Glossary
Ablative of Description (or Quality)
A Latin grammatical construction using a noun in the ablative case, often with an adjective, to describe a characteristic or quality of another noun.
Example:
In 'terribili squalore,' terribili squalore is an Ablative of Description, vividly portraying Charon's dreadful appearance.
Acheron
A river of the Underworld, often referred to as the 'river of woe,' which souls must cross to enter the realm of the dead.
Example:
The notes describe the Acheron as a 'turbidus hic caeno vastaque voragine gurges,' highlighting its muddy and chaotic nature.
Aeneid Book VI
The sixth book of Vergil's epic poem, *The Aeneid*, which describes Aeneas's journey to the Underworld to speak with his father, Anchises.
Example:
Students often find Aeneid Book VI to be a pivotal part of the epic, as it explores themes of fate, pietas, and the Roman future.
Burial Rites
Traditional ceremonies and practices performed to prepare the dead for burial and ensure their peaceful passage to the afterlife.
Example:
The importance of burial rites is underscored by the plight of Palinurus and the multitude of souls unable to cross the river.
Charon
The ferryman of the dead in the Underworld, who transports souls across the rivers Acheron or Styx if they have been properly buried.
Example:
Vergil describes Charon with 'terribili squalore,' emphasizing his dreadful and unkempt appearance.
Cocytus
Another river of the Underworld, known as the 'river of lamentation' or 'wailing,' often associated with the unburied dead.
Example:
The Cocytus is mentioned as the river into which Acheron spews its sand, further emphasizing the grim landscape.
Dative relative pronoun
A relative pronoun (like *qui, quae, quod*) in the dative case, indicating to whom or for whom an action is performed, or with whom something is associated.
Example:
The phrase 'cui plurima mento canities inculta iacet' uses a dative relative pronoun to indicate 'to whom' the unkempt gray hair belongs.
Diction
The choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing, contributing to the tone and style of a text.
Example:
Vergil's careful diction, using words like 'horrendus' and 'squalore,' creates a sense of dread around Charon.
Identify the case (grammar concept)
To determine the grammatical function of a noun, pronoun, or adjective in a Latin sentence, such as nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, or ablative.
Example:
To identify the case of 'caeno,' you would recognize it as ablative singular, indicating 'with mud.'
Imagery
The use of vivid descriptive language that appeals to the senses, creating mental pictures for the reader.
Example:
Vergil employs dark imagery like 'turbidus caeno' to establish the grim atmosphere of the Underworld.
Palinurus
Aeneas's helmsman, who falls overboard and drowns shortly before Aeneas reaches Cumae, and whose unburied soul Aeneas encounters in the Underworld.
Example:
Aeneas is still 'reeling from the loss of Palinurus' as he approaches the Underworld, showing his deep grief.
Parse (verb)
To analyze a word's grammatical form, including its part of speech, case, number, gender, tense, mood, voice, and person.
Example:
When asked to parse 'fert,' you would identify it as a third-person singular present active indicative verb.
River Styx
One of the five rivers of the Underworld, often depicted as a boundary that the dead must cross to reach their final resting place.
Example:
Charon ferries souls across the River Styx, a murky and foreboding boundary to the land of the dead.
Sibyl
The Cumaean Sibyl, a prophetess who guides Aeneas through the Underworld in Book VI of the *Aeneid*.
Example:
The Sibyl acts as Aeneas's guide and interpreter, helping him navigate the dangers and mysteries of the Underworld.
Syntactic structure
The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language, revealing their grammatical relationships.
Example:
Understanding the syntactic structure of a sentence helps determine how phrases like 'terribili squalore' function within the larger context.
Translate (verb)
To render text from one language into another, conveying its meaning accurately and appropriately.
Example:
Students must be able to translate Latin passages accurately to demonstrate their comprehension of the text.
Unburied Souls
In Roman belief, the souls of those who died without proper burial rites, condemned to wander the banks of the Underworld rivers, unable to cross.
Example:
Aeneas feels pity for the unburied souls who are stuck on the shore, unable to cross the river with Charon.
Underworld
In Roman mythology, the realm of the dead, ruled by Pluto and Proserpina, where souls go after death.
Example:
Aeneas's descent into the Underworld is a classic katabasis, a journey to the land of the dead.