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The Homeric Hymns
The Homeric Hymns honor the Greek gods. Once attributed to Homer, it is now accepted that the hymns were composed by later poets working in the same tradition, probably during the seventh and sixth centuries BC. This volume offers a new faithful verse translation of all the hymns, Explanatory Notes, and a Glossary of Names.
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 700
About the author
Homer
4,493 books6,208 followersHomer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
August 28, 2022
3.5 ⭐
Much like, amongst the Norse Gods, one should immediately seek out Loki in the event of an unexplained disaster; In the Greek Pantheon, one could almost certainly find the source of their troubles somewhere in the vicinity of Aphrodite!
RTC
Much like, amongst the Norse Gods, one should immediately seek out Loki in the event of an unexplained disaster; In the Greek Pantheon, one could almost certainly find the source of their troubles somewhere in the vicinity of Aphrodite!
RTC
June 16, 2023
homer my beloved
August 10, 2021
3.5 *** rounded up.
I enjoyed most of these and it was truly fascinating to read where some of the retellings I have read, got their basis from.
The longer hymns were harder to decipher and I had to keep flicking back to the notes pages for extra information, which made me lose my pace more than a few times. But overall I did enjoy these.
My favourites were Hymn 5- a hymn to Aphrodite describing Zeus’ revenge on her by getting her to fall in love with a mortal (Ankisis) and consequently giving birth to Aeneas, a Hymn to Pan as I didn’t know as much about him, and one of the hymns to Dionysus (Hymn 7) whereby he has a run-in with some pirates.
I enjoyed most of these and it was truly fascinating to read where some of the retellings I have read, got their basis from.
The longer hymns were harder to decipher and I had to keep flicking back to the notes pages for extra information, which made me lose my pace more than a few times. But overall I did enjoy these.
My favourites were Hymn 5- a hymn to Aphrodite describing Zeus’ revenge on her by getting her to fall in love with a mortal (Ankisis) and consequently giving birth to Aeneas, a Hymn to Pan as I didn’t know as much about him, and one of the hymns to Dionysus (Hymn 7) whereby he has a run-in with some pirates.
February 2, 2018
Pallas Athena I begin to sing,
The glorious goddess with gleaming eyes,
Brilliantly inventive, her heart relentless,
The formidable maiden, guardian of cities,
The courageous Tritogeneia.
Wise Zeus gave birth to her himself
Out of his majestic head.
Golden armour clothed her,
It was glistening, war-like.
All the gods who saw her
Were overcome with awe.
Suddenly she was there
Before Zeus who holds the Aegis.
She sprang from his immortal head
Shaking her sharp spear.
Great Olympus trembled terribly
At the power of the goddess
With the gleaming eyes.
And the earth screamed awfully
All around her and the sea
Started to move, frothing
With dark waves and suddenly
The salt sea stopped.
The brilliant son of Hyperion stilled
His swift-footed horses
For along time until
Pallas Athena, the maiden,
Unclasped the heavenly armour
From her immortal shoulders.
Wise Zeus was delighted.
Farewell, daughter of Zeus
Who holds the aegis.
And now I shall remember you
And another song too.
The glorious goddess with gleaming eyes,
Brilliantly inventive, her heart relentless,
The formidable maiden, guardian of cities,
The courageous Tritogeneia.
Wise Zeus gave birth to her himself
Out of his majestic head.
Golden armour clothed her,
It was glistening, war-like.
All the gods who saw her
Were overcome with awe.
Suddenly she was there
Before Zeus who holds the Aegis.
She sprang from his immortal head
Shaking her sharp spear.
Great Olympus trembled terribly
At the power of the goddess
With the gleaming eyes.
And the earth screamed awfully
All around her and the sea
Started to move, frothing
With dark waves and suddenly
The salt sea stopped.
The brilliant son of Hyperion stilled
His swift-footed horses
For along time until
Pallas Athena, the maiden,
Unclasped the heavenly armour
From her immortal shoulders.
Wise Zeus was delighted.
Farewell, daughter of Zeus
Who holds the aegis.
And now I shall remember you
And another song too.
May 6, 2015
1) It's called Homeric Hymns not because they are by Homer but because they are in the same meter that Homer used.
2) It is a very quick read. A couple hours at most.
3) The Hymn of Demeter/Persephone is the best, Hermes second, and the rest, while interesting and sometimes beautiful, didn't add much for me.
4)Aphrodite is kind of a jerk. They're all kind of jerks.
2) It is a very quick read. A couple hours at most.
3) The Hymn of Demeter/Persephone is the best, Hermes second, and the rest, while interesting and sometimes beautiful, didn't add much for me.
4)
October 19, 2019
Beautiful translations.
Unfortunate that the majority of the hymns are so short as the longer ones are great.
