris is the one interven
an Latin poet (as far as we
ing) seems to be imaginative invention by the
can tell from Classical literature) and is also a variously effective
surviving
from one which makes for real impact and evinces
departure Apollonius,
cleverness and the kind of wit that is typical of the generally less grave
fourth book of this under-rated author.

Ushering in the appearance of Typh?s, at 4, 501 ff. Valerius has Zetes

and Calais with a shout and drive off the from Phineus,
spring up Harpies
pursuing them as far as the Strophades. He adds several details not found
in Apollonius 2, 273 ff., to bring out the drama and especially the satisfy

ing and entertaining inversion: for example, at 501-504 the monsters them
selves are attacked and swiftly and are discomposed
suddenly frightened,
a loud noise such as themselves in 510
by they produce;3 they speed past
humans rather
than rapidly homing in on one of them (Phineus); and at
514-516 they rather than the seer are brought close to death4 and are afraid,
weary, gasping,5 trembling6 and appealing for help. The unique picture in
514 of pooped and panting Harpies is intrinsically rather funny, and one
creatures to be so lack
would hardly expect such formidable supernatural
ing in stamina. Similarly in 516 not only do these powerful and dread be

1
comment
For brief see E. L?thje, Gehalt und Aufriss der Argonautica des Valerius Flaccus,
1971, 163; J. E. Shelton, A Narrative on the
Kiel Commentary Argonautica of Valerius Flaccus,
Ph.D. Vanderbilt 1971, 228-230 and F. Spaltenstein, Commentaire des Argonautica de Valerius
Flaccus (livres 3, 4 et 5), Brussels 2004, 330.
2
Cf. Harpyiae in 4, 428. There is no parallel in extant literature outside of
Typhonides
Valerius Flaccus for Typh?s (rather than Thaumas) as the father. Whether he is
Harpies'
now
a tradition lost to us or has come up with such parentage himself, the poet
following
to his
attaches various and horrific associations was another
thereby Harpies apt (Typhos
hybrid
monster who was aggressive, dangerous, pitiless etc.) and facilitates the interference
3
for family reasons. See 4, 453, 494, 498.
by Typh?s
4
This point is noted Shelton, op. cit. (n. 1), 228.
by
5 6
Cf. 4, 436. Compare 4, 490.
84 PAUL MURGATROYD

ings have to ask for assistance but (just like real girls!) turn to father
they
(Typh?s!) for it.
Thus at 501-516 there ismuch that is novel, striking, ingenious and amus
same elements are and at where sur
ing. Those picked up expanded 517 ff.,
can
prisingly Typh?s actually respond and aid the Harpies:
extulit noctem summis
adsurgens pater imaque
miscuit et mediis vox exaudita tenebris:
'iam satis hue deas, cur tenditis ultra
pepulisse
520 in f?mulas saevire Iovis, quas fulmina quamquam

aegidaque ille gerens magnas sibi legit in iras?

nunc quoque Agenoreis idem decedere tectis
agnoscunt monitus iussaeque recedunt.
imperat:
mox tarnen et vobis similis cum arcus
fuga, premet
525 letifer. Harpyiae numquam nova pabula quaerent
donee erunt divum meritae mortalibus irae/
haesit uterque polo dubiisque elanguit alis,
mox abit et sociae victor petit agmina puppis.1

At 517 f. there is an extraordinary picture, and also a mysterious one (with

much intentionally left unexplained). At the Strophades Typh?s (how and
where rises from Hades. There is no parallel for this
exactly?) emergence.2
One eventually infers that he is allowed to do this by Jupiter, to stop the
Boreads from harming his agents. Remarkably Typh?s brings with him
what seems to be the Underworld's blackness.3 After the enigmatic imaque
summis/ miscuit,4 dramatically a voice his) is heard from the
(presumably
midst of this awesome nox. The reason for the gloom is not given; but
is a creature of darkness, and the blackness all around makes him
Typh?s
more uncanny and impressive (some might feel that this is a rather stagey
special effect); he may well be bringing it to conceal the Harpies too (Ty

1
The text used is that of W.-W Ehlers (Valerius Flaccus, 1980).
Stuttgart
2
Itmay be a deliberate advance on Ovid, 5, 349 ff., where he
Metamorphoses struggles
often to escape, but in vain.
3
See OLD s.v. 'nox' 5b.
4
The wording seems to embrace more one sense
than deliberately J. A. Wagner, C.
Valerii Flaca Setini Balbi Argonauticae Libri vni, 138 1805, turbine con
Gottingen explains:
fundere omnia velle videtur. J. J. A Caussin de Perceval, Valerius Flaccus. L'Argonautique
ou la
de la toison Paris 1835, 215 thinks that waves are to the
conqu?te d'or, being raised sky G.
Liberman, Argonautiques 1, Chants 1-4, Paris 1997, 135 believes that heaven and earth are be
This type of phrase means at Veil.
ing confounded. 'wreak confusion' Pat. 2,2,3 and Lucan
3,138 f. Then at Ovid, Met. 7,278 and
again Pliny, N.H. 32,64 such phraseology is literal rather
than metaphorical, so it is also that Typh?s here is confounding the
possible things from
Underworld (its nox and himself; for imus of Hades see TLL vu 1,1402,14 ff.) with our up
per world or the upper (as he towers into the
atmosphere up sky).
 THE INTERVENTION OF TYPH?S AT VALERIUS FLACCUS 85

