Sibyls, destruction, and loss in the context of reproductive science

Abstract

The sixth-century prologue to a collection of Sibylline Oracles introduces the anthology according to a pattern recognizable in prologues to a number of texts of the period. It begins by praising the oracles for the great value they have for readers. But then, it introduces a problem: the oracles have suffered from destruction, loss, and corruption at several points in their history. The prologue goes on to offer a solution: the creation of the very anthology of Sibylline Oracles being produced. The rhetorical function of such a prologue is clear: It ensures the value of Sibylline Oracles while simultaneously demonstrating the utility, or even necessity of the newly created collection. Of interest in this study is the way the prologue introduces and illustrates the problem of destruction, loss, and corruption. In no less than three different vignettes, the prologue shows how the oracles are especially resistant to preservation. And these instances are not alone. A discourse of sibylline loss circulated around the textual world of antiquity. This study argues that the discourse is best understood within the framework of ancient ideals concerning intergenerational transfers of knowledge from fathers to sons, and some ancient theories of reproductive science, which held that only men contained reproductive potential, while women were empty vessels or fallow fields waiting to be filled. The article concludes that sibyls are so frequently sites of loss and destruction of knowledge because, as women, they are believed to lack the capacity to reproduce themselves both intellectually and biologically.