__________
And scent most sweetly spread (2.13)
Blooming with youth . . . (2.108)
Round the goddess’ slim feet her dark robe swirled. (2.183)
She touched her head, and filled the doorway with heavenly light. (2.189)
Casting old age away, and round about her then
Beauty began to be breathed: a delightful perfume spread
From the fragrant robes that she wore, a radiance shone out far
From the goddess’ immortal flesh, to her shoulders golden hair streamed . . . (2.276-279)
When the earth is blooming with every sweet-scented flower of spring . . . (2. 401)
A blind man he is, and dwells
On rugged Khios; all of his songs are hereafter supreme. (3. 170-171)
Can find no cure for death or defence against old age. (3.193)
Through whose will you’ll always be honoured, for ever, throughout all time. (3.485)
With the nymph whose tresses are fair at the mailing-time of night . . . (4.7)
He went straight on and reached the rich inner shrine . . . (4.148)
Better that all one’s days
Be spent conversing amongst the immortals with riches, wealth . . . (4.171-172)
Wrapped
In purple cloud . . . (4.216-217)
With a gleaming key he opened there secret chambers filled
With necktar and lovely ambrosia . . . (4.247-248)
From birth
Did you have these miraculous skills, or was there one amongst
The immortals or mortal men who gave you the marvellous gift . . . (4. 440-442)
I serve the Muses who dwell
On Olympos . . . (4.449-450)
I felt in my mind such joy as this . . . (4.452)
Sweet to the taste and fragrant—the scent that rose up
Was divine. (7.36-37)
And Pan was the name that they gave him for pleasing the hearts of them all. (19.47)
Wine as sweet as honey . . . (29.6)
Unfortunate that the majority of the hymns are so short as the longer ones are great.
__________
And scent most sweetly spread (2.13)
Blooming with youth . . . (2.108)
Round the goddess’ slim feet her dark robe swirled. (2.183)
She touched her head, and filled the doorway with heavenly light. (2.189)
Casting old age away, and round about her then
Beauty began to be breathed: a delightful perfume spread
From the fragrant robes that she wore, a radiance shone out far
From the goddess’ immortal flesh, to her shoulders golden hair streamed . . . (2.276-279)
When the earth is blooming with every sweet-scented flower of spring . . . (2. 401)
A blind man he is, and dwells
On rugged Khios; all of his songs are hereafter supreme. (3. 170-171)
Can find no cure for death or defence against old age. (3.193)
Through whose will you’ll always be honoured, for ever, throughout all time. (3.485)
With the nymph whose tresses are fair at the mailing-time of night . . . (4.7)
He went straight on and reached the rich inner shrine . . . (4.148)
Better that all one’s days
Be spent conversing amongst the immortals with riches, wealth . . . (4.171-172)
Wrapped
In purple cloud . . . (4.216-217)
With a gleaming key he opened there secret chambers filled
With necktar and lovely ambrosia . . . (4.247-248)
From birth
Did you have these miraculous skills, or was there one amongst
The immortals or mortal men who gave you the marvellous gift . . . (4. 440-442)
I serve the Muses who dwell
On Olympos . . . (4.449-450)
I felt in my mind such joy as this . . . (4.452)
Sweet to the taste and fragrant—the scent that rose up
Was divine. (7.36-37)
And Pan was the name that they gave him for pleasing the hearts of them all. (19.47)
Wine as sweet as honey . . . (29.6)
December 31, 2018
translated by Jules Cashford, with an introduction and notes by Nicholas Richardson
I'm a little a loss to explain why I liked these so much or explain what I liked about them. Maybe I'm just fond of Greek mythology and any riff on them that made it through the vagaries of time will catch my interest. But there does seem to be something extra here. There is a reason Percy Bysshe Shelley translated so many of these, as did Chapman. Maybe it's just how the opening fragment to Dionysos says something to the affect: some people say you come of this place or that place, but, "I say they lie." Maybe is was the second poem on Demeter mourning lost Persephone, or just the brief description of Persephone grabbing the fated narcissus, "the flower shown so wondrously." Maybe it was the very ancient feel to the opening to Apollo's hymn describing him entering Olympus for the first time, arrow in bow, stretching the bow:
The Homeric Hymns don't have any clear origin. They follow the same poetic structure as the Iliad and the Odyssey, and there are apparent links to something like a school of Homer in the unreliable historical hints. But they have the feel of a collection of scraps leftover from something much more vast and mostly lost. Some of the poems are just a few lines, where as only five of them extend past 200 lines. The opening hymns to Dionysos and Demeter come from one text found in the 18th century and would otherwise be lost too - and most of that hymn to Dionysos is lost. They are a curious thing, a curious remnant. And they are also surprising resonant and often bring more color to these gods then Homer or Hesiod. There is a section on Hermes introducing Apollo to the lyre, in order to save his own skin, and Apollos first impression of this musical wonder. In another hymn Dionysos turns a boat in to a grape vine full of grapes...and the sailors into dolphins (hence the cover to my edition). Ares's hymn appears to date from another era altogether, maybe 400 ad. But then he was no Greek favorite. Maybe they forgot him.
