Motif
forbidden sibling desire confessed in writing
forbidden_sibling_desire_confessed_in_writing
A motif of the Sacred Love and Longing family, within the sub-family Forbidden and Transgressive Love. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
roman
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The Metamorphoses of Ovid, Books VIII-XV EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION. / EXPLANATION.; lines 3413-3483 confidence: high
The draft shifts away from the word “sister” and speaks as a lover; the letter names Byblis, describes bodily signs of love, mentions tears, kisses, a wounded heart, a raging fire within, and a struggle against Cupid’s weapon.
The passage centers on Byblis writing a love confession to her brother and Caunus rejecting it as forbidden lust.
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