Commentary Inf XVII 19-24

The two similes identify the posture of Geryon in terms of homely images, a boat drawn up to shore, a beaver fishing with its tail. (Beavers were reputed to use their tails as bait, eventually grasping the fish thereby attracted with their paws.) Tommaseo (DDP Tommaseo.Inf.XVII.19-21) pointed out that hyperactive Teutonic appetite was a matter of note as far back as in the histories of Tacitus.