Nonno e Licofrone: tracce dell'Alessandra nella preistoria dionisiaca

This article analyzes three verbal allusions to Lycophron which can be detected in the section of the Dionysiaca commonly called “Dionysian pre-history”: φιλοσκύλαξ (III 74), referring to Hecate, Ἐκτῆνες (V 37), which defines Cadmus' opponents, and Καδμῖλος (IV 88), denoting Hermes. While the first word varies a Lycophronic epithet, the other two are identical to words used by him. However, all these allusions highlight Cadmus' role as a civilizer and pacifier who foreshadows Dionysus, as well as his connection with Alexander the Great and the Romans. Furthermore, by alluding to Lycophron only through words, Nonnus adopts a kind of oracular language, whose typical characteristic is obscurity, and reveals a special interest in the prophetic component of the Alexandra.