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, its role in the religious life of the ancient world, and its meaning for the modern world.
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Foley synthesizes important insights of the articles she reprints and of much other scholarship besides, and builds on them to construct a comprehensive and persuasive reading of her own. -- William G. Thalmann, Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Foley's book is the first full-length study in English of the Hymn.... It is a welcome and much-needed work.... Foley's analysis of the Hymn is an excellent demonstration of how it can be interpreted in the light of the [Eleusinian] Mysteries. -- Ann C. Suter, New England Classical Newsletter and Journal
Foley's attempt to connect the psychological, cosmological, and theological themes in the Hymn is her greatest success. -- Victoria Pedrick, The Classical Journal
About the Author
Helene P. Foley is Olin Professor of Classics at Barnard College, Columbia University. She is author of Ritual Irony: Poetry and Sacrifice in Euripides, coauthor of Women in the Classical World: Image and Text, and editor of Reflections of Women in Antiquity.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great,
By Phantomas (Everywhere but here) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Paperback)
This is the best translation ever. I found this specific Homeric Hymn to be the one that you must absolutely must read.
9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
excellent new translation,
By TammyJo Eckhart "TammyJo Eckhart" (Bloomington, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)
This review is from: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Paperback)
Foley provides us with an excellent new translation of one of the best known homeraic hymns in both the ancient and the modern world. Her commentary is insightful though at times the evidence could be stronger and the wording clearer. Definately not for the layperson in terms of analysis but an interesting read for new scholars and specialists alike.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting,
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This review is from: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Paperback)
First, a word must be said about the translation of the hymn itself. It is readable, accessible, even captivating, and is presented in facing page format so advanced students can read the original Greek for themselves. Excellent.
This book is far more than the translation of the hymn, however. It includes commentary by Foley and others with the intent that this be used as a centerpiece for women's studies regarding the ancient world. Because my interest was largely the hymn as such, I have not deducted any points for the criticisms I am offering on this part. I found the commentary to be less impressive than the translation per se. There were useful points, but more often they involved discussions of word plays which really should have been framed in terms of poetics rather than simple plays on words, and I found myself asking several times why given works were included in the third section. In particular Chodorow's essay "Family Structure and Feminine Personality" seemed to have little relevance to the hymn itself. I could only conclude that the goal was to present a larger work of women's studies rather than an essay primarily focusing on this particularly important work. The quality and clarity of translation of the hymn itself, however, makes up for these shortcomings and more. I'd still highly recommend the work.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Demeter I begin to sing, the fair-tressed awesome goddess, herself and her slim-ankled daughter whom Aidoneus seized; Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
infernal barrier, mature dependence, infantile dependence, new honors Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Diodorus Siculus, Eleusinian Mysteries, Lesser Mysteries, Homeric Hvmn, Adrienne Rich, Apollodoros Bibliotheca, East London, Hesiod's Theogony, Jenny Clay, Ovid Metamorphoses, Clement Protreptikos, Daughter Romance, Hesiod Theogonv, Isles of the Blest, Ovid Fasti, Trojan War, Bronze Age, Hesiod Theogony, Hippolytos Refutatio, Maiden Songs, Plutarch Moraha, Vergil Georgics New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Demeter I begin to sing, the fair-tressed awesome goddess, herself and her slim-ankled daughter whom Aidoneus seized; Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
infernal barrier, mature dependence, infantile dependence, new honors Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Diodorus Siculus, Eleusinian Mysteries, Lesser Mysteries, Homeric Hvmn, Adrienne Rich, Apollodoros Bibliotheca, East London, Hesiod's Theogony, Jenny Clay, Ovid Metamorphoses, Clement Protreptikos, Daughter Romance, Hesiod Theogonv, Isles of the Blest, Ovid Fasti, Trojan War, Bronze Age, Hesiod Theogony, Hippolytos Refutatio, Maiden Songs, Plutarch Moraha, Vergil Georgics New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
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- Gender and the Interpretation of Classical Myth (Classical Inter/Faces) by Lillian E. Doherty on 4 pages
- Conduct and Behavior as Determinants for the Afterlife: A Comparison of the Judgments of the Dead in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece by Gary A. Stilwell on page 116, page 117, and Back Matter
- The Distaff Side: Representing the Female in Homer's Odyssey by Beth Cohen in Front Matter, page 13, and Back Matter
- Naked Truths : Women, Sexuality & Gender in Classical Art & Archaeology by an epilogue by Natalie Boymel Kapman on page 34, page 86, and Back Matter
- Sappho Is Burning by Page duBois on page 49, and Back Matter
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