The Homeric Hymns

Contents

1. 1To Dionysus4 lines
2. 2To Demeter42 lines
3. 3To Delian Apollo43 lines
4. 4To Hermes48 lines
5. 5To Aphrodite22 lines
6. 6To Aphrodite2 lines
7. 7To Dionysus6 lines
8. 8To Ares1 lines
9. 9To Artemis2 lines
10. 10To Aphrodite2 lines
11. 11To Athena2 lines
12. 12To Hera1 lines
13. 13To Demeter2 lines
14. 14To the Mother of the Gods2 lines
15. 15To Heracles the Lion-Hearted2 lines
16. 16To Asclepius2 lines
17. 17To the Dioscuri2 lines
18. 18To Hermes3 lines
19. 19To Pan3 lines
20. 20To Hephaestus2 lines
21. 21To Apollo2 lines
22. 22To Poseidon2 lines
23. 23To the Son of Cronos, Most High2 lines
24. 24To Hestia1 lines
25. 25To the Muses and Apollo2 lines
26. 26To Dionysus2 lines
27. 27To Artemis2 lines
28. 28To Athena2 lines
29. 29To Hestia3 lines
30. 30To Earth the Mother of All2 lines
31. 31To Helios2 lines
32. 32To Selene3 lines
33. 33To the Dioscuri2 lines

Nearest to the Papers

The passages of this work and the paragraphs of the Papers that are nearest to each other in meaning, as the API compares them.

• HH 4.94-11450%When he had said this much, he hurried the strong cattle on together: through many shadowy mountains and echoing gorges and flowery plains glorious Hermes drove them. And now the divine night, his dark ally, was mostly passed, and dawn that sets folk to work was quickly coming on, while bright Selene, daughter of the lord Pallas, Megamedes’ son, had just climbed her watch-post, when the strong Son of Zeus drove the wide-browed cattle of Phoebus Apollo to the river Alpheus. And they came unwearied to the high-roofed byres and the drinking-troughs that were before the noble meadow. Then, after he had well-fed the loud-bellowing cattle with fodder and driven them into the byre, close-packed and chewing lotus and began to seek the art of fire. He chose a stout laurel branch and trimmed it with the knife........held firmly in his hand: and the hot smoke rose up. For it was Hermes who first invented fire-sticks and fire. Next he took many dried sticks and piled them thick and plenty in a sunken trench: and flame began to glow, spreading afar the blast of fierce-burning fire.63:2.5The First Human FamilyBut the autumn sun was getting lower in the sky, and as they journeyed northward, the nights grew cooler and cooler. Already they had been forced to make use of animal skins for warmth. Before they had been away from home one moon, Andon signified to his mate that he thought he could make fire with the flint. They tried for two months to utilize the flint spark for kindling a fire but only met with failure. Each day this couple would strike the flints and endeavor to ignite the wood. Finally, one evening about the time of the setting of the sun, the secret of the technique was unraveled when it occurred to Fonta to climb a near-by tree to secure an abandoned bird’s nest. The nest was dry and highly inflammable and consequently flared right up into a full blaze the moment the spark fell upon it. They were so surprised and startled at their success that they almost lost the fire, but they saved it by the addition of suitable fuel, and then began the first search for firewood by the parents of all mankind.
• HH 2.483-48949%But when the bright goddess had taught them all, they went to Olympus to the gathering of the other gods. And there they dwell beside Zeus who delights in thunder, awful and reverend goddesses. Right blessed is he among men on earth whom they freely love: soon they do send Plutus as guest to his great house, Plutus who gives wealth to mortal men.98:1.4The Melchizedek Teachings in the OccidentAs a consequence of these factors in religious evolution, there presently developed the popular belief in the happy-go-lucky gods of Mount Olympus, gods more human than divine, and gods which the intelligent Greeks never did regard very seriously. They neither greatly loved nor greatly feared these divinities of their own creation. They had a patriotic and racial feeling for Zeus and his family of half men and half gods, but they hardly reverenced or worshiped them.
• HH 3.115-12245%And as soon as Eilithyia the goddess of sore travail set foot on Delos, the pains of birth seized Leto, and she longed to bring forth; so she cast her arms about a palm tree and kneeled on the soft meadow while the earth laughed for joy beneath. Then the child leaped forth to the light, and all the goddesses washed you purely and cleanly with sweet water, and swathed you in a white garment of fine texture, new-woven, and fastened a golden band about you.84:4.6Marriage and Family LifeChildbearing was once generally looked upon as rendering a woman dangerous and unclean. And many tribal mores decreed that a mother must undergo extensive purification ceremonies subsequent to the birth of a child. Except among those groups where the husband participated in the lying-in, the expectant mother was shunned, left alone. The ancients even avoided having a child born in the house. Finally, the old women were permitted to attend the mother during labor, and this practice gave origin to the profession of midwifery. During labor, scores of foolish things were said and done in an effort to facilitate delivery. It was the custom to sprinkle the newborn with holy water to prevent ghost interference.

This edition

Translator

Hugh G. Evelyn-White

Year

1914

Tradition

Ancient Greek

Rights

Public domain in the United States

Source

Read at the source