Epic Tradition Research Articles

Ceasing to Exist and Harm Due to Loss of Vitality: A Different Approach to Metaphysics of Death

According to the Epicurean tradition, there is something misleading about our common intuition that we are harmed at death. In contemporary literature, we find proponents of the anti-Epicurean view as well as staunch defenders of the no-harm theory. In this paper, I first deal with the question of the possibility of worldly presence after death and, secondly, with the idea of harm due to death of a person. The gist of my claim is that a non-absolutistic approach to the whole problematic of harm seems to have a better explanatory power in this context. In the course of my discussion, I coin and elucidate the phrase “loss of vitality” and assert that it may provide us with a more useful notion in the metaphysical treatment of death and harm. I also distinguish two perspectives with regard to being harmed and claim that there is a notable issue about being harmed at death especially when the matter is regarded internally, in contrast to an external point of view.

FORMAL AND STYLISTIC COMPONENTS OF M.O. AUEZOV'S EPIC NOVEL"THE PATH OF ABAI"

The ancient epic tradition significantly influenced the formation of the modern Kazakh literary language. It has become the main base of modern philosophy, literature and aesthetics. But in that literary era, when the great novel by M.O. Auezov was being created, they did not write about the epic tradition –the bearer of healthy moral principles –and especially about the zhyrau tradition, attaching a label to it –"idealization of the khan's past and patriarchal-Bay reality." It is for this rea-son that the term zhyrau is not mentioned in the epic novel. This image has not been recreated due to the historical reality of the New Time, the time of Abai, when the Zhyrau descended from the historical arena, although the writer's artistic logic allows us to trace the immortal oral-literary con-tinuity of the traditions of the previous era by the akyns. Today we call this phenomenon Steppe Knowledge.Despite their special status, their distinctive social functions, their worldview and ways of inter-preting reality, both Zhyrau and akyns go back to the same source, the ancient oral foundation, from where they draw rhythms, plots, motifs, themes and images, means of artistic expression and depic-tion, what we now call «the formulaic style»at the suggestion of epicologists M. Parry and A.B. Lord.Since this mighty stylistic technique of Zhyrau is still traced in the works of the akyns of the Abai epoch and it manifests itself with special force in the works of the most talented akyns of the New Time, then the formulaic law that forms the language and style, the entire formulaic aesthetics of the poets of the New Time, should be studied in a comparative aspect. This is the main purpose of article.

Pre-Christian Eschatological Motifs in the Ukrainian Dumas and Spiritual Verses and Their Germanic Parallels

The Ukrainian folklore genres least studied in a mythological context are the epic songs: dumas and spiritual verses. In particular, it is possible to find concepts of the beginning and the end of the world in these works. In many aspects, they are close to the Old Germanic ones, especially concerning the mythological connection between natural cataclysms and the breaking of family ties, as shown by several archaic examples. This article deals with these cosmogonic and eschatological notions in Ukrainian and Scandinavian epics. The author points to a similar outlook in both epic traditions and a similarity in emotional and evaluative identifications of events. These parallels must be owed to Germano-Slavic contacts in the early Middle Ages.

Amat bonus otia Daphnis (Verg. Ecl. V 61). L’ideale della concordia nella Ecloga V

Abstract Amat bonus otia Daphnis (Verg. Ecl. V 61). The ideal of concordia in Eclogue V The concept of concordia plays a key role in the political debate among Virgil’s contemporaries. Virgil himself highlights the role of discordia in Ecl. I 71 and makes concordia the tenet of Eclogue IV (Ecl. IV 46-47). Celebration of peace brought by the new god Daphnis in Eclogue V is couched in terms of concordia as well, as it is pointed out both by the Homeric source of Il. XXII 262-263 on the impossible ὁμοφροσύνη among animals and by the model of Lucretius’ apotheosis of Epicurus, which is significant in that Lucretius deems Epicurus’ doctrine as the means by which sapientes might live together according to the original sense of amicitia and concordia. Moreover, people gathering around Daphnis’ cult as if they were mystery initiates emphasizes the role of community in the eclogue – not least, mystery language is exploited also in Epicurean tradition. Analogies and differences between the iuvenis deus of Eclogue I and Daphnis sharpens the gulf between the two eclogues: in the former, the community of cives is distraught because of discordia, and Tityrus is the only one to enjoy the benefits of the iuvenis deus; by contrast, the latter celebrates a close-knit community worshipping Daphnis in concordia.

"COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EPICS"

This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of epics across different cultures, delving into their intricate narratives, thematic underpinnings, and socio-cultural significance. Epics, as timeless literary masterpieces, serve as repositories of cultural heritage and collective memory, embodying the ethos and values of diverse civilizations. Through a comparative lens, this study aims to elucidate the commonalities and divergences among epics, shedding light on the universal themes that resonate across human experiences while also highlighting the nuances shaped by specific cultural contexts. Drawing upon a diverse array of epic traditions such as the Indian Mahabharata, the Greek Odyssey, the Norse Edda, and the African Sundiata, among others, this analysis navigates through the rich tapestry of myth, legend, and heroic exploits. It examines the archetypal motifs of heroism, fate, and the struggle between good and evil, which permeate these narratives, transcending geographical boundaries and temporal epochs. Furthermore, this comparative study explores the socio-cultural functions of epics, elucidating their roles in shaping collective identity, moral codes, and societal norms. By juxtaposing epics from different cultures, this research seeks to unravel the intricate interplay between myth and history, oral tradition and written text, and the dynamic process of cultural transmission and adaptation. Through this interdisciplinary approach, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the human condition, elucidating how epics serve as mirrors reflecting the aspirations, fears, and aspirations of humanity across epochs and geographies. Ultimately, this comparative analysis endeavours to foster cross-cultural dialogue and appreciation, recognizing the enduring relevance and timeless allure of epic literature in the global mosaic of human civilization.

Поэтика вещи в героическом эпосе «Джангар»

Introduction. The article is devoted to the consideration of the poetics of things in the epic tradition of “Dzhangar” of the Kalmyks of Russia and the Oirats of Xinjiang. The image of the world of things that surround the heroes of the epic serves not only as a material background, they (objects, things) are necessary for the actions of the character and the expression of his individuality. The research material is the texts of the epic songs of the Xinjiang-Oirat and Kalmyk versions of “Dzhangar”. The purpose of the article is to consider the objective-material world in the heroic epic “Dzhangar”. Results. Consideration of the objective-material world in the Kalmyk and Xinjiang-Oirat versions of “Dzhangar” showed that in the lyrics a thing is one of the elements characterizing the image of a hero; in the depiction of an epic picture of the world, its heroes, characters, a thing acquires a symbolic meaning. The name of the epic country Bumba is associatively connected with a functioning object — a “treasure vessel”, the semantic field of which is its connecting link. The palace preserves the experience of the nomadic life of the Oirats and Kalmyks, their material way of life, as an objective reality of the epic space. The epic palace of Dzhangar, being a kind of field of attraction, gathers the heroic family at the banquet table, where the ruler of Bumba chooses the hero to go on a military campaign. The items of horse equipment and weapons of the hero in the epic “Dzhangar” are correlated with the objective realities with the help of which the hero moves in the epic space, undergoes difficult trials and achieves the goal of the military campaign. Things that are correlated with objects of material culture perform their main functions and are associated with the peculiarities of the worldview of the traditional culture of the Mongolian peoples.

Reimagining Epic Tradition: Intertextuality and Mythical Resonances in "The Forest of Enchantments'' by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's novel, ''The Forest of Enchantments,'' offers a compelling reimagining of Indian mythology, particularly focusing on the character of Sita from the Ramayana. Through skillful intertextuality and a feminist perspective, Divakaruni challenges traditional depictions of Sita as a passive figure, instead portraying her as a resilient and empowered woman. By weaving together mythological and real-life events, the novel creates a rich narrative that explores timeless themes of gender equality, empowerment, and the human condition.

