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Homeric Hymns
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Hymn 7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Hymn 7 Summary: “To Dionysus”
Etruscan pirates kidnap Dionysus, whom they mistake for a young mortal man. The pirates attempt to tie Dionysus with willow twine, but the rope falls at his sides. The helmsman argues that they have wrongfully taken a god as prisoner. He urges the crewmen to release the god but is silenced by the captain, who wants to sell Dionysus. Suddenly, the fragrance of wine permeates the vessel. A vine emerges from the sail, quickly bearing grapes and berries. Dionysus unleashes a bear and a lion to terrorize the crewmen and turns those who jump into the water into dolphins. He spares the helmsman and reveals himself as the god Dionysus.
Hymn 7 Analysis
This hymn returns to the theme of the intersection between the mortal and immortal worlds. Dionysus conceals his true identity, yet he cannot suppress his divine nature entirely, as when the willow twine cannot restrain him. The god reveals his identity only once the captain and crew members resolve to keep him prisoner despite the helmsman’s advice. The advice of the helmsman, to release the god, implicitly asserts the separation of gods and mortals; when the crew ignores the helmsman, Dionysus himself restores order and the separation between gods and mortals in an act of wrath.
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