The Golden Ass: Book 9 story
After escaping from a cook who was intent on cooking him for dinner, Lucius the ass is sold from owner to owner until such time as he is commandeered into the military.
22 total · 22 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| Christianity | minor | It was related that the miller's wife proclaimed to believe in one and only one god, perhaps an oblique reference to her being a Christian. |
| con artistry | minor | Lucius the ass told of some priests who were swinging crows of people out of their money by making sham all-purpose oracular prophesies. |
| contagious disease in society | minor | The danger of rabies was illustrated. |
| coping with the death of a parent | minor | The miller's daughter was beating her breast in the wake of his tragic death. |
| divorce | minor | A husband divorced his adulterous wife. |
| embarrassment | minor | A Roman legionnaire was mortified at the thought of his comrades finding out that a lowly gardener had gotten the better of him in a scrap. |
| extramarital affair | minor | Lucius the ass became property of a woman who was cheating on her miller husband. |
| female stereotype | minor | Lucius opined about the miller's wife being "fickle like all women" and spoke of "the familiar arts of her sex". |
| ghost | minor | An old witch raised the ghost of a woman who'd died a violent death. |
| helping a stranger in need | minor | Lucius the ass's poor master welcomed into his home a traveler who'd lost his was in a downpour. |