МОТИВ ЖЕНИТЬБЫ БОГАТЫРЕЙ В ЭПИЧЕСКОЙ ТРАДИЦИИ ТЮРКОЯЗЫЧНЫХ НАРОДОВ

This article examines the motive of marriage in the heroic epics of the Turkic-speaking peoples with a special focus on the plot basis and compositional structure of the motif within the framework of the epics version, which is common to a number of Turkic ethnic groups. The novelty of the results obtained lies in the fact that we systematically investigated the issues of the place of the motive of marriage in the epic works of the Turkic-speaking peoples, the function performed by it, the internal plot and compositional structure of this motif in the evolutionary development of the general plot, issues of poetization, the presence of echoes. The purpose and tasks of the study are to analyze the prerequisites for the emergence of the motive of the hero's marriage in the epic tradition of the Turkic-speaking peoples, the use of various customs in it, to carry out a comparative analysis of the problems of plot and composition in the motive of marriage, the use of artistic means. In our work we used comparative typological, genealogical, problem-themed, historical and literary methods. Methods of analysis and synthesis are also used. As a result of the research, it was revealed that since ancient times our ancestors solved all the difficulties and hardships of nomadic existence, relying on the deep content of the national cultural heritage filled with nomadic philosophy, because it was in it that the traditions and customs of our people, the strength of their mind, the postulates of spiritual and moral behavior were enclosed. At the very core of folk customs and traditions are the problems of creating a family, choosing spouses, and getting married. The presence of mixed ancient religious concepts in the motive of marriage is also determined, the fact that these concepts complement each other to a certain extent indicates a rather significant parallelism in the prerequisites for the emergence and methods of poetization in the motive of marriage in the epic works of the Turkic-speaking peoples. The study found that the indigenous genetic affinity of the Turkic-speaking peoples is observed in the community of poetic artistic means. In addition, the semantic and symbolic aspects of the motive of marriage in the context of the epic tradition and the historical development of society were investigated and determined.

The Great Goddess: An Evolution from Cosmogony to Cosmology

Hindu Religious thought has always been deeply concerned with the ‘idea of femininity’. Hindu beliefs and practices have identified the feminine both in the material world and the divine world. The history of the development of goddesses from the early Vedic period to contemporary worship plays into certain debates and discussions about what it means to have a certain concept of divinity in a tradition. This paper aims to understand the historical and thematic development of The Great Goddess/Devī/Mahādevī as the source of ultimate cosmic powers. To reach my aim, I have divided this paper into two major sections: First, the analysis of the iconographies of twelve major Goddesses (starting from the early Vedic period to the Pūrāṇic and Epic Tradition), namely, Uṣas, Rātri , Pṛthivī, Aditi, Sarasvatī, Vāc, Nirṛti, Śrī-Lakṣmī, Pārvatī, Dūrgā, Kālī, and Mahādevī (the lengthiest section of the paper). Second, I have traced (with the help of the analysis from the first section) the cosmogonies associated with these twelve individual goddesses to project a final single goddess who is the cause of this Cosmos. The Early Vedic Goddesses are depicted as ‘givers, helpers, mothers, nurturer figures’ but gradually in the Pūrāṇic and Epic Tradition they are partially involved in the process of creation, as the śakti of their male counterparts. Finally, the Devī-Māhātmya and Devī Bhagavata Pūrāṇa delineate the picture of an independent goddess, The Great Goddess/Devī/Mahādevī. This Great Goddess emerged as the embodiment of śakti, prakṛti, and māyā, therefore is the cause of this universe.

Paradise lost: A classical epi

John Milton's "Paradise Lost" stands as a monumental work in the canon of English literature, embodying the classical epic tradition with its grand scope, profound themes, and poetic mastery. This abstract delves into the quintessential characteristics that classify "Paradise Lost" as a classical epic. The narrative unfolds against the cosmic backdrop of Heaven, Hell, and Earth, exploring the consequences of Adam and Eve's disobedience and their subsequent expulsion from the idyllic Garden of Eden. Milton weaves a tapestry of theological inquiry, grappling with the complexities of free will, theodicy, and the nature of God. The poem introduces a heroic protagonist in Adam, whose choices shape the destiny of humanity. Divine intervention, epic battles, and supernatural elements contribute to the poem's grandeur, while Milton's elevated language and incorporation of classical and biblical allusions elevate it to the status of an enduring masterpiece. "Paradise Lost" serves not only as an epic retelling of the biblical Fall but also as a didactic exploration of moral and spiritual themes, making it a timeless work that continues to captivate readers and scholars alike.

