A Byzantine mock encomium inspired by Theocritus

Abstract

Michael the Grammarian, an 11th-century teacher, wrote a comic and satirical masterpiece against an unnamed bishop of Philomelion, who received his position as a reward for procuring women for his ecclesiastical superior, the metropolitan of Amorion. This article argues that Michael’s poem is best understood as a mock encomium of the bishop’s origins, incompetence and vices, delivered by the bishop himself, in the spirit of Lucian’s Parasite and Teacher of Rhetoric . It is further argued that in composing this poem, Michael was inspired by Theocritus’ 11th idyll, consisting for the most part of Polyphemus’ desperate love song for the Nereid Galateia. It is possible that Michael understood the Cyclops’ self-description in this idyll as an ironic encomium as well. In addition to the allusion to Theocritus, Michael’s poem provides a rare witness to 11th-century familiarity with Euripides’ Cyclops . This article offers a detailed study of the poem, including its historical, literary and educational context. An Appendix provides the Greek text, English translation and notes.