The homeric hymns6/7/2023 ![]() ![]() Here is Zeus, inflicting upon Aphrodite her own mighty power to cause gods to mate with humans, and here is Demeter rescuing her daughter Persephone from the underworld and initiating the rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Here is the birth of Apollo, god of prophecy, healing, and music and founder of Delphi, the most famous oracular shrine in ancient Greece. In this superb translation by Diane Rayor, which deftly combines accuracy and poetry, the ancient music of the hymns comes alive for the modern reader. ![]() "Homeric" because they were composed in the same meter, dialect, and style as Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, these "hymns" were created to be sung aloud. Thirty-four poems that invoke and celebrate the gods of ancient Greece, the Homeric Hymns raise questions that humanity still struggles with-questions about our place among others and in the world. Well before the advent of writing in Greece, they were performed by traveling bards at religious events, competitions, banquets, and festivals. "The Homeric Hymns have survived for two and a half millennia because of their captivating stories, beautiful language, and religious significance. ![]()
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