# The Golden Ass — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Golden Ass by Apuleius.

- [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/dedication.md): The author dedicates the work to Stéphane Mallarmé, framing the novel as a metamorphosis of an ancient decadent text.
- [Epistle Dedicatory](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/epistle-dedicatory.md): William Adlington dedicates his English translation of Apuleius's Metamorphoses to Thomas Earl of Sussex, explaining that despite the book's light and jesting matter, it contains virtuous morals and profitable lessons, a
- [To the Reader](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/to-the-reader.md): William Adlington addresses the reader, explaining his purpose in translating Apuleius's 'The Golden Ass'. He acknowledges the work's seemingly frivolous and jesting nature but argues that beneath its surface lies a prof
- [The Preface of the Author to His Son, Faustinus](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/the-preface-of-the-author-to-his-son-faustinus.md): The author addresses his son Faustinus and the readers, introducing the book as a collection of joyous and wanton tales. He promises to tell the story of a man who lost his human form and lived as a beast, later restored
- [The Golden Ass](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/the-golden-ass.md): The novel begins with Lucius traveling to Thessaly, where he encounters tales of witchcraft and magic. He stays with Milo and becomes involved with Fotis, leading to his accidental transformation into an ass. The narrati
- [Book I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-i.md): Lucius, traveling to Thessaly, encounters Aristomenus who tells the tale of Socrates and the witch Meroe. Lucius then arrives in Hypata and lodges with Milo, where he meets the maid Fotis and learns of the sorceress Pamp
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/i.md): Lucius, traveling to Thessaly on family business, encounters two companions arguing about the plausibility of witchcraft. One dismisses the other's tale as absurd, while Lucius defends the possibility of such wonders, ur
- [II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/ii.md): Aristomenus recounts finding his friend Socrates in a wretched state in Hypata, covering him and taking him to an inn, where he begins to tell his tale. He also describes a juggler in Athens who swallowed a sword and spe
- [III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/iii.md): Socrates recounts to Aristomenus how he was robbed by thieves on his way from Macedonia to Larissa, and then fell into the clutches of the witch Meroe, who seduced him and left him in a miserable state. Aristomenus rebuk
- [How Meroe the Witch turned diverse persons into miserable beasts](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/iv.md): Aristomenus recounts how the witch Meroe transformed her lover into a beaver, a wine-seller into a frog, an advocate into a ram, and caused a woman to remain pregnant for eight years. When the townspeople threatened to s
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/v.md): Aristomenus recounts the terrifying tale of how he and Socrates were attacked by the witches Meroe and Panthia in their chamber. After a night of horror, Aristomenus witnesses Socrates seemingly restored, only to have hi
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/vi.md): Lucius arrives in Hypata and seeks lodging with Milo, an avaricious usurer, after being directed by an old woman. He presents letters from Demeas and is welcomed into Milo's frugal household, where he meets the maid Foti
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/vii.md): Lucius goes to the market to buy fish for supper, where he meets his old friend Pithias, who is now the clerk of the market. Pithias scolds the fishmonger for overcharging Lucius, throws the fish on the ground, and has t
- [Book II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-ii.md): Lucius continues his stay in Hypata, enjoying the hospitality of Milo and the attentions of the servant Fotis. He encounters his cousin Byrrhena, who warns him about the sorceress Pamphiles. Lucius becomes increasingly o
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/viii.md): Lucius awakens in Thessaly, consumed by a desire to witness sorcery and enchantment. While exploring the city, he encounters his cousin Byrrhena, who invites him to her home and warns him of the dangerous magical powers 
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/ix.md): Lucius, captivated by Fotis's beauty and grace as she prepares a meal, engages in playful and flirtatious banter with her. He reflects on the importance of hair in female beauty, then kisses her and confesses his desire.
- [X](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/x.md): Lucius dines with Milo and Pamphiles, discusses divination and the fortune-teller Diophanes, then spends the night with Fotis in amorous revelry.
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xi.md): Lucius dines with his cousin Byrrhena, where a guest named Bellephoron tells a grotesque tale of witches who cut off his nose and ears. Lucius later returns home, kills three men he mistakes for thieves, and is subsequen
- [Book III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-iii.md): Lucius is put on trial for murder, but the bodies are revealed to be bladders, leading to laughter. He then witnesses Pamphiles transform into an owl and, after attempting the same, is accidentally turned into an ass. Th
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xii.md): Lucius awakens in terror, believing he has committed a triple murder, and is arrested and brought before the judges in a crowded theater, where an old man begins his oration against him.
