Transcript Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Demeter
• Who is Demeter?
• What does her name mean?
• Of what is she the goddess?
• Sister of Zeus
• De-meter: Meaning of dê? Gr. mêtêr =
“mother”.
• Association with grain, wheat. (Cf. Roman
equivalent Ceres, “cereal”. Modern Greek
word for cereal is demetriaká.) But is that all?
Cf. Dionysus and the association with wine.
The Homeric Hymn to Demeter
“I am the honored Demeter, the greatest good and gain
to the immortals and mortal men”
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Ritual context of the Hymn?
Where is it set? Where else could it be set?
What is it about?
Who are the participants?
What claims are made, what territories and
boundaries are staked out?
• What problems arise and how are they
resolved?
Hades
abducting
Persephone
(wall
painting,
Vergina, 4th
century BCE)
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
• Panhellenic yet connected to Eleusis (land annexed by
Athenians) – other versions of myth do not mention Eleusis.
• Site of abduction of Persephone/Kore is Nysian plain (location
unknown); other versions set it in Crete or Sicily (strong cult of
Demeter in S. Italy and Sicily, “breadbasket” of Greek world):
see Diodorus Siculus, Anthology p. 98. Cf. setting of myth in
Arcadia described in Pausanias (Anthology p. 351) and
different parentage of Demeter
• The divine plot: assertion of Hades’ rights as brother of Zeus,
assent of Zeus, abduction, conflict between Zeus and
Demeter, resolution
• The human plot: Demophoon, anger of Demeter,
appeasement by cult of Demeter at Eleusis, gift of the
Mysteries
Location
of Eleusis
Abduction of Persephone, daughter of
Demeter, aka Kore (“the maiden”)
• Division of world between brothers Zeus, Hades
(underworld), Poseidon (sea), “counsel” and “plan, design”
of Zeus to give honor to his brother Hades by giving
Persephone to her
• Note epithets of Hades, “the many-named son of Cronos” –
avoidance of actual name, name taboo. Name Plouton (cf.
Roman Pluto), “giver of wealth”. Why this name avoidance?
• Search by Demeter with torches (cf. role of searching and
torches in Eleusinian mysteries), renunciation of ambrosia,
nectar, bathing (already begins to separate from world of
gods)
• Goddess Hecate hears abduction, Helios (Sun) sees it
Consolation of Helios to Demeter,
Anthology p.171
• “But, Goddess, cease from your long
lamenting. It is not fitting for you vainly to
hold onto anger unassuaged like this. No
unseemly son-in-law among the immortals is
Aidoneus [i.e. Hades], the lord of many, your
own brother and of one seed with you. For his
share he won, when the threefold division was
first made, sovereignty among those with
whom he dwells.”
Withdrawal of Demeter from gods,
mingling with mortals
• Assumption of human form, old woman
• Meeting at well at Eleusis with daughters of Celeos,
engagement as nurse of Demophon
• P.173 partial revelation of divinity
• Rejection of wine, drinking instead of kykeon (use in ritual
of mysteries)
• Obscene antics of Iambe (aetiological figure for iambic
verse and connections with humor, obscenity, sex, verbal
abuse)
• Interrupted immortalization of Demophon (ambrosia, fire
treatment) by mother Metaneira, anger of Demeter
• Loss of godlike immortality for Demophon but
compensation of hero cult upon death
Drawings by Glynnis Fawkes
Anger of Demeter p. 174
• “O helpless and uncounseled race of men, who
know not beforehand the fate of coming good or
coming evil. For, behold, you have wrought upon
yourself a bane incurable by your own
witlessness. For…I would have made your dear
child deathless and exempt from age forever and
would have given him glory imperishable. But
now in no way may he escape the Moirai (Fates)
and death, yet glory imperishable will ever be his,
since he has lain on my knees and slept within my
arms.”
Epiphany, anger, and instructions to
build temple, rites p.174
• “But as the years go round, the sons of the Eleusinians will
ever wage war and dreadful strife, one upon the other. I am
the honored Demeter, the greatest good and gain to the
immortals and mortal men. But, come now, let all the
people build me a great temple and an altar beside… But I
myself will prescribe the rites, so that in time to come you
may duly perform them and appease my power.”
• With that the goddess changed her shape and height and
cast off old age, and beauty breathed about her. Sweet
scent breathed from her fragrant robes, and afar shone the
light from the deathless body of the goddess, the yellow
hair flowing about her shoulders, so that the fine house
was filled with a splendor like that of lightning-fire…
Continuing anger and punishment:
withdrawal of fertility
• Though now back in divine form, Demeter
remains separate from gods on Olympus
• Hiding of seed, famine (does this mean
agriculture already exists? Yet versions of this
myth often end with Demeter explaining
agriculture to mortals)
• Why are the gods affected by this if they don’t
eat human food?
Persephone restored to Demeter – but
trick of pomegranate p. 176
• Stealthiness of Hades
• Connection of pomegranate with sexuality?
• Compromise solution: 2/3 of year above
ground, 1/3 below ground
• How might this connect with agricultural
cycle?
Restoration of agriculture, return of
Demeter to society of gods,
introduction of Mysteries to
Eleusinians (p.178)
• Rare appearance of Rhea (mother of Olympians) to
persuade Demeter to return
• “She [Demeter] taught Triptolemos, Polyxeinos, and
Diocles her fine mysteries, holy mysteries that none
may violate or search into or noise abroad [i.e. reveal],
for the great curse from the gods restrains the voice.
Happy (blessed) is he among mortal men who has
beheld these things! And he who is uninitiated and has
no lot in them never has an equal lot in death beneath
the murky gloom.”
Eleusinian Mysteries
• What do the Mysteries offer
participants?Knowledge and promise of
different and better afterlife for initiated
• Initiates experience fasting, darkness, reenactment of search for Persephone with
torches
Persephone
and Hades as
couple with
offerings
received
from
worshipper.
Votive panel
from
Persephone
sanctuary in
Locri
(Southern
Italy)
Relief with
Kore
(Persephone)
and Demeter
Relief from Eleusis
showing Demeter
initiating
Triptolemos into
the mysteries,
Kore/Persephone
stands by
What is the myth about?
• Interconnection of life and death? Walter
Burkert: “Life has gained the dimension of
death, but this also means that death contains
the dimension of life”
• Institution of marriage, negotiation of split
between own family and family of husband?
• 19th c. interpretations: agricultural cycle?
Local variants
• Pausanias and Arcadian location of Demeter
myth (=Anthology p. 351)
• Diodorus Siculus (=Anthology pp. 98-99) and
discussion of Athenian vs Sicilian claims to
location of Demeter’s introduction of
agriculture and location of abduction