Hermes, the logos and the education of a young Roman: an analysis of the Epitome of the theological traditions of the Greeks, Lucius Annaeus Cornutus (1st century AD).
Abstract
Myths are shared narratives that refer to a cultural memory. The allegory was one of the resources used to validate its plots, which was very useful in the educational process and in the transmission of values that were desired hegemonic. A little-known writer who made use of the myths was Lucius Annaeus Cornutus, from the family of the Stoic philosopher Seneca. In his mythology book Epitome of the theological traditions of the Greeks, Cornuto presents a propaedeutic and pedagogical function, in which the writer seeks to teach ideas established among the Stoics through mythology, linking myths and possible etymologies of words. Such epitomes were very common in the Roman Empire and their function was to provide accurate information to the senatorial and equestrian aristocracy, being a manual with ideas present in Roman Stoic circles. The Hermes myth will be analyzed in view of the cultural values cultivated for the formation of a pious Roman citizen. It’s a fertile field for historiographic analysis. Worshiped as the merchants and trickster’s god, here it is the deity of words that elevates the strong man to occupy decent spaces in society. The pedagogical proposal of this writer the understanding of myths with the philosophical understanding and the ancient narratives kept in the Greco-Roman memory would be the ideal source of knowledge for the formation of the Roman citizen.
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