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The Homeric Hymns

Translation, Introduction, and Notes by Apostolos N. Athanassakis

third edition
Publication Date
Binding Type

The best-selling, essential, and straightforward translation of the Homeric Hymns, accompanied by an expanded introduction and updated expert notes.

A rich source for students of Greek mythology and literature, the Homeric Hymns are also fine poetry. Attributed by the ancients to Homer, these prooimia, or preludes, were actually composed by various poets over centuries. They were performed at religious festivals as entertainment meant to stir up enthusiasm for far more ambitious compositions that followed them, namely the Iliad and Odyssey. Each of the thirty-three poems is written in honor of...

The best-selling, essential, and straightforward translation of the Homeric Hymns, accompanied by an expanded introduction and updated expert notes.

A rich source for students of Greek mythology and literature, the Homeric Hymns are also fine poetry. Attributed by the ancients to Homer, these prooimia, or preludes, were actually composed by various poets over centuries. They were performed at religious festivals as entertainment meant to stir up enthusiasm for far more ambitious compositions that followed them, namely the Iliad and Odyssey. Each of the thirty-three poems is written in honor of a Greek god or goddess. Together, the hymns provide a fascinating view into the ancients' view of deities.

In this long-awaited third edition of his acclaimed translations of the hymns, Apostolos Athanassakis preserves the vigor and the magic of the ancient text while modernizing traditional renditions of certain epithets and formulaic phrases. He avoids lengthening or truncating lines, thereby crafting a symmetrical text, and makes an effort to keep to an iambic flow without sacrificing accuracy. Athanassakis enhances his classic work with a new index of names and topics, updated bibliography, revised genealogical charts, and careful and selective changes in the translations themselves. An expanded introduction addresses ancient reception of the hymns. Numerous additions to the notes, reflecting over twenty-five years of scholarship, draw on modern anthropological and archaeological research to explore prominent themes and religious syncretism within the poems. These materials all enrich the reader's experience of these ancient and influential poems.

A perennial classroom favorite, The Homeric Hymns embodies thrilling new visions of antiquity.

Reviews

Reviews

More than any other translation, this one makes these ancient poems seem familiar without eroding our sense of them as profoundly archaic and foreign.

Stately, graceful, and close to the original, this translation will serve its readers' purposes well.

Professor Athanassakis' new translation of the Hymns is very welcome. It is clearly intended for the use of students in courses in Greek mythology and religion, and includes a short but useful general introduction and separate notes to each Hymn... Athanassakis' translation is acceptable, and his commentary is very useful for its sound traditional scholarship and acquaintance with modern Greek folklore which he alone can contribute.

The translations present clear, smooth, and occasionally stately narrative. The translator displays a knack for selecting colorful and appropriate English words to match the Greek.

Apostolos N. Athanassakis's lucid line-by-line translation of the Homeric Hymns has long held a place of honor in classical mythology and Greek literature courses. This new edition, with updated translations and notes, will guide anyone interested in Greek gods or ancient poetry to an appreciation of these graceful, lively texts.

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About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
7
x
10
Pages
144
ISBN
9781421438603
Illustration Description
1 map, 2 charts
Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
1. Fragments of the Hymn to Dionysos
2. To Demeter
3. To Apollon
4. To Hermes
5. To Aphrodite
6. To Aphrodite
7. To Dionysos
8. To Ares
9. To Artemis
10. To Aphrodite
11. To Athena
12

Preface
Introduction
1. Fragments of the Hymn to Dionysos
2. To Demeter
3. To Apollon
4. To Hermes
5. To Aphrodite
6. To Aphrodite
7. To Dionysos
8. To Ares
9. To Artemis
10. To Aphrodite
11. To Athena
12. To Hera
13. To Demeter
14. To the Mother of the Gods
15. To Lion-Hearted Herakles
16. To Asklepios
17. To the Dioskouroi
18. To Hermes
19. To Pan
20. To Hephaistos
21. To Apollon
22. To Poseidon
23. To Zeus
24. To Hestia
25. To the Muses and Apollon
26. To Dionysos
27. To Artemis
28. To Athena
29. To Hestia
30. To Earth, Mother of All
31. To Helios
32. To Selene
33. To the Dioskouroi
To Guest-Friends
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

Apostolos N. Athanassakis

Apostolos N. Athanassakis (ATHENS, GR) is professor emeritus in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he held the Argyropoulos Chair in Hellenic Studies from 2001 to 2011. Among his many translations is The Homeric Hymns.