CLST 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Homeric Hymns, Pythia
Homeric Hymns: What are they? When were they written?
● Not named after Homer
● Orally performed poetry
● Characteristic of homeric poems and of hymns
● So called because of the language - similar to homeric poems
● Dates range between 700-500 BCE
● These hymns were performed by travelling rhapsodes - they performed poems from
memory but they were not poets themselves
● Rhapsodes would compete with one another
● Festivals of the gods
● Picking the fun stories to tell
● Seemed to serve as preludes to a longer recitation of a homeric poem
● Ex. Practicing scales before you sing etc
● Slavic poets performed right up until the end of the 20th century
● Literary composition
● Hymn to Aphrodite is the oldest
● Compiled during 3rd century BCE
● Localism - they would “big up” the towns they visited - and panhellenism - your local
area is important, but what's more important is the overall place it has in greek culture
Apollo
● Healing and purification - he can give disease, he can take it away
● God of youth and rites of passage
● Always depicted without a beard - unlike all the gods -youthful
● Gift of prophecy - oracle of delphi
● Strong link with prophecy, music and poetry
● Often depicted with a lyre - he has a sun god aspect
● Bow and arrow - known as the Far Shooter because his arrows go so far
● Associated with the laurel tree
● Daphne - nymph who takes the form of a laurel tree to escape Apollo
Artemis
● Artemis is the goddess of youthful women, rites of passage etc
● Virgin Goddess of the Hunt - bow and arrow
● Asia Minor and Turkey - she was evolved from fertility gods in that area
Hymn to Apollo
● Not clear if it is 1 or 2 compositions
● Early to mid 6th century BCE
● Even though they are twins, the story is about Apollo
● Places turn her away bc they are afraid of Hera
● As soon as he is born, he is given nectar and ambrosia
● Apollo was the patron god of new beginnings, new ventures, new buildings, travel
Delphi and the Oracle
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Document Summary
Characteristic of homeric poems and of hymns. So called because of the language - similar to homeric poems. These hymns were performed by travelling rhapsodes - they performed poems from memory but they were not poets themselves. Seemed to serve as preludes to a longer recitation of a homeric poem. Slavic poets performed right up until the end of the 20th century. Localism - they would big up the towns they visited - and panhellenism - your local area is important, but what"s more important is the overall place it has in greek culture. Healing and purification - he can give disease, he can take it away. God of youth and rites of passage. Always depicted without a beard - unlike all the gods -youthful. Gift of prophecy - oracle of delphi. Strong link with prophecy, music and poetry. Often depicted with a lyre - he has a sun god aspect.
