Religion in the Homeric Hymns
Religion in the Homeric Hymns
- Jenny Strauss ClayJenny Strauss ClayDepartment of Classics, University of Virginia
- , and Andrew FaulknerAndrew FaulknerDepartment of Classical Studies, University of Waterloo
Summary
The so-called Homeric Hymns are a collection of thirty-three poems from antiquity written in hexameter verse and addressed to a variety of divinities. They are called ‘Homeric’ because they are written in the same dialect and meter as the epic Homeric poems the Iliad and Odyssey. The origins and nature of the hymns are in fact diverse, as are their performance contexts in antiquity. The collection consists of five long hymns (to Dionysus, Demeter, Apollo, Hermes, and Aphrodite), two mid-length hymns, and short hymns of just a few lines. The Homeric Hymns are often classified as literary hymns, as opposed to cultic hymns, and are Panhellenic in nature. They nevertheless address gods and goddesses directly and to varying degrees engage with the establishment and realities of cultic worship.
Subjects
- Ancient Religion
