Perhaps one of the most influential works of mythology ever written, “The Metamorphoses” is an epic and narrative poem by Roman author Ovid. Finished in 8 A.D., this work, organized into fifteen books, combines a stunning arrangement of mythological tales that are masterfully connected by a theme of transformation, most often through love. Beginning with the world’s creation, the poet utilizes unparalleled wit to describe the history of the world, incorporating the most commonly known Greek and Roman myths and legends of his time in a style both dramatic and mischievous. Ovid’s often sensuous poems weave together the tales of Daedalus and Icarus, Pygmalion, Persueus and Andromeda, the Trojan War, and the deification of Augustus, frequently changing the human men and women into remarkable beings with magic that rivals that of the gods. The best known classical work to writers during the medieval period and influencing other great artists such as Shakespeare and Titian, “The Metamorphoses” is indubitably a work that will continue to endure and inspire throughout the coming ages. This edition follows the translation with annotations by Henry T. Riley.
