— Ch. 1 · Origins And Composition —
Homeric Hymns.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
The Homeric Hymns are a collection of thirty-three ancient Greek hymns and one epigram. Most date to the seventh and sixth centuries BCE, though the latest, the Hymn to Ares, may have been composed as late as the fifth century CE. These poems share compositional similarities with the Iliad and the Odyssey. They use the same artificial literary dialect of Greek derived largely from Aeolic and Ionic dialects. The texts are composed in dactylic hexameter, a rhythmic form also found in Homer's epics. Short, repeated phrases known as formulae appear throughout the work. It remains unclear how far writing was involved in their creation versus oral composition. Scholars debate whether these were originally performed by singers accompanying themselves on a lyre or other stringed instrument. Performances likely took place at sympotic banquets, religious festivals, and royal courts. The earliest of the hymns were composed when oral poetry was common in Greek culture. Modern scholarship tends to avoid a sharp distinction between oral and written composition. They see the poems as traditional texts originating in a strongly oral culture.
Mythological Content
Irene de Jong has contrasted the narrative focus of the Homeric Hymns with that of the Homeric epics. The gods are the primary focus of the hymns, with mortals serving primarily to witness the gods' actions. The poems make use of iterative narration within passages of singulative narration. This style is relatively rare in ancient Greek literature. The Hymn to Demeter covers the abduction of Persephone and Demeter's attempt to recover her from the Underworld. It details the origin of the cult of Demeter at Eleusis. The Hymn to Hermes describes the first three days of his life including the theft of Apollo's cattle. He also crafts a tortoiseshell lyre during this time. The Hymn to Aphrodite tells the love story between the goddess and the mortal hero Anchises. Several hymns discuss the origins of a god's cult or the founding of a major sanctuary dedicated to them. Claude Calame has referred to these works as contracts by which praise invites reciprocity from the deity. These texts functioned as invocations often connected with specific cults or sanctuaries associated with each deity.