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'Antoninus Liberalis' was an Ancient Greek grammarian who probably flourished between AD 100 and 300.
His only surviving work is the ''Metamorphoses'', (''Μεταμορφώσεων Συναγωγή'', literally "Collection of Transformations"), a collection of forty-one prose tales about mythical metamorphoses. The literary genre of myths of transformations of men and women, heroes and nymphs, into stars (see ''Catasterismi''), plants and animals, or rocks and mountains, were widespread and popular in the classical world. This work has more polished parallels in the better-known ''Metamorphoses'' of Ovid and in the ''Metamorphoses'' of Lucius Apuleius.
The work survives in a single manuscript, of the later 9th century, now in the Palatine Library in Heidelberg; it contains several work. John Stojkovič brought it to the Dominican convent at Basel about 1437; in 1553, Hieronymus Froeben gave it to Otto Henry, Elector Palatine who gave it to the Library. in 1623, it was taken to Rome; in 1798, to Paris; in 1816, it was restored to Heidelberg.
Xylander printed the text in 1598; since some leaves have since disappeared, his edition is also a necessary authority for the text.
Many of the transformations in this compilation are found nowhere else, and some may simply be inventions of Antoninus; the manner of the narrative is a laconic and conversational prose; "this completely inartistic text," according to K. Sarah Myers, offers the briefest summaries of lost metamorphoses by more ambitious writers, such as Nicander and Boeus. Francis Celoria, the translator, regards the text as perfectly acceptable ''Koine'' Greek; perhaps humorless - it has no particles.

Contents

Tales

References

Tales

# Ctesylla
# The Daughters of Meleager
# Hierax
# Cragaleus
# Aegypius
# Periphas
# Anthus
# Lamia or Sybaris
# The King's Daughters of Emathia
# Daughters of Minyas
# Aedon, the Nightingale
# Cycnus, the Swan
# Aspalis
# Munichus
# Meropis
# Oenoe
# Leucippus
# Eeropus
# The Thieves, who would steal from the birthplace of Zeus
# Clinis
# Polyphonte
# Cerambus
# Battus
# Ascalabus
# Metioche and Menippe
# Hylas
# Iphigeneia
# Typhon
# Galinthias
# Byblis
# The Messapians
# Dryope
# Alcmene
# Smyrna
# The Herdsmen, who refused Leto
# Pandareus
# The Dorians, who follow Diomedes
# The Wolf of Peleus
# Arceophon
# Britomartis
# The Fox of Procris

References

★ ''The Metamorphoses of Antoninus Liberalis: A Translation With Commentary'', trans. Francis Celoria (Routledge, 1992). ISBN 0-415-06896-7. This is the first English translation of this work. Reviewed by K. Sara Myers, University of Michigan, in ''Bryn Mawr Classical Review'', 1994.

★ Manolis Papthomopoulos, ''Antoninus Liberalis: Les Métamorphoses'' (Paris, Budé, 1968) Extensive notes, except on linguistic questions; probably present standard text.

★ (Stephen M. Trzaskoma). Antoninus Liberalis: three sections from ''Metamorphoses'': Hierax; Aigypios; The Dorians

★ Francis Celoria, ed. and trans. ''The Metamorphoses'' of Antonius Liberalis. Routledge, London and New York (1992); ISBN 0415068967. (English with comparative notes.)

★ ''Encycyclopaedia Britannica'' 1911: "Antoninus Liberalis". .