146

Νηρεύς (fr. 31)

Alex. fr. 115.1, the only evidence for Nereus as a fishmonger, is rightly taken
by Breitenbach 1908 and Arnott 1996 ad loc. as what the latter describes as ‘a
facetious designation of an aged fisherman’ (cf. Eust. II. 1330.11-13).
Content of the comedy The sole fragment portrays Nereus as a cook
(but not the cook Nereus of Chios) or possibly a fishmonger, whose specialty,
unsurprisingly, is seafood. The depiction of the god as a cook using high-flown
language to describe mundane objects may indicate the tenor of the play, and
an obvious assumption is that it involved a parody of the sea-god, in which he
was transformed from a protector of the sea and its inhabitants into a seafood
chef. If Nereus’ struggle with Heracles formed part of the play, it may have
been fashioned as an encounter between cook and glutton.
Date Unknown.

fr. 31 K.-A. (30 K.)

ό πρώτος εύρών πολυτελές τμητόν μέγα
γλαύκου πρόσωπον τού τ’ άμύμονος δέμας
θύννου τά τ’ άλλα βρώματ’ έξ ύγράς άλός
Νηρεύς κατοικεί τόνδε πάντα τον τόπον
1 πολυτελές τμητόν ACE: πολυτελούς τμητόν Bothe: πολυτελές θνητοϊς Herwerden:
πουλύποδας, τιλτόν Kock 2 άμύμονος Hertelius: άκυμονος ACE 3 τά ...
άλός om. CE βρωτά τάξ Kock 4 κατοικώ Naber τόνδε πάντα Α: πάντα
τόνδε CE
The discoverer of the lavish great severed
head of the glaukos and the body of the blameless
tuna and the other foods from the watery sea,
Nereus, inhabits this whole place
[1-4] Ath. 7.295e
Άναξανδρίδης Νηρεϊ·-
Anaxandrides in Nereus:-
[1-2] Eust. Od. 1842.64
ό είπών μέγα γλαύκου ιχθύος πρόσωπον·-
The one who mentioned the great head of the glaukos fish:-