The Homeric Hymns

The Homeric Hymns honour the Greek gods. They are called 'Homeric' because the ancients attributed them to Homer; it is now accepted that they were composed by later poets working in the same tradition, probably during the seventh and sixth centuries BC. Four of them (Hymns 2-5) stand out byreason of their length and quality. The Hymn to Demeter tells what happened when Hades, lord of the dead, abducted Persephone, Demeter's daughter (this storyy is connected to the Eleusinian Mysteries, which offered the Greeks the hope of a better lot in the afterlife). The Hymn to Apollo recountsApollo's birth and the foundation of his Delphic oracle. In the Hymn to Hermes Apollo's cattle are stolen by a felonious infant--Hermes, god of thieves. In the Hymn to Aphrodite the goddess of love herself becomes infatuated with a mortal man, the Trojan prince Ankhises (their son is Aineias, thehero of Virgil's Aeneid). This volume offers a faithful verse translation of all the hymns, Explanatory Notes, and a Glossary of Names.

Introduction

xi

Background

xi

Structure

xiii

The Long Hymns

xv

The Hymns and Humans

xix

Note on the Translation

xxi

Select Bibliography

xxv

To Dionysos

3

(1)

To Demeter

4

(19)

To Apollo

23

(20)

To Hermes

43

(22)

To Aphrodite

65

(11)

To Aphrodite

76

(1)

To Dionysos

77

(2)

To Ares

79

(1)

To Artemis

79

(1)

To Aphrodite

80

(1)

To Athena

80

(1)

To Hera

80

(1)

To Demeter

81

(1)

To the Mother of the Gods

81

(1)

To Herakles the Lionheart

81

(1)

To Asklepios

81

(1)

To the Sons of Zeus

82

(1)

To Hermes

82

(1)

To Pan

82

(2)

To Hephaistos

84

(1)

To Apollo

85

(1)

To Poseidon

85

(1)

To Zeus

85

(1)

To Hestia

85

(1)

To the Muses, Apollo, and Zeus

86

(1)

To Dionysos

86

(1)

To Artemis

87

(1)

To Athena

87

(1)

To Hestia

88

(1)

To Earth the Mother of All

89

(1)

To the Sun

89

(1)

To Selene

90

(1)

To the Sons of Zeus

91

(2)

To Hosts

92

(1)

Explanatory Notes

93

(54)

Glossary of Names

147

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