phos the fond and solicitous father, promptly protecting such daughters!).
So too at 519 ff he somehow knows of Jupiter's wishes and has prophet
ic abilities.1 All in all this Typh?s is noticeably different from the usual
crushed figure imprisoned under Etna at this stage in his career.
His arrival here to persuade Zetes and Calais to desist is (initially at any
rate) more sombre and imposing than that of Iris at Apollonius 2,286 ff,
even more
implying that it takes something singular to stop the Valerian
Boreads. Iriswas a sister of the Harpies,2 so our poet has
replaced one inter
vening relative with another (more diverting) one. This substitution makes
for intriguing and witty reversal. Here Typh?s shows benevolence instead
of his standard malevolence, speaks with some instead of bab
eloquence
and halts a pursuit rather than So too he of all
bling weirdly,3 pursuing.4
has connections with Jupiter (his daughters are his obedient
people family
servants), tells others to stop raging against the god's agents, speaks glibly
of Jupiter's thunderbolt and heaven's just rage, and warns other people of
trouble with a deadly weapon (wielded by a son of Jupiter).5
His speech is forceful and imperious (especially the frequent asyndeton;
the brusqueness in 519; the highlighting of the Harpies as divine instru
ments of heaven's ire at 520 f. and 526; the solemn emphasis on commands
and obedience in 523; the menace at 524 f.; and the vehement alliteration
in the ringing conclusion at 525 f.). But beneath the surface his words have
their subtly amusing side and there is undercutting here. There are various

pointed remarks and barbs between the lines. Also, in contrast to the brisk
ly efficient and quietly authoritative Iris, Typh?s feels the need to speak at
greater length and resorts to bullying tactics. Clearly he is not as sure as
Iris of his own as well and trying hard to
authority. He is clearly nettled
save his and at the same time salvage some family dignity from
daughters
their humiliating situation.
So at 519 f. with deas and f?mulas... Iovis Typh?s is trying to overawe the
Boreads. There is rather comic one-upmanship in that (the Harpies' role
and status paraded before lesser mortals), and when he goes on to bring out
their importance at 520 f. we witness
actually Typh?s building up Jupiter.

1
With this Valeriusquite possibly has an eye to Celaeno's prophecy
at Virg. Aen. 3, 250
ff. (in an account of
the Harpies that influenced Valerius' version see e.g. R.
extensively:
Lesueur, de Phin?e dans les de Valerius Flaccus', Pallas 25,1978,
'L'?pisode Argonautiques
2
41-58). See Hesiod, Theog. 165 ft.
3 4
As at Hesiod, 829 ff. As at Ovid, Met. 5, 321 ff.
Theog.
5
The reference in 524 f. is to Hercules' execution of the sons of Boreas (for
subsequent
which see Sen. Med.634, Apollod. Bibl. 3, 15, 2, Hygin. Fab. 14,18 and schol. ad Apollonius
Rhodius 1,1300-1305). to (1,1298 ff.) he killed them because they per
According Apollonius
suaded the Argonauts to leave him behind in Mysia while he was searching for Hylas, and
from 3, 691 f. it would that Valerius had this in mind too.
appear explanation
 86 PAUL MURGATROYD

So too with saevire in 520 there is poetic justice in savagery being shown to
the monsters themselves,* so that remonstration about this has its
Typhos'
droll side. The remarkable 523 ismade up of words connected with com
mand and compliance, with pairs of verbs on either side of monitus, with
imperat and recedunt stressed by position, and with the internal rhyme spot
the monsters' obedience. All this reassurance, as well as
lighting emphatic
a marked (intimating that the addressees too
having personal application
should heed admonition and withdraw), seems rather undignified. At 524
f. there is a sly dig (you have won for now, but the tables will be turned,
and soon). And in order to intimidate and unsettle the expression there is
solemn and also vague: was common in the higher genres, and letifer
letifer
arcus was an epic phrase;2 the adjective (doubly stressed by placement) does
not necessarily intimate death for Zetes and Calais, but clearly suggests
that; and premo here could mean 'drive', 'attack', 'afflict' and 'overpower'3
(and it is a pawky touch to put that verb, which so often has the senses
'crush' and 'check', in the mouth of a character who normally has
'press',
Mount Etna on top of him). The meaning at 525 f. is: 'the Harpies will
never seek in vain4 further/new5 sustenance, so as well-deserved an
long
ger of the gods will exist for mortals' (i.e. so long as mortals merit divine
wrath). Typh?s is saying that the creatures will continue to steal food, but
from now on will do so from other people who enrage the gods. This is
an attempt to tend wounded his continued activity as
pride (via daughters'
agents of the gods). 526 is also a barbed line: Calais and Zetes
cunningly
are mortals themselves and may well incur heaven's anger if they don't
back off. It is particularly entertaining to see there Typh?s threatening oth
ers with divine rage and punishment. Finally, and most amusingly of all,
in 527 the brave Boreads are not cowed but actually contemplate ignoring
Typh?s, hovering for awhile before making up their minds to desist, which
means that sadly his whole has not worked that well at all.
performance
McMaster University

1
Cf. 4, 431, 455 for their own savagery.
2
See TLL vu 2, 1188, 32 ff.; Virg. Aen. 10,169, Lucan 3, 500.
3 4
See OLD s.v. 5, 7, 8,16b. See OLD s.v. quaero' 2.
5
See OLD s.v. 'novus' 5 and 8.