Persephone and the hardness of work according to Cornutus (ND 46,1-3 Torres) and Stoicism
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Abstract
This paper firstly reviews the ancient and modern etymologies of Persephone. It is observed that the Survey of the theological traditions of the Greeks (46,1-3 Torres), written by the Stoic Cornutus, provides a peculiar etymology of the name of that goddess. This is the only occasion in which -φόνη, the second element of Περσεφόνη, is put in connection with πόνος, ‘hard work’. Cornutus employs this etymology as the basis for a double allegory according to which Persephone is a symbol of the ‘hard work’ implied by the tillage of the field; while her name reminds that this practice generates endurance. After revisiting the concept of ‘work’ present in other Stoic writings, it is noted that a proper understanding of the passage requires considering the didactic character of Cornutus’s handbook, along with what this author states in his treatise on intellectual work, and also a relevant passage of Persius.
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