Dionysiaca – reported speech: real – Direct Speech in Greek Epic Poetry

There are only thirteen reported speeches of the “real” type in Nonnus (embedded in secondary narrative). They vary in length between one and 69 lines. The speeches of Hermes and Athena (nr. 7 and 8) are part of a secondary narrative which itself is rendered as indirect speech (by the bard Leucus).

nr.	book	from line	to line	speaker	mortal/god	anonymous	length	dialogue?	addressee
1	5	459	460	Actaeon's dogs	animal	collective	2	first part of dialogue	nature and nymphs
2	5	462	466	Mount Citheron	god		5	second part of dialogue	Actaeon's dogs
3	5	469	472	Artemis	god		4	single speech	Actaeon's dogs
4	11	431	463	Calamus	mortal		33	soliloquy	himself
5	11	468	477	Calamus	mortal		10	soliloquy	himself
6	15	406	406	Pine tree	plant		1	single speech	Nicaea
7	24	279	291	Athena	god		13	single speech	Zeus
8	24	297	320	Hermes	god		24	single speech	Aphrodite
9	38	196	211	Helios	god		16	single speech	Phaeton
10	38	222	290	Helios	god		69	single speech	Phaeton
11	38	333	346	Phosphoros	god		14	single speech	Phaeton
12	40	443	500	Heracles Astrochiton	god		58	single speech	inhabitants of Tyr
13	40	542	569	Eros	god		28	single speech	Naeads