Olympian Gods of Fire, Air, and Water in Boccaccio’s Genealogia deorum gentilium

• In Event: Perspectives on Boccaccio

Abstract

When analyzing predominant Olympian deities, Boccaccio applies atmospheric concepts and (William of Moerbeke’s Latinized) vocabulary from Aristotle’s Meteorologica. Citing ancient/late-ancient works like Cicero’s De natura deorum and Macrobius’ Commentarius…somnium scipionis to equate Jupiter with fire, Juno with air, and Neptune with water, Boccaccio rationalizes pagan gods as material properties subject to scientific analysis. At GDG 9.1.5–7 he cites Macrobius [1.15–17] to explain why Juno was born before Jupiter (because fire needs air for ignition), was the wife of Jupiter (because air is subject to the sky), and was the teacher of Neptune (because air’s volume is increased by adding water). Boccaccio quotes Cicero [2.66] for alternative Stoic concepts (e.g. Juno as air has a similarity to ether), and, to demonstrate additional ancient variants, Servius on Aeneid [1.47] to aver that Jupiter as fire and air is rightly married to Juno as both earth and water.

Author

• Jon Solomon, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign