Schwimmen mit Dionysos. Wasser und Badeszenen als Kompositionselemente in den Dionysiaka des Nonnos von Panopolis

Abstract

This paper argues that Nonnus of Panopolis, although he incorporates Greek poetic traditions from archaic to hellenistic and late antique times, follows his own poetic and compositional strategy. By inserting several swimming and bathing scenes, notably the two swimming contests in the Ampelus-episode (Nonn. D. 11, 1 – 55; 406 – 426), the poet highlights the key issue of his 48-book-epic, the Dionysiaca: the birth of Dionysus’ major attributes, vine and wine, and the establishment of the son of Zeus as a canonical god of the Olympic domain.