212 LORENZO SANNA
games. Crenaeus, just as Parthenopaeus, ends up by confusing war
with games in a dramatic way and pays with his life for an enthusias-
tic, but childish and inexpert, bellicose fervour: in fact, he provokes
and insults Hippomedon, who quickly kills him (339–46). One line
(339 tunc audax pariter telis et uoce proterua) defines Crenaeus’ pu-
erile arrogance, associating him with Parthenopaeus, who is also a
victim of his own naivety and immaturity, and also audax (Theb.
6.610, 9.729, 781, 810) and proteruus (1.44–5 ...plorandaque bella
proterui / Arcados).
Finally, Crenaeus and Parthenopaeus also share the last gesture
desperately addressed to their mothers before dying: while Partheno-
paeus entrusts his friend Dorceus with a long message of forgiveness
for Atalanta (Theb. 9.884–907), Crenaeus barely has the time for a last
dramatic cry of grief looking for his mother,^40 before being swallowed
forever by the river:
ultimus ille sonus moribundo emersit ab ore,
“mater!”, in hanc miseri ceciderunt flumina uocem
(Theb. 9.349–50)
A last sound came from his dying mouth: “Mother”. On this the poor
fellow’s word the river descended.The water, once the carefree setting of the puer’s games, ends up par-
ticipating in the horror and drama of a family broken by the cruelty
and the delusions of war: the river’s waves ripple in horror, the mother
looks in despair for the corpse for a last embrace and pathetic words
of farewell (Theb. 9.351–403).
The ambiguity of the child-heroes is emphasized by the fact that
the character of these fascinating and fragile pueri, immature teenag-
ers always suspended between the dimensions of war, love and play,
can often be traced back to the ephebic imagery of Ovidian poetry.
The model of Hippolytus has already been mentioned. Evidently,
the episode of Hylas’ abduction^41 comes from Narcissus in the Meta-
morphoses, who experiences his seduction charmed by the beauty of
such a dazzling, intact background (Met. 3.407–14, 420–4, 474–93).
Hylas and Crenaeus should also be compared with Ovid’s Hermaph-
40 Crenaeus’ cry will be echoed by his mother in search of the puer’s corpse (Theb.
9.355–6 41 utque erupit aquis iterumque trementi / ingeminat “Crenaee” sono).
On the importance of Hylas in the poetry of the Flavian age and the episode of
another aquatic abduction in Silius Italicus’ Punica cf. Vinchesi 2004, 103–11.