Metamorphoses · Chapter
A Wolf Turned Into Marble explained
Peleus learns of a monstrous wolf ravaging the plains of Trachinia, sent by the nymph Psamathe as revenge for the murder of her son Phocus.
What happens
Peleus learns of a monstrous wolf ravaging the plains of Trachinia, sent by the nymph Psamathe as revenge for the murder of her son Phocus. Despite his initial resolve to fight, Peleus instead prays to the sea nymphs for mercy. Through the intercession of his wife Thetis, the wolf is turned into marble. Peleus then seeks exile and expiation from King Acastus.
Themes in this chapter
Transformation and Metamorphosis
The wolf is turned into marble, a literal metamorphosis that ends its destruction.
Violence and Revenge
Psamathe's revenge through the wolf's violent rampage, and Peleus's guilt over Phocus's murder.
Divine Power and Human Folly
The gods and nymphs control the fate of mortals, punishing Peleus for his past crime.
Characters to notice
- Peleus
The grieving prince who learns of the wolf's devastation and prays to appease Psamathe.
- Ceyx
The king who listens to Peleus's story and shows friendly concern.
- Thetis
The sea nymph who intercedes with Psamathe to stop the wolf's rampage.
- Psamathe
The offended nymph who sends the wolf as revenge for the murder of her son Phocus.
- Acastus
The king of Magnesia who grants Peleus exile and expiation.
Key passages
“A wolf, which desolates the plains of Trachinia, is changed into marble by the intercession of Thetis.”
A wolf that was ravaging the fields of Trachinia was turned to stone through Thetis's intervention.
Opening summary of the chapter's central event.
“But Peleus cared not for his ruin'd herd, His crime he call'd to mind, and thence inferr'd That Psamathe's revenge this havoc made, In sacrifice to murder'd Phocus' shade.”
Peleus was not concerned about his lost cattle; he remembered his crime and realized that Psamathe was taking revenge for the murder of her son Phocus.
Peleus connects the wolf's attack to his own guilt.
“Changed by the nymph, a marble block he grew. No longer dreadful now the wolf appears, Buried in stone, and vanish'd like their fears.”
The nymph turned the wolf into a block of marble, so it was no longer terrifying and disappeared like their fears.
The wolf's transformation into stone ends the threat.