Sources and author’s intervention in the Hagiographic Tetrastichs dedicated to St George (BHG 691y) by Theodore Prodromo

Abstract

Within poetry of Byzantine author Theodore Prodromos (12th century), a compositional pattern with biblical or hagiographic narrative theme is found, known as cycles of tetrastich epigrams. Among them, the Tetrastichs on Great Martyrs Theodoros, George, and Demetrios, comprise a series of tetrastichs dedicated to Saint George, which will be the subject of this article. In this study, following an introduction that contextualises and characterises the tetrastichs within the author's literary environment, an analysis of the tetrastichs in honour of Saint George will be conducted. This analysis will examine their textual transmission, language, and metrics, focusing on the reconstruction of the possible sources used by Theodore Prodromos and the strategies for transferring and adapting the hagiographic text to the versified structure of the tetrastichs. A Spanish translation of the work is included.