- [How Apuleius was accused by an old man, and how he answered for himself.](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xiii.md): Lucius is accused by the captain of the night watch of murdering three citizens. In his defense, he explains that he was returning home late, saw three thieves attempting to break into his host Milo's house, and fought t
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xiv.md): Lucius is put on trial for murder, but when he uncovers the bodies, they are revealed to be three blown bladders, causing great laughter. The judges explain it is a festival in honor of the god Risus, and they offer him 
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xv.md): Fotis confesses to Lucius that she inadvertently caused his earlier humiliation by substituting goat hair for the hair of a young man her mistress Pamphiles intended to enchant. She describes Pamphiles' powerful sorcery,
- [XVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xvi.md): Fotis brings Lucius to secretly watch her mistress Pamphiles perform a sorcerous transformation into an owl. Lucius, enchanted by the spectacle, begs Fotis for the same ointment so he too can become a bird, but Fotis war
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xvii.md): Lucius, attempting to transform into a bird using Pamphiles' ointment, is mistakenly turned into an ass. Fotis reveals that eating a rose will restore him. He is beaten by a stable boy, then captured by thieves who loot 
- [Book IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-iv.md): Lucius continues his adventures as an ass, witnessing the tragic tale of Charites and Lepolemus, and experiencing further misfortunes at the hands of thieves and cruel masters.
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xviii.md): Lucius, still in ass form, is taken to a village where he is set to pasture but cannot eat with the other animals. He jumps into a garden to feed on herbs and searches for roses to break the spell. Mistaking laurel roses
- [XIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xix.md): Lucius, as an ass, is forced to continue the journey with the thieves after another ass feigns death and is killed. They arrive at the thieves' den, a naturally fortified hideout. The thieves berate an old woman caretake
- [XX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xx.md): The thieves recount the story of their comrade Thrasileon, who disguised himself in a bear's skin to infiltrate the house of Demochares. The plan succeeds initially, but Thrasileon is discovered and killed by dogs and se
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxi.md): The thieves return to their den with a captive gentlewoman, who laments her abduction and the disruption of her wedding. Lucius, now an ass, observes her sorrow and is moved to tears. The old woman tries to comfort her a
- [The Marriage of Cupid and Psyche](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/the-marriage-of-cupid-and-psyche.md): This chapter recounts the divine wedding of Cupid and Psyche, celebrated with a grand feast among the gods. Psyche is granted immortality and officially welcomed into the celestial realm, symbolizing the ultimate union o
- [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxii.md): Venus is enraged at Cupid's love for Psyche and seeks revenge. Psyche wanders seeking her husband, enters a temple of Ceres, and is refused refuge. Her sisters persuade her that her husband is a serpent and urge her to k
- [Book VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-vi.md): Psyche, abandoned by Cupid, wanders in search of him and is forced by Venus to complete a series of impossible tasks. With divine aid, she succeeds, but ultimately fails by opening a forbidden box. Cupid rescues her, and
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxiii.md): The thieves debate the punishment for the captive maiden and the ass, devising a gruesome death. Lucius, in his ass form, carries the maiden away in an escape attempt, but they are recaptured by the thieves and returned 
- [Book VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-vii.md): Lucius, still in ass form, is captured by thieves who bring him to their den. The thieves recount tales of their exploits, and Lucius overhears a plan to kill him. He manages to escape with the help of a maiden named Cha
- [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxiv.md): A thief returns to the cave and reports that Lucius Apuleius has been accused of robbing Milo's house. Lucius, now an ass, laments his transformation and the injustice of fortune. A new recruit, Hemus the Thracian, joins
- [XXV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxv.md): After supper, the thieves discuss the fate of the captive gentlewoman and the ass. One thief argues against killing them, proposing instead to sell the virgin to bawdy merchants for profit. The others agree, and the maid
- [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxvi.md): Lepolemus, disguised as the thief Hemus, gains the trust of the thieves and orchestrates their downfall by plying them with wine and food until they fall into a deep sleep, revealing his true identity to Charites.
- [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxvii.md): After the thieves fall asleep from heavy drinking, Lepolemus places the maiden Charites on Lucius's back and rides home. The city celebrates her return, and Lucius brays loudly in joy. Lepolemus and citizens return to th
- [XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxviii.md): Lucius, now an ass, is forced to haul wood from a high hill daily, tormented by a cruel boy who beats him relentlessly, loads him with excessive burdens, and even sets his load on fire. Lucius escapes the fire by plungin
- [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxix.md): The boy accuses Lucius the ass of lechery and violent behavior towards women, leading the shepherds to debate whether to kill or geld him. Lucius, understanding their speech, is horrified at the prospect of castration an
- [How the boy that led Apuleius to the field, was slain in the wood](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxx.md): Lucius, still in ass form, is led by a boy to a hill where he is tied to an oak. A bear emerges from a cave, frightening Lucius into breaking his halter and fleeing. A stranger finds him and rides him away, but shepherds
- [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxi.md): Lucius, still in ass form, is beaten by the mother of the slain boy, who blames him for her son's death and tortures him with a firebrand until he defends himself by defecating on her.
