Plundering the Vineyard:
Foxes as Sexual Predators in Theocritus

Benjamin V. Hicks (University of Texas, Austin)

In this paper, I argue that the foxes in the ekphrasis of the kissubion in Theocritus’ first Idyll can be understood as sexual predators and that this understanding enhances the programmatic significance of Idyll 1.  The third scene of the ekphrasis depicts a boy absorbed in the task of plaiting a wicker cage for the cicada while two foxes plunder his vineyard.  This image has been traditionally understood (Arnott 1996 and Halperin 1983) as reflecting the Alexandrian poet’s obsession with poetic composition in lieu of hard physical work.  But what do the foxes symbolize and how does their appearance contribute to the overall meaning of the poem?  The fox’s erotic symbolism has been missed by previous interpreters because foxes are more known for their trickiness in the Aesopic corpus and Stithe-Thompson’s folklore index reveals no seduction fables with foxes in the Greco-Roman tradition. Furthermore, the closest parallels with Theocritus’ use of the fox are actually with the Near-Eastern literary tradition which he probably encountered during his stay in Alexandria.

We can infer the sexual symbolism of the foxes in Idyll 1 by comparing it to other passages where the symbolism is clearer.  In Idyll 5.112, the scholiast explains that Komatas uses the fox plundering the vineyard to represent Lakon who has moved from a pederastic relationship with Komatas to seducing boys of his own.  Another key passage occurs at Song of Songs 2.15 where the fox represents competing lovers who threaten to seduce the beloved.  Recent research on the Song of Songs has explored its connections to Egyptian love songs, which also depict the fox as an erotic predator.  Furthermore, the Greek tradition frequently uses the grape as a symbol for the desired lover as indicated by AP 5.20, 5.304 and 12.205, and LSJ s.v. ὄμφαξ.  I conclude by suggesting that the symbolism of the fox as erotic predator enhances our understanding of the programmatic nature of Theocritus’ first Idyll.