Hector and his Double: the Case of Aesacus in Ovid's Metamorphoses

This essay is devoted to the story of Aesacus in Ovid,Metamorphoses, Book 11.Aesacus, one of Priam's sons,was transformed into a sea bird (mergus) after having courted the nymph Hesperia and unintentionally caused her Death.The story of Aesacus fulfills a transitional function within the general economy of Ovid's poem.It is a strategic overture to Priam's world, that is to Trojan history and the legendary origins of Roman civilization. Although he is Hector's Brother, Aesacus does not have any heroic quality, either in politics or in war. Ovid figures Aesacus as a counter instance in respect to traditional epic conventions. This Ovidian creature raises the problem of the 'Other' in Augustan civilization.