Three Homeric Hymns: To Apollo, Hermes, and Aphrodite

by Nicholas Richardson

• ISBN13: 9780521451581
• ISBN10: 0521451582
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-05-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

These lively narrative poems, attributed in antiquity to Homer, are works of great charm. Composed for recitation at festivals in honour of the gods, they tell of Apollo's birth on the island of Delos and his foundation of the Delphic oracle; Hermes' invention of the lyre and theft of his brother Apollo's cattle; and Aphrodite's love affair with the mortal Anchises. This edition offers a new text of these poems. The Introduction discusses among other things the nature and purpose of the poems in general, their origins, their structure and themes. The Commentary brings out the individual character of each Hymn, by analyzing in depth its language and literary qualities, and also its religious and historical aspects. The aim is to make these Hymns more accessible to students of Greek literature, and help them to appreciate the poems more fully as major works of early Greek poetry.

Table of Contents

List of maps and figure	p. viii
Preface	p. ix
List of abbreviations	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
The Homeric Hymns	p. 1
Nature and purpose	p. 1
Origins of the collection	p. 3
Structure and themes	p. 4
Hymn to Apollo	p. 9
Structure	p. 9
Authorship and date	p. 13
Language and style	p. 15
Hymn to Hermes	p. 17
Structure	p. 17
The hymn as comedy	p. 19
Relationship with the Hymn to Apollo	p. 20
Legal aspects	p. 21
Music and prophecy	p. 21
Aetiology	p. 22
Language and style	p. 23
Dating, and occasion of first performance	p. 24
Relationship with other versions	p. 25
Hymn to Aphrodite	p. 27
Structure and themes	p. 27
Relationship with other early poetry	p. 29
Date and place of composition	p. 30
Style	p. 30
The Homeric Hymns and Hellenistic Poetry	p. 31
Transmission of the text	p. 32
Sigla	p. 34
Three Homeric Hymns	p. 35
To Apollo	p. 37
To Hermes	p. 53
To Aphrodite	p. 71
Commentary	p. 81
Bibliography	p. 256
Indexes	p. 268
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