The values of the warhorse suits and the epic tradition

In the scientific article “Meanings of war horse colours and epic tradition” the typological similarities of poetic description of heroic epics of Turkic-speaking peoples and Siberia formed in the context of the epic “Manas” are considered. The etymological meanings of war horse colours in the artistic structure of the epic “Manas” are also analysed. The epic “Manas” has brought to our days a whole range of images of horses, starting with fantastic mythological images of horses and ending with realistic ones. Descriptions of the horse’s colours, the peculiarities of its walking and running, its ability to understand not only the master’s orders but also its state of mind occupy a large place in the narrative. Each horse is endowed with a nickname, each is characterised by some qualities peculiar only to it. It is known that different time layers are present in the epic, and from this it is possible to reveal the images of the Tulpar in their stadial evolution, which makes it possible to consider their essence in hyperpolarity. In the epic “Manas” there are more than 150 names of war horses of different colours. The totality of artistic images of war horses depicted in the context of “myth and reality” as endowing them with wings, human speech, and the ability to transform through transformation into werewolves is a real cultural treasure of the epics and a subject of scientific interest of hundreds of researchers. In the process of evolution each national epic preserving the given properties of the archetype, at the same time transformed into the poetic image of horses some specific properties, developing and glorifying some special qualities inherent only to the given epic.

Первая запись якутского эпоса в контексте традиции

The paper considers the first text of the Yakut heroic epic, recorded by A. Middendorf in the 1840s from an anonymous storyteller, later known as “Eriedel Bergen.” An attempt is made to determine the specific features of the text in terms of its local attribution. The study also provides an opportunity to discuss concrete historical and methodological observations. For a more comprehensive analysis, the author has used a representative sampling of records of the Yakut epic and other genres of narrative folklore of the peoples of Siberia, including Yakut, Russian, and Evenki fairy tales and mythological stories. The structural and semantic features of the recording were revealed that demonstrate the similarity to the texts of the Central Yakut epic tradition, in particular, to the variants recorded later near the Amginskaya Sloboda, Megino-Kangalassky, and Boturussky uluses of Yakutia. The analysis has identified some locally specific motifs and “common places” of the Yakut heroic epic, with the principles of their differentiation and study tested. It is suggested that the traditional international plot about the swapped bride, present in the text of the olonkho, appears to have originated from Evenk folklore rather than Russian fairy tales. A conclusion is made that the local specificity in Yakut epic tales is primarily evident in the specific motifs of the “exterior” plan while having a minimal effect on the core plot elements that remain broadly consistent across the genre’s various “dialect” versions. It would be considerably valuable in the future to map or catalog them.

Mutual penetration of stylistic elements of magic realism, Slavic folklore, fiction in the context of the grammatical representation of time coordinates in V. Stevanović’s novel The Wretched

The article examines the relationship, interaction and grammatical repertoire of different tense forms of the Serbian verb in the context of verbal representation of time coordinates in the novel The Wretched by the famous Serbian writer V. Stevanović. The linguistic aspect, the mechanism of layering in the time paradigm of a perfect sample of magical realism, is analyzed. In this research, data from related scientific fields were involved and an attempt was made to determine which features inherent in the poetics of the mentioned work in terms of time plan unite it with examples of postmodernism, and which methods are related to the peculiarities of the temporal characteristics of the Serbian folk-song epic tradition, Serbian lyric poetry, with time formulas in bugaršticas, with poetic techniques of artistic fiction. The stylistic role of synthetic preterite forms of the Serbian verb, various shifts in the semantics of the present etc. are characterized.

Seaxes and skalms: Single-edged weapon in the Old Icelandic texts

The article examines the problem of the use in combat conditions and classification of single-edged short-bladed weapons of the Germanic and neighboring peoples of Europe in the early Middle Ages — combat knives seaxes. The authors consider the numerous existing archaeological finds in the context of terms used in modern Scandinavian languages, and also turn to the analysis of options for using the terms “seax” and “skalm” in archaic texts. A contextual analysis of the use of these terms in the poetic texts of songs from the Elder Edda and the prose of Icelandic sagas belonging to various subtypes is presented. According to the authors, the term “skalm” had a very specific purpose and fell out of everyday use — as a designation for a real type of weapon — long before the Viking Age. In the texts describing the Viking Age, it is not people who are consistently armed with skalms, but the dark and negative characters opposing them — trolls, jotuns, etc. However, in the heroic epic tradition, skalms, on the contrary, are used by heroes; It was the skalms that became part of the poetic formulas describing the equipment of the heroes of the epic. There is reason to believe that this term comes from ancient times and by the Viking Age it became an anachronism, acquiring new connotations and negative meaning.

