A Medieval Reading of Ovid, Heroid 9 (Deianira Herculi) and its Influence on Later Literature and Art

This article focuses on a peculiar interpretation of Ovid, Heroid IX (Deianira Herculi), v. 53-118, which spread in manuscript glosses and school commentaries from the XIIth century onwards. This misunderstanding, over time, acquired the value of a true mythological version, and was received in literary and artistic works up to the modern age. This case is an example of how the medieval exegetical apparatus of the manuscripts of the classics lived in symbiosis with the ancient texts and was able to influence their reception.