As I mentioned above, there are famous translations of these hymns and I suspect they put any modern, scholarly accurate translator to shame. Jules Cashford keeps it simple and, apparently, as accurate as she can. In doing so, she provided a nice intro and she preserves some aspects the texture of the texts. I think she did a very nice job. But then I also can't help thinking what a shame she didn't go farther. These poems really beg to be inspirations to poetry, not something merely to get translated right.
I'm a little a loss to explain why I liked these so much or explain what I liked about them. Maybe I'm just fond of Greek mythology and any riff on them that made it through the vagaries of time will catch my interest. But there does seem to be something extra here. There is a reason Percy Bysshe Shelley translated so many of these, as did Chapman. Maybe it's just how the opening fragment to Dionysos says something to the affect: some people say you come of this place or that place, but, "I say they lie." Maybe is was the second poem on Demeter mourning lost Persephone, or just the brief description of Persephone grabbing the fated narcissus, "the flower shown so wondrously." Maybe it was the very ancient feel to the opening to Apollo's hymn describing him entering Olympus for the first time, arrow in bow, stretching the bow:
I shall remember,But this excerpt is unique here. There is really nothing else in this collection that feels quote so ancient and bare as these first several lines to Apollo.
may I not forget,
Apollo the archer.
The gods tremble at him
when he enters the house of Zeus,
they spring up when he comes near them,
they all spring up from their seats
when he stretches back his bow.
Only Leto waits beside Zeus who loves the thunder
She unstrings the bow, she closes the quiver,
taking it off his hands
off his strong shoulders,
...
The Homeric Hymns don't have any clear origin. They follow the same poetic structure as the Iliad and the Odyssey, and there are apparent links to something like a school of Homer in the unreliable historical hints. But they have the feel of a collection of scraps leftover from something much more vast and mostly lost. Some of the poems are just a few lines, where as only five of them extend past 200 lines. The opening hymns to Dionysos and Demeter come from one text found in the 18th century and would otherwise be lost too - and most of that hymn to Dionysos is lost. They are a curious thing, a curious remnant. And they are also surprising resonant and often bring more color to these gods then Homer or Hesiod. There is a section on Hermes introducing Apollo to the lyre, in order to save his own skin, and Apollos first impression of this musical wonder. In another hymn Dionysos turns a boat in to a grape vine full of grapes...and the sailors into dolphins (hence the cover to my edition). Ares's hymn appears to date from another era altogether, maybe 400 ad. But then he was no Greek favorite. Maybe they forgot him.
As I mentioned above, there are famous translations of these hymns and I suspect they put any modern, scholarly accurate translator to shame. Jules Cashford keeps it simple and, apparently, as accurate as she can. In doing so, she provided a nice intro and she preserves some aspects the texture of the texts. I think she did a very nice job. But then I also can't help thinking what a shame she didn't go farther. These poems really beg to be inspirations to poetry, not something merely to get translated right.
July 19, 2017
3 Stars, Completed February 9, 2016
I'm not sure how it happened but after taking six semesters of Latin (high school and a few upper level college courses of the foreign language), I never had to translate and read any Roman or Greek text fully in Latin. We read excerpts or parts in translated idiomatic English. So I sort of felt cheated by this being someone that was very interested in mythology growing up. (It's a shame most of my Latin/Greek mythology knowledge is from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; Rick Riordan does a good job with being consistent with the characters and stories but I'm aware there are so many creative liberties as well in those middle grade retellings.) Anyway, I decided to take an Introduction to Mythology course my last semester of undergraduate studies for fun and this text was one of the required readings.
After reading the opening Introduction, I learned that The Homeric Hymns, a series of poems and stories written a few millennia ago, aren't, in fact, written by Homer but anonymous poetry. They were created for entertainment and performed by the Greeks at religious events, competitions, and festivals but used the same meter, dialect, and style as Homer's epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey . These hymns were sung in celebration to the gods and described man's daily struggles.
Thirty three of the thirty four poems were about celebrating the gods and one was used to address the hosts of some Greek performances. Most served as introductions before performances because, often times, these stories were about how some of the gods and goddesses were born and their origins. Others are just entertaining accounts of the gods and goddesses' interactions with mortals.
