Quantity, Quality, Transformation & Tension: the etymological implications of Vergil's uses of ingens

Lorina N. Quartarone (University of St. Thomas)

Commentators and scholars have often remarked on the appearance of ingens in Vergil’s texts. Grandsden calls it “one of Vergil’s favourite words” (ad 8.43, pp. 85-86) and Jenkyns terms terms Vergil’s use of the adjective “excessive” (457). Many also note that its use or context frequently suggest that ingens goes beyond merely conveying the sense of “huge;” it appears to render a greater significance. This exploration into the etymological underpinnings of ingens will draw on the work of several scholars (Mackail, Conway, Ernout, Salat, Keith, et al.) who have attempted to enhance our understanding of Vergil’s deployment of this adjective. Its principal expansion of the existing scholarly assessments comprises 1) noting that different interpretations of the adjective’s deployment are simultaneously both possible and to be encouraged, and 2) adding yet another sense to the adjective, that of “transcendence to another state of being.” For instance, while Salat concludes that the adjective attributes a heightened sense of importance to a noun and Keith suggests that it signifies actions “against and within the family” (76) my understanding of its indication of some mysterious or unearthly power (e.g., the ingens coluber Allecto casts at Amata, 7.352; the ingens snake, bearing septem...gyros, which emerges from the shrine of Anchises, 5.85; the ingens...pavor with which Allecto disturbs Turnus' sleep, 7.458; or the ingens...sus which marks the place where Aeneas will found his new city, 3.390 & 8.43) or its frequent appearance within the context of death (arguably in over 30% of its occurrences, evidence to be provided) both alters and enhances these interpretations. In Vergil’s texts, ingens provides a vast array of meanings which work at times in concert, at others in tension.

Very Select Bibliography

Conway,R.S. "Note" (on Mackail's article). CR 26.1912.254-55.

Grandsden, K.W. Virgil. Aeneid Book VIII. Cambridge UP 1976.

Keith, A.M. “Etymological Play on Ingens in Ovid, Vergil, and Octavia, AJP 112.1 (1991)73-76.

Jenkyns, R. Virgil's Experience. Nature and History; Times, Names, and Places. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1998.

Mackail, J.W. "Virgil's use of the word ingens." CR 26.1912.251-54.

Salat, P. “Un maitre mot che Viegile: l’adjectif INGENS.” ALMArv 1983.10.71-84.