“Ovidius inter Sarmatas”. On the origins of Ovid’s popularity in Polish culture and art

Abstract

An extract from Sarnicki’s work “Ovidius inter Sarmatas” expresses the belief – based on Ovid’s words – that the Roman poet lived among the Sarmatians, who were the ancestors of Poles. The aim of this article is to search for the origins of the fascination with Ovid in Poland using historical, literary, and cultural analyses. In the 16th century, Ovid’s links with Sarmatia gave rise to the legend that he had lived in Poland, had learned to speak the Polish language, and had died and been buried near the Black Sea, that is, within the borders of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was claimed that Ovid was the first Polish poet, and his ‘naturalisation’ and the ‘discovery of his grave’ shaped the consciousness of the ruling classes and the elites of the Commonwealth. This phenomenon, combined with the widespread popularity of Metamorphoses, may have left its mark on the character of the decorations of the Polish palaces, including the 17th- and 18th-century royal residences, such as the Wilanów Palace and the Royal Baths Palace in Warsaw, which are filled with numerous Ovidian motifs.