The Golden Ass

by

Apuleius

Donkey Symbol Analysis

Donkey Symbol Icon

The donkey represents the consequences of greed and curiosity. The protagonist and narrator Lucius gets turned into a donkey after he tries to steal a magic transformation ointment from the witch Pamphile. Donkeys traditionally are not considered to be clever animals, and so Lucius’s time as a donkey suggests he is living in ignorance—as well as perhaps being punished for his foolishness in seeking Pamphile’s ointment in the first place. Notably, donkeys are also frequently associated with hard work, and while he is a donkey, Lucius is often forced to carry heavy loads, perform arduous chores, and even accept beatings. Though Lucius is not an exceptionally wealthy man, as a human he enjoyed some privileges as a free citizen, and being turned into a donkey forces him to experience life as someone at the very bottom of society. With the exception of the two brothers (who are enslaved), most of Lucius’s owners treat him cruelly, illustrating how people with low social standing often get taken advantage of. Ultimately, Lucius’s transformation from a donkey back into a man (by eating from a rose) suggests that he has suffered enough from greed and curiosity and learned from his experience as a donkey. The wisdom of Isis (who appears to Lucius in a vision) has both literally and figuratively helped Lucius regain his humanity.

Donkey Quotes in The Golden Ass

The The Golden Ass quotes below all refer to the symbol of Donkey. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
).
Book 1 Quotes

My dinner had consisted entirely of my own reports, so I was weighed down by weariness, not food, as I returned to my bedroom and surrendered to the repose I yearned for.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Milo, Byrrhena
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 20
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 2 Quotes

Well, I was a curious person. The moment I heard the word witchcraft, representing my lifelong aspiration, I shrugged off any need to play it safe with Pamphile.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Photis, Pamphile, Milo
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 25
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 3 Quotes

Helplessly surveying this new body, I saw I was not a bird but a donkey. I wanted to complain to Photis, but human voice and gesture had been taken from me.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Photis, Pamphile
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 4 Quotes

These, with their abundant leaves, look like laurels, and they produce, in the semblance of scented roses, oblong little cups, not quite up to scarlet in hue; they have no scent whatsoever, but in rustic parlance the untaught common people call them laurel roses. As food, these flowers are lethal to every kind of beast.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker)
Related Symbols: Roses, Donkey
Page Number: 67
Explanation and Analysis:

In a certain city there lived a king and queen who had daughters three in number and illustrious in beauty. Though the two born first were quite gratifying enough to look at, praise and publicity on a mortal scale were held to be adequate for them. But the youngest girl’s gorgeousness was so extraordinary, so remarkable that the poverty of human speech prevented any proper description or even encomium.

Related Characters: Old Hag (speaker), Lucius, Psyche, Cupid, Charite (The Hostage), Milo
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 85
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 7 Quotes

But with lamentable dispatch, Fortune (you know her by now), who was inflexible in persecuting me, headed off such a convenient dodge and set up a new ambush for me.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Ass-boy
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 155
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 8 Quotes

Here, I remember, the greatest peril to my life was played out.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker)
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 183
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 10 Quotes

The slaves were brothers, and their master was quite a rich man. One of them was a pastry chef, who stylized breads and honeyed edibles; the other was a cook who flavored chunks of meat with succulent rubs and juices and tenderized them over the fire.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), The Two Brothers, The Soldier, Ass-boy
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 229
Explanation and Analysis:

No one believed that such a tame ass needed any special supervision, so with slow, shifty steps I moved gradually away, got to the nearest gateway, and tore out of there at a full gallop.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), The Jealous Wife
Related Symbols: Donkey
Page Number: 247
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 11 Quotes

Lo, I come to your aid, Lucius, moved by your pleas—I, the mother of the universe, queen of all the elements, the original off-spring of eternity, loftiest of the gods, queen of the shades, foremost of the heavenly beings, single form of gods and goddesses alike.

Related Characters: Isis (speaker), Lucius, Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 251
Explanation and Analysis:

Soon, shaved to the skin again, I went joyfully about the duties of this venerable priesthood, founded in the time of Sulla. I did not cloak or conceal my baldness, wherever I went and whomever I met.

Related Characters: Lucius (speaker), Isis , Osiris
Related Symbols: Donkey, Roses
Page Number: 272
Explanation and Analysis:
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Donkey Symbol Timeline in The Golden Ass

The timeline below shows where the symbol Donkey appears in The Golden Ass. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 3
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...rubs it on himself, but instead of turning into a bird, he turns into a donkey. Photis panics but tells Lucius there’s a simple cure: he just has to eat some... (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...needs her help to get back his human body. Still in the form of a donkey, he goes off to the stable. There, he sees roses at a shrine to the... (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
The bandits empty out Milo’s house. They steal so much that they need donkeys to carry the items, and so they take Lucius with them. They load Lucius down... (full context)
Book 4
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
The bandits keep moving in the afternoon heat. While they travel, the other donkey collapses in exhaustion and can’t be moved, even with whipping. They split the donkey’s load... (full context)
Book 6
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
...old woman’s story. The bandits come back and load up Lucius (who is still a donkey). They make him walk until he falls. They talk about getting rid of him but... (full context)
Book 8
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...also act as male sex workers. They are disappointed to see that Lucius is a donkey and not a man. Lucius’s new owners load him down and take him around town,... (full context)
Book 10
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
...even teaches him how to recline at a table. Rumors spread about what an intelligent donkey Lucius is. (full context)
The Power of Stories Theme Icon
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...is doomed to be torn apart by wild animals and who sleeps with Lucius in donkey form) believes that her husband’s secret sister is actually his mistress. She prepares a trap,... (full context)
Faithfulness and Loyalty Theme Icon
Identity, Transformation, and Curiosity Theme Icon
Consequences of Greed Theme Icon
...by wild beasts. First, however, they have set things up so that Lucius, still a donkey, can publicly have sex with the woman—there is even a bed for them. (full context)