The Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Translation, Commentary, and Interpretive Essays

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter: Translation, Commentary, and Interpretive Essays

Demeter (Greek deity) -- In literature
Demeter (Greek deity) -- Poetry
Hymns, Greek (Classical) -- Translations into English
Hymns, Greek (Classical) -- History and criticism
Eleusinian mysteries in literature
Hymn to Demeter
Homeric hymns -- Translations into English

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter, composed in the late seventh or early sixth century B.C.E., is a key to understanding the psychological and religious world of ancient Greek women. The poem tells how Hades, lord of the underworld, abducted the goddess Persephone and how her grieving mother, Demeter, the goddess of grain, forced the gods to allow Persephone to return to her for part of each year. Helene Foley presents the Greek text and an annotated translation of this poem, together with selected essays that give the reader a rich understanding of the Hymn's structure and artistry

Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press

edited by Helene P. Foley

ISBN : 0691068437
ISBN : 9780691068435
ISBN : 0691014795
ISBN : 9780691014791

Text and Translation of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter -- Commentary on the Homeric Hymn to Demeter -- Background: The Eleusinian Mysteries and Women's Rites for Demeter -- Interpreting the Hymn to Demeter -- The "Theology" of the Mysteries -- Variants of the Myth and the Importance of the Version in the Hymn to Demeter -- Female Experience in the Hymn to Demeter -- Marriage -- Gender Conflict and the Cosmological Tradition -- The Mother/Daughter Romance -- The Psychology of the Mysteries -- The Hymn to Demeter and the Polis -- Christianity and the Hymn to Demeter -- The Influence of the Hymn to Demeter and Its Myth.
pt. 1. The text and translation, commentary, and background -- pt. 2. Interpretive essay on the Homeric Hymn to Demeter -- pt. 3. Further interpretation : contributed articles.

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