48 pages • 1 hour read
Homeric Hymns
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Hymns 8-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Hymn 8 Summary: “To Ares”
The hymn presents Ares, god of war and bloodshed, as “Father of Victory” and “King over manliness” (70). The narrator asks Ares to grant him strength in battle. Most of all, he asks for courage to live in peace.
Hymn 9 Summary: “To Artemis”
Hymn 10 Summary: “To Aphrodite”
The hymn praises Aphrodite’s generosity toward mortals and describes her as having a “sweet face.” The narrator asks Aphrodite to make his song “charming.”
Hymn 11 Summary: “To Athena”
Hymn 12 Summary: “To Hera”
The hymn refers to Hera as the “gold-throned child of Rhea” as well as the “sister and noble wife of thundering Zeus” (74). Her reign is unending and she is venerated amongst the gods.
Hymn 13 Summary: “To Demeter”
The hymn asks Demeter to guard the city. The narrator calls out to the “bright-haired goddess” Demeter and her “exquisite daughter” Persephone” for protection.
Hymns 8-13 Analysis
This section of hymns acknowledges the gods’ respective domains of power and asks the gods for assistance and protection. The gods perfectly embody the ideals associated with their domains. Aphrodite is described as exuding lust, and “on her cheeks sex blossoms” (72). Likewise, Ares has a hard “will, hand, shield, and spear” (70). These hymns also celebrate the coherent nature of the pantheon as each god represents a contrasting yet harmonious ideal. There are Aphrodite and Artemis, who embody lust and chastity respectively. Similarly, Ares represents bloodshed and unthinking courage, whereas Athena represents wisdom and war strategy. These hymns therefore present a theme of the gods’ harmonious relations and the harmony amongst seemingly conflicting ideals; “She [Athena] and Ares foster Campaigns, the battle cry, the sack of strongholds” (73). The final two hymns, to Hera and to Demeter, praise the goddesses and ask for their protection.
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