Zoology into legend : Plato's ornytheology and entomythology

Abstract The myth of the cicadas (Phaedrus, 259b5ff.) and that of the dying swans (Phaedo, 84e3ff.) occupy a special position among Plato’s myths, in that they are entirely the author’s invention, as scholars have often argued. However, both myths clearly draw on a rich poetic tradition that is already well-established in archaic epic. At the same time, both myths incorporate zoological details into their fabric. By comparing Plato’s myths both with their poetic models and with Aristotle’s zoology, I show how Plato’s cicadas and swans reveal a careful blend of tradition and ‘science’. Plato created a new hybrid, which can be jokingly christened ‘ornitheology’ and ‘entomythology’.