Genethlialogy, Katarchoscopy, and Astrological Authorities in John Tzetzes’s Allegories of the “Iliad”

Abstract

In his Allegoriae Iliadis, John Tzetzes makes frequent use of contemporary astrological teachings: he references planetary aspects, transits, and the respective positions of luminaries, and several important passages of the Iliad are treated as openly astrological in nature. In Tzetzes’s poem, both life and death are decided by changing positions of stars, Alexander (Paris) is favored by Aphrodite (the planet Venus), and Hector is protected by Zeus (the planet Jupiter). The idea of royal birth (or imperial horoscope) plays an important part in Tzetzes’s exploration of the myth of Heracles, and the tropical nature of the sign of Libra, due to the sun’s entry into it at the autumnal equinox, is reflected in the (non-)efficiency of the Greek ramparts. This article considers these references to astrological lore against the wider background of the surviving Fachliteratur and thus seeks to provide insight into Tzetzes’s attitude toward astrology, and, simultaneously, into his own knowledge of the lore.