Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
The Sibyl explained
Aeneas and the Sibyl return to earth, where the Sibyl reveals her mortal nature and her tragic story: she was offered immortality by Apollo in exchange for her love, but she refused and instead asked for as many birthdays as grains of sand
What happens
Aeneas and the Sibyl return to earth, where the Sibyl reveals her mortal nature and her tragic story: she was offered immortality by Apollo in exchange for her love, but she refused and instead asked for as many birthdays as grains of sand in her hand, forgetting to ask for eternal youth. She has lived seven hundred years and will live three hundred more, but her body shrinks with age until only her voice remains. The chapter also recounts the legend of the Cumaean Sibyl selling nine prophetic books to King Tarquin, which after being partially burned were purchased at a high price and kept as Roman state oracles.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Immortality
The Sibyl's story explores the desire for immortality and the cost of neglecting to ask for eternal youth, resulting in a long but withered existence.
Fate and Free Will
The Sibyl's prophetic leaves, which can be scattered by the wind, symbolize the fragility of fate and the consequences of human choices.
Characters to notice
- Aeneas
Aeneas journeys with the Sibyl back to earth and promises to build a temple in her honor.
- Ovid
Ovid is referenced as the author who writes of the Cumaean Sibyl's life protracted to one thousand years.
- Phoebus Apollo
Apollo offered the Sibyl immortality in exchange for her love, but she refused.
Key passages
“I am no goddess; I have no claim to sacrifice or offering. I am mortal; yet if I could have accepted the love of Apollo I might have been immortal.”
The Sibyl declares she is not a goddess but a mortal, though she could have become immortal if she had accepted Apollo's love.
The Sibyl explains her mortal nature and the missed opportunity for immortality.
“My body shrinks up as years increase, and in time, I shall be lost to sight, but my voice will remain, and future ages will respect my sayings.”
As the Sibyl ages, her body withers away until only her voice is left, which will continue to be honored by future generations.
The Sibyl describes the physical decay of her long life and the enduring power of her prophetic voice.
“If future fate she plans ’tis all in leaves, Like Sibyl, unsubstantial, fleeting bliss; At the first blast it vanishes in air.”
Worldly Wisdom, like the Sibyl's leaves, plans for a future that is insubstantial and fleeting, easily destroyed by the first wind.
Young's Night Thoughts compares worldly schemes to the Sibyl's scattered leaves, emphasizing their fragility.