I was pleasantly surprised that I knew most of these stories even before I had read them. My favorite by far was one of the longer hymns, the second hymn, which was the first "Hymn to Demeter." This one was about the well known story about the abduction of Persephone by Hades and how it lead to a bad season of vegetation because of Demeter's grief for the loss of her beloved daughter. The other longer hymns had other popular Greek myths such as Hermes and his act of stealing Apollo's cattle as a day old baby and Aphrodite's affair with Anchises as punishment by the gods. Shorter hymns such as the birth of Athena and how she sprung from Zeus's head were also included.
Unlike monotheistic religions, these gods and goddesses had a lot of human-like qualities and were flawed despite being divine. And you found yourself disliking them for their pettiness, selfishness, and troublesome nature than wanting to revere them, but I loved how each god and goddess helped explain man's nature. And I've always found it funny how there are so many intended innuendos and sexual connotations in Greek and Latin poetry. (One I notice often used in today's society is "carpe diem" or "seize the day," but it's actually from a very sexual poem by Horace; he's talking to Leuconoe (no one is very certain if she was completely fictional or just some person that was close in the poet's life) about "seizing the day" by sleeping with him.)
The Homeric Hymns had a selection of passages ranging in length and included a variety of gods, goddesses, and other divine figures. The notes at the end were helpful with triggering my memory with the lesser known mythical creatures and kings and queens. Overall, I only really liked three (the ones I mentioned earlier about Demeter, Hermes, and Aphrodite) while I found the others to be too short to have much meaning or story behind them to be entertaining.
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More reviews at Xingsings
I'm not sure how it happened but after taking six semesters of Latin (high school and a few upper level college courses of the foreign language), I never had to translate and read any Roman or Greek text fully in Latin. We read excerpts or parts in translated idiomatic English. So I sort of felt cheated by this being someone that was very interested in mythology growing up. (It's a shame most of my Latin/Greek mythology knowledge is from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series; Rick Riordan does a good job with being consistent with the characters and stories but I'm aware there are so many creative liberties as well in those middle grade retellings.) Anyway, I decided to take an Introduction to Mythology course my last semester of undergraduate studies for fun and this text was one of the required readings.
After reading the opening Introduction, I learned that The Homeric Hymns, a series of poems and stories written a few millennia ago, aren't, in fact, written by Homer but anonymous poetry. They were created for entertainment and performed by the Greeks at religious events, competitions, and festivals but used the same meter, dialect, and style as Homer's epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey . These hymns were sung in celebration to the gods and described man's daily struggles.
Thirty three of the thirty four poems were about celebrating the gods and one was used to address the hosts of some Greek performances. Most served as introductions before performances because, often times, these stories were about how some of the gods and goddesses were born and their origins. Others are just entertaining accounts of the gods and goddesses' interactions with mortals.
I was pleasantly surprised that I knew most of these stories even before I had read them. My favorite by far was one of the longer hymns, the second hymn, which was the first "Hymn to Demeter." This one was about the well known story about the abduction of Persephone by Hades and how it lead to a bad season of vegetation because of Demeter's grief for the loss of her beloved daughter. The other longer hymns had other popular Greek myths such as Hermes and his act of stealing Apollo's cattle as a day old baby and Aphrodite's affair with Anchises as punishment by the gods. Shorter hymns such as the birth of Athena and how she sprung from Zeus's head were also included.
Unlike monotheistic religions, these gods and goddesses had a lot of human-like qualities and were flawed despite being divine. And you found yourself disliking them for their pettiness, selfishness, and troublesome nature than wanting to revere them, but I loved how each god and goddess helped explain man's nature. And I've always found it funny how there are so many intended innuendos and sexual connotations in Greek and Latin poetry. (One I notice often used in today's society is "carpe diem" or "seize the day," but it's actually from a very sexual poem by Horace; he's talking to Leuconoe (no one is very certain if she was completely fictional or just some person that was close in the poet's life) about "seizing the day" by sleeping with him.)
The Homeric Hymns had a selection of passages ranging in length and included a variety of gods, goddesses, and other divine figures. The notes at the end were helpful with triggering my memory with the lesser known mythical creatures and kings and queens. Overall, I only really liked three (the ones I mentioned earlier about Demeter, Hermes, and Aphrodite) while I found the others to be too short to have much meaning or story behind them to be entertaining.
---
More reviews at Xingsings
April 4, 2020
I've read virtually all classical Greek poetry in translation and nothing tops this, not even Sappho; the quintessence of pagan Greece and some of the greatest poetry in any tradition. Basically it has the power/effect of the best Greek lyric poetry with the mythic scope of something greater.
November 3, 2022
The root metaphors of so much of western culture and the stories and myths ingrained in our DNA. Astonishing. I love Murnaghan’s introduction setting the context of the major hymns.
April 29, 2013
This collection of hymns follows the style of Homer's writings and due to that and to tradition are said to have been written by him. The first two hymns were missing until the late 1700's, but even then only a small fragment of hymn one was recovered (although nearly all of hymn two was found). Aside from difficulties resulting from a few missing lines these hymns are easy to follow and it is a marvel this much remains now for readers to enjoy.