- [Book VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-viii.md): Lucius, still in ass form, witnesses the tragic aftermath of Charites and Lepolemus's deaths, is subjected to cruel treatment by new masters including a group of priests of the Syrian goddess, and endures further hardshi
- [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxii.md): A young man from Charites' household arrives at midnight to recount the tragic deaths of Lepolemus and Charites. He tells how Thrasillus, a rejected suitor, feigned friendship and murdered Lepolemus during a boar hunt. C
- [How Apuleius was led away by the horsekeeper: and what danger he was in.](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxiii.md): Lucius, still in ass form, is loaded with baggage and led away by the horsekeeper along with other horses. They travel through dangerous territory, warned of wolves, but the covetous drivers press on at night. Lucius run
- [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxiv.md): The shepherds stop in a wood to tend their wounds. An old shepherd warns them away, then a second old man tricks them into sending a young man into a thicket, where he is devoured by a dragon. The shepherds flee the curs
- [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxv.md): The travelers lodge in a village where a servant's adultery leads to his wife killing herself and their child, and the servant is subsequently punished by his master by being tied to a fig tree and devoured by ants.
- [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxvi.md): Lucius, still in ass form, is sold to the priests of the Syrian goddess, led by Philebus. He witnesses their fraudulent and debauched practices, including self-flagellation, extortion, and sexual abuse. When Lucius brays
- [Book IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-ix.md): Lucius, still in ass form, endures a series of misadventures as he is passed from owner to owner, witnessing tales of adultery, murder, and deception, including the story of a baker's wife and the tragic fate of a man na
- [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxvii.md): Lucius, still in ass form, narrowly escapes being killed by a treacherous cook by breaking his halter and running into a dining room where his master and priests are feasting. He is locked in a chamber after causing chao
- [XXXVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxviii.md): A poor man returns home early to find his wife with her lover. The wife hides the lover under a tub and tricks her husband into cleaning it while she and the lover continue their affair, ultimately selling the tub to the
- [XXXIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxxix.md): The priests of the Syrian goddess are arrested for stealing a gold cup, and Lucius, still in ass form, is sold to a baker. He is forced to work in a mill, where he observes the brutal conditions of the slaves and horses,
- [XL](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xl.md): The baker's wife, a woman of extreme vice, mistreats Lucius the ass and forces him to grind in the mill. Lucius overhears a conversation between the wife and an old bawd, who compares her current lover unfavorably to the
- [XLI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xli.md): Barbarus, jealous of his wife, entrusts her to his servant Myrmex, who is eventually bribed by the adulterer Philesiterus. The husband returns unexpectedly, but the lover escapes. Later, a baker's wife uses sorcery to ki
- [XLII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xlii.md): Lucius is sold to a poor gardener and describes his harsh service. The gardener visits a friend, where a series of dreadful portents occur, including a hen laying a live chick, a fountain of blood, and other omens. A tal
- [XLIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xliii.md): The gardener, carrying Lucius in his donkey form, is accosted by a soldier who demands the ass for military service. After a violent struggle, the gardener overpowers the soldier and flees to a friend's house for refuge.
- [Book X](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-x.md): Lucius, still in ass form, endures a series of brutal and degrading performances, including a public sexual display with a condemned woman. He is eventually saved from a bestiality charge and, after a final escape, prays
- [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xliv.md): The soldier takes Lucius to a captain's house, where a tragic tale unfolds of a stepmother's illicit love for her stepson, her failed attempt to poison him, the accidental death of her own son, and the subsequent trial t
- [XLV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xlv.md): Lucius, now an ass, is sold to a baker and a cook who feed him well. He secretly eats their fine foods, growing sleek. They discover his theft through a hole, laugh, and their master joins in amusement. The master buys L
- [XLVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xlvi.md): Lucius, now an ass, is ridden by his master Thiasus to Corinth, where he becomes a spectacle. A noble matron, inflamed with desire, pays to spend the night with him, and they have sexual relations. The matron arranges an
- [Book XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/book-xi.md): Lucius, still in the form of an ass, prays to the goddess Isis for deliverance. Isis appears to him in a vision and instructs him to eat roses from her priest's garland during a festival. Lucius obeys, is restored to hum
- [XLVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xlvii.md): Lucius, still in the form of an ass, awakens at midnight and prays fervently to the goddess Isis for deliverance. She appears to him in a vision, instructing him to attend her festival and seize a garland of roses from h
- [XLVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xlviii.md): Lucius's family and friends learn he is alive and come to see him. He becomes a devoted worshipper of Isis, hesitates to take religious orders, but after visions and guidance from the priest, he undergoes initiation into
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/endnotes.md): The endnotes discuss the origins of the metamorphosis theme in Greek romances, comparing the works of Lucius of Patrae and Lucian, and note that the extant 'Lucius or the Ass' is likely by neither author but provides the

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters