This talk explores the representation of nature in ancient didactic poetry. In their treatment of plants, animals, and landscapes, didactic epic poets often employ certain literary devices which make their descriptions more palpable. One of these is the practice of anthropomorphisation, the depiction in human terms of things or characters that are not originally considered human. In my discussion, I will focus on the form and function of anthropomorphic representations of the non-human, and on the role that a vivid mode of storytelling plays in them. Examples from the works of Hesiod, Nicander, Lucretius and Vergil will demonstrate how the natural world is mediated through these texts, revealing a variety of perspectives on the non-human – from stark dichotomies of ‘man’ versus an othered ‘nature’, to fluid conceptions of the world, and even outright monstrous displays."