Although the works of Homer, Hesiod and others were written down at one point, the myths and stories of ancient Greece were primarily an oral tradition. The works of Homer were held in such regard by the Greeks and the traveling bards and aspiring musicians/poets of the towns made the effort to memorize these works in full. Homer was quoted by playwrights and sophists alike, so when you read his works you are familiarizing yourself with a foundational piece of ancient Greek culture.
These thirty-three hymns vary in length from a couple lines to some longer hymns that push six hundred lines. The three long hymns - to Demeter, to Apollo, and to Hermes - recount the particular stories of each deity that illustrate their functional role in the Greek pantheon. The hymn to Demeter is one of those recovered in the late 1700's and until then scholars relied on Ovid's retelling of the abduction of Persephone as the primary account of that myth. The hymn to Hermes is a fun and comic retelling of the early exploits of the wily trickster god whose pranks started right from birth. There are then a couple medium length hymns - to Dionysus and to Aphrodite - but most hymns are fairly short. The hymn to Aphrodite is quite helpful to anyone wondering why she takes a fervent interest in saving the life of Aeneas in the Iliad and is also a good preface to those about to read the Aeneid; the hymn tells the story of her love affair with a mortal man of Troy. The hymn to Dionysus tells the story of his abduction by pirates and this story is recounted by Ovid as well. The hymn to Ares I found to be quite insightful in that it explores the inner struggle to be restrained from aggression to the point of balance and courage and to honor the order of social law. This perspective was one that I hadn't thought of relating to the god of war and immediately felt I understood the Roman mind a little better - who made the war god their patron god. The translator's notes in the appendix indicated this is the one hymn which is believed to be quite late and perhaps from the Roman period, so perhaps that is why it gives the impression of a Roman outlook on aggression.
This collection is a great resource for Greek mythology, the translation is smooth and easy to understand, and the footnotes/appendix contain some of the most insightful points on Greek mythology I've come across yet. I wasn't sure if I was going to bother reading this part at the end, but I'd argue now I learned more from it than from the text itself.
Although the works of Homer, Hesiod and others were written down at one point, the myths and stories of ancient Greece were primarily an oral tradition. The works of Homer were held in such regard by the Greeks and the traveling bards and aspiring musicians/poets of the towns made the effort to memorize these works in full. Homer was quoted by playwrights and sophists alike, so when you read his works you are familiarizing yourself with a foundational piece of ancient Greek culture.
These thirty-three hymns vary in length from a couple lines to some longer hymns that push six hundred lines. The three long hymns - to Demeter, to Apollo, and to Hermes - recount the particular stories of each deity that illustrate their functional role in the Greek pantheon. The hymn to Demeter is one of those recovered in the late 1700's and until then scholars relied on Ovid's retelling of the abduction of Persephone as the primary account of that myth. The hymn to Hermes is a fun and comic retelling of the early exploits of the wily trickster god whose pranks started right from birth. There are then a couple medium length hymns - to Dionysus and to Aphrodite - but most hymns are fairly short. The hymn to Aphrodite is quite helpful to anyone wondering why she takes a fervent interest in saving the life of Aeneas in the Iliad and is also a good preface to those about to read the Aeneid; the hymn tells the story of her love affair with a mortal man of Troy. The hymn to Dionysus tells the story of his abduction by pirates and this story is recounted by Ovid as well. The hymn to Ares I found to be quite insightful in that it explores the inner struggle to be restrained from aggression to the point of balance and courage and to honor the order of social law. This perspective was one that I hadn't thought of relating to the god of war and immediately felt I understood the Roman mind a little better - who made the war god their patron god. The translator's notes in the appendix indicated this is the one hymn which is believed to be quite late and perhaps from the Roman period, so perhaps that is why it gives the impression of a Roman outlook on aggression.
This collection is a great resource for Greek mythology, the translation is smooth and easy to understand, and the footnotes/appendix contain some of the most insightful points on Greek mythology I've come across yet. I wasn't sure if I was going to bother reading this part at the end, but I'd argue now I learned more from it than from the text itself.
March 25, 2016
A series of hymns of ancient Greece.
Ranging from recounting myths, sometimes at length, to bursts of short lyric. Some of it will be familiar, and some not at all -- the Hymn to Ares in particular.
Translation matters. I read an idiomatic one this time, and it tried to bring it into modern English as much as possible. More unfortunately, it was a 1970s translation and bears quite definitely the mark of it, several phrases sheriek of the decades.
Even so, you get the effect of the original Greek in places, with the stock adjectives and epithets building up an effect not found in modern works.
Ranging from recounting myths, sometimes at length, to bursts of short lyric. Some of it will be familiar, and some not at all -- the Hymn to Ares in particular.
Translation matters. I read an idiomatic one this time, and it tried to bring it into modern English as much as possible. More unfortunately, it was a 1970s translation and bears quite definitely the mark of it, several phrases sheriek of the decades.
Even so, you get the effect of the original Greek in places, with the stock adjectives and epithets building up an effect not found in modern works.
Read
June 5, 2021Full bitaitanço soon.
October 30, 2024
Hymn 19 to Pan is so freaking pretty 🫶
October 3, 2023
A fun collection of hymns, each dedicated to one of the Greek gods. Most were likely written in the seventh and sixth centuries BC (though some may be much later), using the same dactylic hexameter as the Homeric epics and employing similar idioms, leading to their attribution from early antiquity to Homer himself. Many end with a formulaic verse in which the poet declares that he will go on to sing another song, suggesting that these works were originally composed as preludes to larger epics. The gods had to be given their honors before the poet could begin to sing of heroes and demigods; for the same reason, the Iliad and Odyssey both begin with an invocation of the muses.
The second, third, fourth, and fifth hymns—to Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, and Aphrodite, respectively—are the most substantial and the most interesting. They make for an ideal introduction to Greek myth; their superior clarity, lyricism, and characterization outclass Hesiod’s Theogony, in my opinion. The hymns give us a far more acute sense of who these figures were and what they actually meant to their devotees.
We get the marital abduction of Persephone and the feud between the grieving Demeter and Hades (with a sojourn by Demeter among the women of a mortal household in the midst of it); we get Apollo slaying Typhon—the monstrous, serpentine son of Hera—then transforming into a dolphin, hijacking a ship, and forcing the crew to serve his temple at Krisa (a funny enough story when it doesn’t happen to you); we get an infant Hermes sneaking out of his crib at night, stealing the cattle of Apollo by making them walk backwards, fashioning the first lyre from their skin and sinews, then creeping back to his cave and slinking under the covers to resume his innocent baby act—only to be hilariously called out for his deviousness by his mother Maia, Zeus, and Apollo, whom he placates by giving him his lyre and agreeing to care for his herd; and we get the seduction of the shepherd Anchises by Aphrodite and the birth of Aeneas.
The Hymn to Hermes is my favorite, but it’s all good stuff.
The second, third, fourth, and fifth hymns—to Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, and Aphrodite, respectively—are the most substantial and the most interesting. They make for an ideal introduction to Greek myth; their superior clarity, lyricism, and characterization outclass Hesiod’s Theogony, in my opinion. The hymns give us a far more acute sense of who these figures were and what they actually meant to their devotees.
We get the marital abduction of Persephone and the feud between the grieving Demeter and Hades (with a sojourn by Demeter among the women of a mortal household in the midst of it); we get Apollo slaying Typhon—the monstrous, serpentine son of Hera—then transforming into a dolphin, hijacking a ship, and forcing the crew to serve his temple at Krisa (a funny enough story when it doesn’t happen to you); we get an infant Hermes sneaking out of his crib at night, stealing the cattle of Apollo by making them walk backwards, fashioning the first lyre from their skin and sinews, then creeping back to his cave and slinking under the covers to resume his innocent baby act—only to be hilariously called out for his deviousness by his mother Maia, Zeus, and Apollo, whom he placates by giving him his lyre and agreeing to care for his herd; and we get the seduction of the shepherd Anchises by Aphrodite and the birth of Aeneas.
The Hymn to Hermes is my favorite, but it’s all good stuff.
March 18, 2016
Reading this book again for the Ancient Greek and Roman mythology course I am doing for the second time, I found I enjoyed it much more. This Penguin Classics translation is elegant, full of charm and so inspiring.
In the introduction by Nicholas Richardson, the author explores the composition, the history of the hymns and the beauty of the structure, themes and style.
"The hymns... Tell us something about the Greek view of the relationship between the divine and human worlds..."
"Ignorance of the future, the uncertainty of life and above all, the inevitable nature of old age and death are recurrent themes in early Greek literature. These are the things which separate men from the gods.."
Over the years, the hymns have been an inspiration to poets, musicians, writers.
Scholars of antiquity agree that the Homeric Hymns are attributed to Homer, largely, although they were composed over one hundred years, mostly in the 6th and 7th century BCE.
Recounting stories from mythology they stand as epic poems, full of grand lyrical richness of high quality and were originally recited at festivals to honor the Olympian gods and goddesses.
The hymns are both serious and funny as the gods were awe-inspiring yet at times comic.
The notes section in this edition is insightful and handy and I found the translation in general, to be smooth and easy to understand. I find the hymns to Dionysos and Pan -my favourite gods- in particular, to be quite beautiful. The story of Hermes cracks me up every time I read it.