The system of epic characters of olonkho "Bogatyr Tong Saar" by S. N. Karataev

The subject of the article is the semantics, structure and plot functioning of the character system in the Yakut heroic epic. The object of the study is the olonkho "Bogatyr Tong Saar" by Semyon Nikolaevich Karataev, which is one of the exemplary texts of the Vilyuisk epic tradition, recorded during the Vilyuisk expedition of 1938. The relevance of the work is due to the need for a detailed study of the system of characters of the Yakut heroic epic, determining their role in the development of the Olonkho plot, identifying new images. The purpose of the article is to reveal the system of epic characters of the Yakut heroic epic "Bogatyr Tong Saar" by S. N. Karataev. The results obtained can be applied in the field of folklore studies in the development of issues of poetics of an epic text, in the compilation of educational and methodological manuals on Yakut folklore. Structural and functional analysis developed by the famous Russian folklorist V. Ya. Propp is used as the main research method. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that for the first time the system of characters of this legend is studied using the methodology of V. Y. Propp. As a result, it was concluded that the olonkho "Bogatyr Tong Saar" by S. N. Karataev presents a whole system of character images. It was determined that in addition to the characters conditioned by the two parts of the olonkho narrative, images of antagonists – heroes, women-abaasi, rivals play an essential role in the unfolding of the plot. It was revealed that in this text a significant place is occupied by the hero's assistants, the wrecker / kidnapper of the hero's wife (the Tunguska bogatyr). Girls / women are passive, but they play a role in motivating the departure of the hero. In the plot of olonkho, there are images of the parents of the bride / wife, a messenger, an old woman adviser Simekhsin, a victim servant, a blacksmith donor, which are not of great importance in the development of the plot, but complement the main images and contribute to their disclosure.

БЫЛИННАЯ ТРАДИЦИЯ РУССКОГО УСТЬЯ

Russian epic tradition of the village Russkoe Ustye, standing on the Indigirka River, is the subject of the study. The relevance of the research lies in the need to describe one of the regional epic traditions of Siberia at the modern stage in connection with the work of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the series “Bylinas” of the Russian Folklore Code. Accordingly, the purpose and objectives of the study are determined by a systematic approach to material, meaningful in connection with the history of inhabiting the region, the history of the recording epics in the region, and the consistent characteristics of each recorded epic plot. The article reviews the history of inhabiting the Russian Estuary: the discovery of the mouth of the Indigirka by the Cossack Ivan Rebrov in 1638, the construction of the town of Zashiversk in the middle reaches of the Indigirka, inhabiting the mouth of the river from Zashiversk and from the sea. The oral family traditions of the Russkoustians are given. The article also describes the history of the recording epics in Russkoe Ustye and from its inhabitants: political exile I. A. Khudyakov (1867–1869); V. M. Zenzinov (1912); graduate of the ethnographic department of Leningrad State University D. D. Travin (1928); Yakut local historian M. A. Krotov (1931–1932); Yakut writer, member of the ethnographic and linguistic expedition of the Institute of Language, Literature and History of the Yakut branch of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences N. A. Gabyshev (1946); major Moscow bylinologist Yu. I. Smirnov (1982) and famous ethnomusicologist T. S. Shentalinskaya (1985). The main content of the article is the characteristics of local epics (25 texts). There is an almost complete absence of epics about Ilya Muromets (the only text is “Ilya Muromets and the Idolishche”). The popularity of the plot “Dobrynya and the Serpent” (six variants) is indicated, in which the name of Maria Izyaslavna, absent in European Russia, appears (instead of the traditional Zabava Putjatichna), linking (through the patronymic Izyaslavna) the epics of Russkoe Ustye with the onomasticon of Ancient Russia. The epic “Mikhail Danilovich – the minor hero” (six variants) is analyzed, in which the enemy Titus appears, unknown in the Russian North. It is assumed that this name in Russkoe Ustye was borrowed from the “History of the Jewish War” by Josephus Flavij, a monument of late Antique literature (75–79 A.D.), known in Russia in translation and very popular in the manuscript tradition. Probably one of the lists was brought to Russkoe Ustye. Josephus' Titus is the son of Emperor Vespasian, an enemy of Judea. In the “Arrival of the Lithuanians” (three variants), the names of “our” heroes – Tsar Elizar and his sister Maria Elizarovna (names that are absent in the Russian North) – may also be echoe of the “History of the Jewish War”, where several characters with the name Eleazar are called among the Jews. Other epic plots are also considered – “Surovets”, “Duke Stepanovich”, “Sadko”.

