Iudice Formae: An Anagram in Fasti 6.101

Abstract

In this article, I argue that prima dies in Fasti 6.101 is an anagram of Priamides in Fasti 6.15. This wordplay frames the divine epiphany of Juno, Iuventas, and Concordia, in which Ovid holds a role similar to Paris in the famous beauty contest of Juno, Minerva, and Venus. Unlike Paris, Ovid avoids judging which goddess possesses the correct etymology for June. Ovid’s refusal is full of wordplay that shows off his etymological skill as uates (poet-seer) and so prepares the alert reader for the anagram. Just as prima dies creates a ring composition with its anagram­matic counterpart Priamides in the “judgment of Ovid” scene, this anagram also frames a larger ring composition with the start of Book 1, in which January 1st is also called prima dies, the only other day in the Fasti to earn this title. Both January 1st and June 1st hold significant ties to the two-faced god Janus, who appears as Ovid’s teacher in the former and the rapist of Carna, the goddess of hinges, in the latter. The bond between the anagram prima dies and Carna becomes clear when one adopts a bifurcated reading of the Fasti by looking back at the text simul­taneously as one reads forward. Ultimately, Ovid invites the Janus-like reader to judge the full beauty of the Fasti by accepting the role of Paris that he had himself eschewed.