Throwing Jason off the Scent: ἀμαλδύνω and the Lemnian Odour in Apollonius' Argonautica

Abstract

This article argues that Apollonius was aware of the foul smell of the Lemnian women and its mythological variants. While Apollonius does not mention the δυσοσμία, he builds a complex allusion to it and its omission around the rare verb ἀμαλδύνω. Its deployment to cap Hypsipyle’s speech to Jason (A.R. 1.834) draws a parallel between her erasure of the Lemnian crime and the obliteration of the Achaean wall in the Iliad, but with a witty sting in its tail. The verb first occurs at Iliad 7.463 where Zeus grants Poseidon permission to annihilate the wall, followed by the arrival of Euneus (the son of Jason and Hypsipyle) bringing wine from Lemnos to the Achaean camp. Apollonius uses the verb once more to describe the sun wiping out the scent of prey (4.112) thus making a meta-reference to his own omission of the Lemnian odour in Book 1