Образная (изобразительная) лексика в якутском и бурятском эпосах: лексические параллели

Introduction. The article presents a comparative analysis of the figurative vocabulary of the Yakut and Buryat languages on the basis of epic texts. The figurative vocabulary in both languages is specific part of its lexicon which have a common roots. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the use of lexical parallels of the Yakut and Buryat figurative vocabulary in the texts of the Buryat uliger and Yakut olonkho. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing interest in linguistic folklore in the study of language based on the material of epic texts in order to identify the specifics of the language of the epic as a whole. For research a lexical and semantic analysis and comparative historical method were used. Materials. The texts of the Buryat uliger “Alamzhi Bergen” by E. Shalbykov and the Yakut olonkho “Kyys Debiliye” by N. P. Burnashev, “Mighty Er Sogotokh” by V. O. Karataev, “Khaan Dzhargystai” by unknown olonkhosut from Verkhoyansk were used as material for the study. The three olonkho texts are represented by three main regional epic traditions, which makes it possible to take into account almost all the local features of the olonkho text. Results. The study revealed 12 lexical parallels in the figurative vocabulary presented in the Yakut and Buryat epic texts. These lexical parallels were divided into three thematic groups by the way of description. Thus, first group is figurative words describing the figure, second is the group of words describing facial expressions and face, and the last one is the words describing the shape of objects. A comparative analysis of the revealed lexical parallels showed that they have a emotionally expressive character that allows expressing the narrator’s attitude to the described object, have the same semantic meaning, the same ways of word formation and the general principle of word formation.

Contribution of D.A. Olderogge to the Study of the Epic Tradition of West Africa

On May 6, 1903, the Soviet Africanist, ethnographer, literary critic, linguist, and historian Dmitry A. Olderogge was born in Vilna. He was one of the founders of African studies in the USSR and an organizer of museum work related to Africa. The article is dedicated to the memory of this outstanding scientist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences. It shows the main milestones of the professional path of Dmitry A. Olderogge, describes the scientist’s contribution to the study of the folklore of African peoples and gives an analysis of his main works in the field of folklore. The important theoretical and practical significance of his research devoted to the epic legends of the peoples of West Africa is revealed in the work.

Olonkho of Olekminsk District in 19th and 20th Centuries: Traditions and Transformations

The situation of traditional storytelling is considered in terms of adherence to the canons of archaic olonkho. The material for the study consists of olonkho texts that were in circulation in the Olekminsky district of Yakutia. Texts were selected for analysis, among which early recordings of olonkho variants from the mid-19th century reveal transformations that distinguish them from traditional olonkho. These transformations are analyzed from the perspective of modern folklore studies — the preservation of the original archaic features of the epic. The author studied the plot-compositional structure, motif fund, and imagery system in early recordings of olonkho from the 19th and 20th centuries in Olekminsky. Deviations from established epic canons were identified. Structural-typological and comparative-comparative methods were applied. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that this aspect of the epic heritage of the Olekminsky district is being studied for the first time. As a result of the study, motifs from world, including Russian, fairy tales were discovered in the content of early recordings of Olekminsky olonkho. This is explained by the unique socio-cultural conditions of the region, in particular, the coexistence of several nationalities. The author attributes such additions to violations of the epic traditions of Yakut storytelling. It is noted that such violations are not found in the epic works of storytellers of the 20th century.

Oinoandai Diogenész levelei az epikureus hagyományban

This paper argues that Diogenes of Oenoanda was not only an innovator within the Epicurean epistolary tradition, but also of the genre itself. It explores the topic first by presenting an overview of the Epicurean tradition of epistles, and then by scrutinizing, on the one hand, how Diogenes’ letters fit into this tradition of letter-writing and, on the other, the function of his epistles in relation to his Epicurean inscription.