Quotable: "... Dancing nymphs who tread upon/ peaks of rock/ even goats leave bare/ calling out/ Pan/ god of shepherds/ dust-parched/ with dazzling hair.."
In the introduction by Nicholas Richardson, the author explores the composition, the history of the hymns and the beauty of the structure, themes and style.
"The hymns... Tell us something about the Greek view of the relationship between the divine and human worlds..."
"Ignorance of the future, the uncertainty of life and above all, the inevitable nature of old age and death are recurrent themes in early Greek literature. These are the things which separate men from the gods.."
Over the years, the hymns have been an inspiration to poets, musicians, writers.
Scholars of antiquity agree that the Homeric Hymns are attributed to Homer, largely, although they were composed over one hundred years, mostly in the 6th and 7th century BCE.
Recounting stories from mythology they stand as epic poems, full of grand lyrical richness of high quality and were originally recited at festivals to honor the Olympian gods and goddesses.
The hymns are both serious and funny as the gods were awe-inspiring yet at times comic.
The notes section in this edition is insightful and handy and I found the translation in general, to be smooth and easy to understand. I find the hymns to Dionysos and Pan -my favourite gods- in particular, to be quite beautiful. The story of Hermes cracks me up every time I read it.
Quotable: "... Dancing nymphs who tread upon/ peaks of rock/ even goats leave bare/ calling out/ Pan/ god of shepherds/ dust-parched/ with dazzling hair.."
September 11, 2014
While most of these hymns are boring as presented (a scholarly Greek/English version with lots of critical apparatus would have been more interesting), there is one which works to the modern sense, at least in part. The Hymn to Dionyos has, as I recall, a theme of Apollo being pissed at the trickster godling. Once, when still very young, Dionysos had stolen some of the god's sacred cattle. Apollo pursues, finally catching him in, get this, his crib. In the face of the god's accusatory rage, Dionysos, acting his age, notes that he is just a little baby and couldn't possibly have done what he is accused of doing. That got a chuckle from me. I presume the ancients thought it funny also--all of which raises a questions about ancient Greek religion. Name a funny Christian hymn...
December 26, 2012
Required reading for Greek and Roman Mythology, but I'm happy about it. It seems to be an excellent and enjoyable translation, with good notes to clarify meanings and identities. If you're into Greek Mythology, the hymns here definitely add a bit of depth to the experience. The stories aren't new, but they're told with a different flow to them, and so are just as fun to read again as they were the first time.
October 16, 2007
A taut, hypnotic translation: sorta the poetic equivalent of Velvet Underground's "The Murder Mystery". Choppy and insistent, no dactyls, no hexameters. So it's probably pretty close to the way these central hymns sounded in Mediterranean caves and hillsides. The hymns to Hermes guide my every move (wink), and I ended up disliking Demeter very much (ducking). Essential reading.
December 24, 2014
These Homeric Hymns might be better be described as prayers or invocations to the Gods, to be read before the start of stage plays. They can be a bit repetitive, but that's the nature of offering praise to the gods, especially when you asking them to bless your proceedings.
If you're a fan of ancient Greek drama, I would recommend this book as a supplement to your reading.
If you're a fan of ancient Greek drama, I would recommend this book as a supplement to your reading.
July 23, 2008
Beautiful translation of what will become one of your favorite books of short-form Ancient verse. Cannot recommend this highly enough!
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December 27, 2019Read through it for the first time, I don’t have much to say yet, most of these don’t tell stories and I’m not getting a lot out of this. I’m looking forward to read some commentaries though.
January 23, 2024
Kúl að lesa þessar sögur í sinu upprunalega formi en samt alveg sögur sem maður hefur heyrt áður, sérstaklega Demeter.
December 15, 2018
My favourites were the hymns to Demeter and Hermes, the rest are either too short, were left incomplete, or aren't particularly memorable.
January 28, 2020
I like that the Gods see humans as insignificant lowly beings whose only role is to make offerings.
January 22, 2022
Accessible yet poetic translation. Really vibed with the hymns to Demeter, Aphrodite, and Dionysus
November 26, 2015
These were surprisingly enjoyable. Well, I guess it is silly to be surprised – anything that is still in print well over a thousand years after its composition has probably got some fine qualities. But many of these poems/songs tell really compelling stories in beautiful, intense language. (I realize that part of the credit for the loveliness of the poetry goes to the translator, and, while admitting that I have no basis whatsoever for comparison, I think Thelma Sargent did a first class job here!)
