A Cicada's Life: Divine Intervention and Poetic Immortality in Apollonius' Phineus Episode

Abstract: The initial description of Phineus' body in Apollonius' Phineus episode is used to make a poetological statement: by alluding to the well-known poetological image of a cicada, the narrative indicates not only Phineus' inability to die but also the fact that his story is unable to end. As a consequence, the subsequent narrative keeps continuing despite all hints at closure or ending. That way, divine intervention is presented as happening rather than as being made by a specific agent.