Published June 27, 2024 | Version v1
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The Homeric Hymn to Hermes

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Brown University

Contributors

  • 1. University of British Columbia

Description

The Homeric Hymn to Hermes (Homeric Hymn 4) is the longest of the 33 surviving ancient Greek hymns traditionally attributed to Homer, the semi-legendary composer of the Iliad and Odyssey. Though the Hymn to Hermes, like the other Homeric Hymns, has important stylistic, narrative, and thematic similarities to the Iliad and Odyssey, modern scholars do not believe that these poems were composed by the composer or composers of the Iliad and Odyssey. The Homeric Hymn to Hermes narrates the first three days of the life of Hermes, the Greek god associated with messengers, travel, and thieves. In the hymn, the young Hermes invents the lyre, steals the cattle of his brother Apollo, and finally receives a "crash course" in divination. Music and song are important themes throughout, and humor is used very prominently. On the basis of the language and content of the poem, scholars have often argued for a date of composition in the second half of the sixth century BCE.

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References

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