Lucan depicts Sextus Pompeius, the doomed son of Pompey the Great, as convinced "the gods of heaven knew too little" and awaiting the Battle of Pharsalus by consulting with the Thessalian witch Erichtho, who practices necromancy and inhabits deserted graves, feeding on rotting corpses. Erichtho, it is said, can arrest "the rotation of the heavens and the flow of rivers" and make "austere old men blaze with illicit passions". She and her clients are portrayed as undermining the natural order of gods, mankind and destiny. A female foreigner from Thessaly, notorious for witchcraft, Erichtho is the stereotypical witch of Latin literature, along with Horace's Canidia. COUNT 5
QSN1 What witch was reputed to be able to stop the rotation of the heavens? ANS1 Erichtho QSN2 Who consulted a witch before the battle of Pharsalus? ANS2 Sextus Pompeius QSN3 What natural order was Erichtho accused of undermining? ANS3 order of gods QSN4 How was Erichtho portrayed? ANS4 stereotypical witch QSN5 From what country did Erichtho come? ANS5 Thessaly