Vuelo y caída del héroe en la épica de Arauco: constancia y metamorfosis de una imagen mnémica:Flight and Fall of the Hero in the Epic of Arauco: Constancy and Metamorphosis of a Mnemic Image

Abstract

Abstract During the early modern period, the flight and fall of the hero, encrypted in figures such as Icarus and Phaethon, represented not only excessive recklessness and its fatal outcome, but also the value of audacity whose reward would be immortal fame. This article examines the development of this mnemic image in cantos XIX and XX of La Araucana by Alonso de Ercilla (Segunda parte, Madrid, 1578) and cantos V and VI of Arauco domado by Pedro de Oña (Lima, 1596). The importance of allusive art and figurative culture in the invention of these fragments is highlighted.