Homeric Hymns to Hermes and De

A detailed Summary of Homeric Hymns to Hermes and De

The Homeric Hymns to Hermes and Demeter each tells the story of the conflicts Hermes and Demeter face upon birth. The ancient Greek Myths served to explain the unexplainable. Before modern advancement in technology and scientific research, natural phenomena boggled the minds of humans. It was through story telling and myths many of the "truths" about life were revealed. The source of many mysterious workings of life were written down in ancient Greek myths as the workings of divine beings. Within the myths themselves, the story behind the creation of these divine beings revealed an intrinsic part of their nature. Many of the immortals faced hardship and overcame struggles in a way which describes their representation and implications within the Greek culture of the time these myths were written. The Homeric Hymns to Hermes and Demeter reveal the births of both these deities.

The Hymn to Hermes tells the story of Hermes' childhood and birth. Hermes is the god of merchants, weights and measures, oratory, and thieves among many other things. Hermes is most popularly known for his cunning and shrewdness, which he exercises to his advantage in the Hymn to Hermes. His shrewdness is fir

"Dear children, whoever of womankind you are... I have come now from Crete, by no wish of my own. By force and necessity pirate men led me off against my desire... My heard did not crave a heartwarming dinner, but racing in secret across the dark mainland I escaped from my arrogant masters, lest they should sell me, as yet unbought, for price overseas." (Hymn to Demeter 123-133)

"Through the sandy place he drove them on a beguiling route, turning their hoofprints round. Mindful of the artful ruse, he reversed their hoofs, setting the front part backward and the back part forward and opposite to his own course... He made a bundle of fresh-grown seasonable branches and snugly tied them as sandals under his feet, leaves and all..." (Hymn to Hermes 75-84)

The common theme of females as commodity is prevalent throughout Hymn to Demeter. This piece of ancient literary work is unique in its content, as it is one in the few which discusses the social injustice of gender roles. The perspective of the females are presented in a straightforward manner in revealing this social inequality.

Demeter's search for her daughter is an important aspect in this Hymn in explaining certain natural phenomena. Demeter anguished by the loss of her daughter starved herself during her search: Then for nine days divine Demeter roamed over the earth, holding torches ablaze in her hands; in her grief she did not once taste ambrosia or nectar sweet-to-drink, nor bathed her skin." (Hymn to Demeter 47-50) Demeter challenges the patriarchal authority in all of her anger over the rape of her daughter. Being the goddess of fertility, her starvation manifested in many real effects which greatly impacted the mortals: "For mortals she ordained a terrible and brutal year on the deeply fertile earth. The ground released no seed, for bright-crowned Demeter kept it buried..." (Hymn to Demeter 309-310) The hymn thus emphasizes the creative potential of female wrath.

Though his shrewdness initially results in a pers

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Approximate Word count = 1354
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English