The Homeric Hymns

by Homer, Nicholas Richardson (Introduction), Jules Cashford (Translator)

Overview

Composed for recitation at festivals, these 33 songs were written in honour of the gods and goddesses of the ancient Greek pantheon. They recount the key episodes in the lives of the gods, and dramatise the moments when they first appear before mortals. Together they offer the most vivid picture we have of the Greek view of the relationship between the divine and human worlds.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780141911175
Publisher:	Penguin UK
Publication date:	04/24/2003
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	342 KB
Age Range:	3 Months

About the Author

Originally attributed to Homer because of their style and quality, the hymns are now thought to have been written by of a number of different poets of the 7th and 6th centuries BC.
Jules Cashford is a writer and lecturer on Mythology. She is the author of The Myth of the Goddess (Arkana, 1991)&The Myth of the Moon (Weidenfeld&Nicholson, forthcoming)
Dr Nicholas Richardson is a Fellow in English at Merton College, Oxford

Table of Contents

The Homeric HymnsIntroduction
Further Reading
Translator's Note

The Homeric Hymns

I. Hymn To Dionysos

II. Hymn To Demeter

III. Hymn To Apollo
Delian Apollo
Pythian Apollo

IV. Hymn To Hermes

V. Hymn To Aphrodite

VI. Hymn To Aphrodite

VII. Hymn To Dionysos

VIII. Hymn To Ares

IX. Hymn To Artemis

X. Hymn To Aphrodite

XI. Hymn To Athena

XII. Hymn To Hera

XIII. Hymn To Demeter

XIV. Hymn To The Mother Of The Gods

XV. Hymn To Herakles, The Lion-Hearted

XVI. Hymn To Asklepios

XVII. Hymn To Dioskouroi

XVIII. Hymn To Hermes

XIX. Hymn To Pan

XX. Hymn To Hephaistos

XXI. Hymn To Apollo

XXII. Hymn To Poseidon

XXIII. Hymn To The Son Of Kronos, Most High

XXIV. Hymn To Hestia

XXV. Hymn To The Muses And Apollo

XXVI. Hymn To Dionysos

XXVII. Hymn To Artemis

XXVIII. Hymn To Athena

XXIX. Hymn To Hestia

XXX. Hymn To Gaia, Mother Of All

XXXI. Hymn To Helios

XXXII. Hymn To Selene

XXXIII. Hymn To The Dioskouroi

Notes

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The purest expression of ancient Greek religion we possess. Jules Cashford is attuned to the poetry of the Hymns." (Nigel Spivey, Cambridge University)

Editorial Reviews

"The purest expression of ancient Greek religion we possess. Jules Cashford is attuned to the poetry of the Hymns." (Nigel Spivey, Cambridge University)

From the Publisher

More than any other translation, this one makes these ancient poems seem familiar without eroding our sense of them as profoundly archaic and foreign.

Parnassus: Poetry in Review

The translations present clear, smooth, and occasionally stately narrative. The translator displays a knack for selecting colorful and appropriate English words to match the Greek.

Classical Outlook

Professor Athanassakis' new translation of the Hymns is very welcome. It is clearly intended for the use of students in courses in Greek mythology and religion, and includes a short but useful general introduction and separate notes to each Hymn... Athanassakis' translation is acceptable, and his commentary is very useful for its sound traditional scholarship and acquaintance with modern Greek folklore which he alone can contribute.

Queen's Quarterly - Mark W. Edwards

There exists no modern, readable translation done with scholarly notes to help the reader see all the historical, religious, cultic, and cultural significance of the hymns for ancient Greece. The author succeeds admirably in reaching this goal.

Joseph Russo