The Metamorphoses was the novel-like exciting repertoire of mythology. Who was Phaethon? Lycaon? Procne? Arachne? For a thousand such questions, Ovid was the Who's Who. One had to be familiar with it; otherwise, one would not understand the Latin poets. Moreover, all these mythological stories had an allegorical meaning. Thus, Ovid was also a treasure trove of morality.