I've seen The Homeric Hymns and Hesiod's Theogony mentioned regularly over the years in books about ancient literature, and I've tended to confuse the two. Hesiod's Works and Days & Theogony is now near the top of my TBR stack, but just flipping through it I can now see how the two differ. For starters, The Homeric Hymns are supposed, traditionally, to have been written by -- Homer. Sargent tells us in the short introduction that they are now believed to have been written a bit (maybe a hundred years or so?), later. Anyway, both tell stories about the Greek gods and goddesses in poetic form. Both invoke the aid of the Muses to tell their stories. Theogony tells the story of the birth of the cosmos and also of the gods, starting with Gaia and following through the coming to power of Zeus and the other Oympian gods. The Homeric Hymns sticks to the Olympians, and, rather than telling one “long” story (both books are actually quite short), it is a collection of individual poems to various gods, in no particular order that I could see. Of the thirty-three poems, eight are long-ish (I think the longest is “To Hermes,” at sixteen pages) and tell engaging, action- packed stories, and the remaining twenty-five are short and feel more like invocations or addresses – Sargent suggests that the short ones might have preceded longer recitations.
Some of the stories were familiar, such as that of Demeter and Persephone, though even that was an especially lovely telling. Others were less familiar, such as that of Aphrodite and Anchises, the father of Aeneas. I knew the basics of that one, from the Aeneid, I think, but here I got the intimate details (nothing graphic!) of Aphrodite's seduction of Anchises, and of her deeply conflicted feelings about her irresistible lust for a mortal. And the story of Apollo's founding of the oracle at Delphi was new to me, at least in the form told here. “To Hermes” and “To Demeter” were both particularly good – vivid and exciting – but all the eight story-length poems are good. Despite the current opinion that these were not written by Homer, they would go nicely with a study of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The shorter pieces seem fairly negligible, but the longer ones are lovely and memorable.
I've seen The Homeric Hymns and Hesiod's Theogony mentioned regularly over the years in books about ancient literature, and I've tended to confuse the two. Hesiod's Works and Days & Theogony is now near the top of my TBR stack, but just flipping through it I can now see how the two differ. For starters, The Homeric Hymns are supposed, traditionally, to have been written by -- Homer. Sargent tells us in the short introduction that they are now believed to have been written a bit (maybe a hundred years or so?), later. Anyway, both tell stories about the Greek gods and goddesses in poetic form. Both invoke the aid of the Muses to tell their stories. Theogony tells the story of the birth of the cosmos and also of the gods, starting with Gaia and following through the coming to power of Zeus and the other Oympian gods. The Homeric Hymns sticks to the Olympians, and, rather than telling one “long” story (both books are actually quite short), it is a collection of individual poems to various gods, in no particular order that I could see. Of the thirty-three poems, eight are long-ish (I think the longest is “To Hermes,” at sixteen pages) and tell engaging, action- packed stories, and the remaining twenty-five are short and feel more like invocations or addresses – Sargent suggests that the short ones might have preceded longer recitations.
Some of the stories were familiar, such as that of Demeter and Persephone, though even that was an especially lovely telling. Others were less familiar, such as that of Aphrodite and Anchises, the father of Aeneas. I knew the basics of that one, from the Aeneid, I think, but here I got the intimate details (nothing graphic!) of Aphrodite's seduction of Anchises, and of her deeply conflicted feelings about her irresistible lust for a mortal. And the story of Apollo's founding of the oracle at Delphi was new to me, at least in the form told here. “To Hermes” and “To Demeter” were both particularly good – vivid and exciting – but all the eight story-length poems are good. Despite the current opinion that these were not written by Homer, they would go nicely with a study of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The shorter pieces seem fairly negligible, but the longer ones are lovely and memorable.
June 6, 2020
Read as a research for my novel Breeze.
April 1, 2018
I took a Greek mythology class in college and several of the stories that my professor highlighted were directly from this collection of texts. For those of you have read The Iliad the Homeric Hymn To Aphrodite gives the back story on "sweet smiling Aphrodite" hooking up with a Trojan prince and becoming the mother of the hero Aeneas. Readers interested in the Eleusinian Mystery cult will find the Hymn To Demeter fascinating. I found the Hymn To Hermes most enjoyable since it involved a baby Hermes rustling the Cattle of the Sun because he got a hankering for some beef. After stealing said cattle, baby Hermes is put on trial on Mt. Olympus before Zeus. Hilarity ensues.
February 21, 2023
Nice little collection of the hymns. Unfortunately the translation is pretty stale, but it'll do in a pinch. It also kind of desperately needs a slightly longer foreward and afterward to explain things, but it does at least talk a little bit about the hymns. I'm not gonna give my boy Homer a bad rating, but you should prolly go for a different edition.
Was fun to reread these, as I'm very familiar with all the stories. I also appreciated the aspect of addressing the gods this time around. And in general it was nice to review the hallmarks of Homeric poetry as found in the hymns.
Was fun to reread these, as I'm very familiar with all the stories. I also appreciated the aspect of addressing the gods this time around. And in general it was nice to review the hallmarks of Homeric poetry as found in the hymns.
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