Sybil is a woman who possesses long life. When Aeneas visits her, Sybil explains that she once asked Apollo to make her live as many years as there were grains of dust at her feet. She now regrets her wish because, while she has 300 more years to live, she does not have eternal youthful looks.
Get the entire Metamorphoses LitChart as a printable PDF.
Sybil Character Timeline in Metamorphoses
The timeline below shows where the character Sybil appears in Metamorphoses. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 14: The Sibyl of Cumae
Aeneas and the Trojans land on the shore of Cumae, a marshy land. Aeneas visits Sybil—a woman who possesses long life—to ask her if he can visit Hades to see his...
(full context)
Book 14: Achaemenides’ Story: Ulysses’ Men in Polyphemus’ Cave
The Trojans leave Sybil’s island and land next on an unnamed island. Macareus—one of Ulysses’s former companions—is stranded on...
(full context)
