The wisdom of the eagle: a (Middle) Platonic reading of Apuleius, Florida 2

Abstract

The eagle of Florida 2 is the literary synthesis of many Homeric eagles. The description of this raptor is not only a display of erudition and rhetorical technique, but reflects Middle Platonic thought on the animal’s λόγος. The use of Homer, in addition to stylistically ennobling the described subject, documents the relationship between the eagle and the divine that is emphasized by Plutarch and Aelius Aristides and also occurs more than once in Apuleius’ macro-text. The reference to Odyssey 6.42–46, which connects the ascent of the raptor to celestial heights with the Platonic motif of the Himmelfahrt, is particularly significant in this regard. The description of the downward flight of the eagle, based on several Homeric passages, also emphasizes the lightning speed and the infallibility that are also pertinent to divine intelligence, which is capable, as Maximus of Tyre observes, of catching its target anywhere and with the swiftness of a glance.