Rayor - The Homeric Hymns: a Translation, with Introduction and Notes

A Translation, with Introduction and Notes

Diane J. Rayor

Updated Edition

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ISBN 978-0-520-28211-7 (paper)
ISBN 978-0-520-95782-4 (ebook)

The Library of Congress has cataloged an earlier edition of thisbook as follows:

To David and Daniel, with love

In the ten years since the first edition of this book appeared, theHomeric Hymns have only increased in popularity among readersand scholars. In addition to some new reading recommendationsand minor corrections, the second edition has revisions tothe Hymn to Dionysos 1, including twenty-eight new lines. TheHymn to Dionysos 1 once was one of the longer hymns, at 411lines; the new fragments help to reveal the story of Heras acceptanceof Dionysos on Mount Olympos.

The Hymn to Dionysos 7 begins with I will remember, andthe Hymn to Apollo 3 adds, I will remember and not forget.Altogether or singly, the hymns are worth remembering, particularlyalong with Homer or Hesiod. The Homeric Hymns providean excellent addition to mythology, religion, gender, literature,and civilization courses because of their short length, accessiblenarratives, general interest, and connections to other classicaland modern works.

As quick introductions to Greek gods, the short hymnsimmediately reveal some of the complexities and subtleties inGreek thought. For example, the Iliad portrays Ares, the god ofwar, as utterly bloodthirsty. In the Hymn to Ares, however, he isalso the god who grants the courage for peace:

The Hymn to Dionysos 7 functions as a brief introduction toEuripides Bacchae, regarding Dionysos demeanor, attributes,and double aspect as beneficent or deadly depending on humanrecognition of his divine self. Since Ovids Metamorphoses (3.511733)combines this hymn and the Bacchae, the three works illustratehow authors borrowed and adapted myths in antiquity.

As in Hesiods creation tale, Theogony, the short Hymn toAphrodite 6 and Hymn to Athena 28 focus on these goddessesdouble or unusual births:

Paired with the Athenian black figure amphora image of fullyarmed Athena stepping out of Zeus head, this hymn helps usremember the attributes of Zeus brain child, the goddess ofwisdom. Like fine wines with distinctive foods, the hymns addvalue in pairings with other ancient literature.

While the entire collection of hymns is essential reading inmythology courses, the addition of one or two of the four longerhymns can enrich other courses. For example, ancient religionand Greek civilization courses benefit from studying the Hymnto Apollo 3 for the founding of Delphi and the Hymn to Demeter 2for the Thesmophoria and the Eleusinian Mysteries. The Hymnto Demeter 2 and the Hymn to Aphrodite 5 are essential reading inwomen in antiquity courses. For those interested in love poetry,the Hymn to Aphrodite 5 makes a fascinating comparison to theerotic poetry of Sappho, Anakreon, and Archilochos. A Sapphofragment poignantly expresses the human passion, aging, andmortality central to the Hymn to Aphrodites story of Tithonos(5.21838):

Before studying Homers Iliad, reading the shorter narrative ofthe Hymn to Aphrodite 5 introduces issues such as conflict amongthe gods, divine interference in human lives, and the ethical constructstated in Seth Scheins The Mortal Hero: peoples characteristicblend of responsibility and lack of ultimate power (23).

More than the other hymns, the Hymn to Demeter 2thestory of Persephones kidnapping by the Lord of the Deadisparticularly versatile, in its recognition value, richness, andsheer beauty. This earliest version of the myth is far more complexthan simply an explanation of the seasons. Demeters relationshipwith human beings is complicated. She suffers like ahuman when she loses her child yet is unsympathetic to QueenMetaneiras fearful cry as Demeter roasts her baby in the fire.What does Demeters sojourn with the people of Eleusis, toldonly in this hymn, add to the story? Does her experience amonghumans, deceptive and potentially fatal as it is, lead to her eventualbounty, as Helene Foley (1994) suggests? Demeter is willingto kill off the human race to regain her daughter yet returnsfertility and grants salvation through the Eleusinian Mysteries.

The Hymn to Demeter 2 helps illuminate the daily life of womenin ancient Greece. We do not tend to associate marriage withdeath, while Greek thought, literature, and ritual closely connectthem. For Demeter, Persephones marriage to Hades is her closestexperience with death, since she cannot initially or fully retrievePersephone. The marriage of Hades and Persephone, frequentlyretold and referenced, became a motif of marrying death. Girlsmarried in their young teens, and women who give birth beforethe age of seventeen have a higher mortality rate than olderwomen (Demand 1994: 102). Infant mortality was high as well.A funeral could indeed follow swiftly after a wedding, transformingthe melody / of weddings to the sound of wailing dirges(Rayor 1991: 124). In addition, wedding and funeral rites, inwhich women played a crucial role, share many attributes. Thebride and the corpse were washed, dressed, anointed, and eitherveiled (bride) or shrouded (corpse). Both journeyed to a newhome, led by a procession of family and friends carrying torches,with song and dance, blessings, gifts, and a feast (Rehm 1994: 29).

Feminist theory, explored through selected articles and modernpoetry, can deepen readings of the hymn as well. For example,Nanci DeBlooiss Rape, Marriage, or Death? GenderPerspectives in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter provides aclear feminist analysis and profound insight. According to themale deities Zeus, Hades, and Helios, this was a traditional marriage,arranged between the father and the bridegroom. Accordingto Demeter, Persephone, and Hekate, however, it wasan abduction and rape. The Persephone and Hades poems inLouise Glcks