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Hesoid and Homer: The Work of Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica
Hesiod: "Works and Days", "The Theogony", fragments of "The Catalogues of Women and the Eoiae", "The Shield of Heracles" (attributed to Hesiod), and fragments of various works attributed to Hesiod.
Homer: "The Homeric Hymns", "The Epigrams of Homer" (both attributed to Homer).
Various: Fragments of the Epic Cycle (parts of which are sometimes attributed to Homer), fragments of other epic poems attributed to Homer, "The Battle of Frogs and Mice", and "The Contest of Homer and Hesiod".
Hesiod lived in the 8th century BCE, probably about the same time or shortly after Homer. He refers to himself as a farmer in Boeotia, a region of central Greece, but other than that we know little. His poetry codified the chronology and genealogy of the Greek myths. Works and Days and the Theogony are the only two complete works we have of Hesiod, other than the first few lines of a poem called the Shield of Heracles.
In Works and Days Hesiod divided time into five ages:--the Golden age, ruled by Cronos, when people lived extremely long lives 'without sorrow of heart'; the Silver age, ruled by Zeus; the Bronze age, an epoch of war; the Heroic age, the time of the Trojan war; and lastly the Iron age, the corrupt present. This is similar to Hindu and Buddhist concepts of the Kali Yuga. The idea of a Golden Age has likewise had a profound impact on western thought. Works and Days also discusses pagan ethics, extols hard work, and lists lucky and unlucky days of the month for various activities.
The Theogony presents the descent of the gods, and, along with the works of Homer, is one of the key source documents for Greek mythology; it is the Genesis of Greek mythology. It gives the clearest presentation of the Greek pagan creation myth, starting with the creatrix goddesses Chaos and Earth, from whom descended all the gods and men; it mentions hundreds of individual gods, goddesses, demi-gods, elementals and heroes.
Homer: "The Homeric Hymns", "The Epigrams of Homer" (both attributed to Homer).
Various: Fragments of the Epic Cycle (parts of which are sometimes attributed to Homer), fragments of other epic poems attributed to Homer, "The Battle of Frogs and Mice", and "The Contest of Homer and Hesiod".
Hesiod lived in the 8th century BCE, probably about the same time or shortly after Homer. He refers to himself as a farmer in Boeotia, a region of central Greece, but other than that we know little. His poetry codified the chronology and genealogy of the Greek myths. Works and Days and the Theogony are the only two complete works we have of Hesiod, other than the first few lines of a poem called the Shield of Heracles.
In Works and Days Hesiod divided time into five ages:--the Golden age, ruled by Cronos, when people lived extremely long lives 'without sorrow of heart'; the Silver age, ruled by Zeus; the Bronze age, an epoch of war; the Heroic age, the time of the Trojan war; and lastly the Iron age, the corrupt present. This is similar to Hindu and Buddhist concepts of the Kali Yuga. The idea of a Golden Age has likewise had a profound impact on western thought. Works and Days also discusses pagan ethics, extols hard work, and lists lucky and unlucky days of the month for various activities.
The Theogony presents the descent of the gods, and, along with the works of Homer, is one of the key source documents for Greek mythology; it is the Genesis of Greek mythology. It gives the clearest presentation of the Greek pagan creation myth, starting with the creatrix goddesses Chaos and Earth, from whom descended all the gods and men; it mentions hundreds of individual gods, goddesses, demi-gods, elementals and heroes.
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 801
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176 people want to read
About the author
Homer
4,719 books7,048 followersHomer (Greek: Όμηρος born c. 8th century BC) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the most revered and influential authors in history.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
Homer's Iliad centers on a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the last year of the Trojan War. The Odyssey chronicles the ten-year journey of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, back to his home after the fall of Troy. The poems are in Homeric Greek, also known as Epic Greek, a literary language which shows a mixture of features of the Ionic and Aeolic dialects from different centuries; the predominant influence is Eastern Ionic. Most researchers believe that the poems were originally transmitted orally. Despite being predominantly known for its tragic and serious themes, the Homeric poems also contain instances of comedy and laughter.
Homer's epic poems shaped aspects of ancient Greek culture and education, fostering ideals of heroism, glory, and honor. To Plato, Homer was simply the one who "has taught Greece" (τὴν Ἑλλάδα πεπαίδευκεν). In Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, Virgil refers to Homer as "Poet sovereign", king of all poets; in the preface to his translation of the Iliad, Alexander Pope acknowledges that Homer has always been considered the "greatest of poets". From antiquity to the present day, Homeric epics have inspired many famous works of literature, music, art, and film.
The question of by whom, when, where and under what circumstances the Iliad and Odyssey were composed continues to be debated. Scholars remain divided as to whether the two works are the product of a single author. It is thought that the poems were composed at some point around the late eighth or early seventh century BC. Many accounts of Homer's life circulated in classical antiquity; the most widespread account was that he was a blind bard from Ionia, a region of central coastal Anatolia in present-day Turkey. Modern scholars consider these accounts legendary.
French: Homère, Italian: Omero, Portuguese, Spanish: Homero.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 31, 2017
This book has so many texts that I can't fairly give it more or less than 4 stars. Review by points.
Structure: It's way too long. Tthere are too many different texts and it becomes a bit fastidious.
Hesiod: I guess that I did not like Hesiod so much because of his focus on genealogy. It's not what I'm most interested when discussing the gods and other than that he is not very poetic (unlike homer).
My favorite part were the homeric hymns. They range from very funny (the Hymn of Hermes) to deeply moving to the point of almost driving me to tears (the famous Hymn to Demeter, describing the kidnapping of Persephone).
I don't very much like to read fragments because my attention drifts away easily.
I loved the battle of frogs and mice. It was absolutely hilarious. It had the most postmodern feeling.
Structure: It's way too long. Tthere are too many different texts and it becomes a bit fastidious.
Hesiod: I guess that I did not like Hesiod so much because of his focus on genealogy. It's not what I'm most interested when discussing the gods and other than that he is not very poetic (unlike homer).
My favorite part were the homeric hymns. They range from very funny (the Hymn of Hermes) to deeply moving to the point of almost driving me to tears (the famous Hymn to Demeter, describing the kidnapping of Persephone).
I don't very much like to read fragments because my attention drifts away easily.
I loved the battle of frogs and mice. It was absolutely hilarious. It had the most postmodern feeling.
April 21, 2014
This translation definitely errs on the side of accuracy over poetry, but after a number of reads of a translation where the best turns of phrase weren't from the Greek at all, I can't quite find fault with that. I appreciated the sheer volume of fragments included, and this was my first experience with the poet-off between Homer and Hesiod, which I'm pretty sure every classics fan should read at least once.
December 14, 2020
This is a good book for anybody interested in Classical Mythology directly from ancient sources and ancient books. It contains the works of Hesiod, Homer, and other authors from the ancient world. The last epic in this book is the legendary contest between Homer and Hesiod; which includes an account of the mythical lives and deaths of the two greatest epic poets of ancient Greece.
Overall a good read. It was enjoyable and a fun read!
Overall a good read. It was enjoyable and a fun read!
February 17, 2021
PDF of the original Loeb publication from what, about 100 years ago?
Worthwhile Notes and Intro - and a Complete Hesiod.
There are now better editions of the Homeric Hymns and Homerica out there (although without the original Greek texts in them in some cases).
Good source for ALL of Hesiod in one place. Ebook is reasonably priced. But format is old and clunky. and not easy to jump through. No Chapter hyperlinks.
Worthwhile Notes and Intro - and a Complete Hesiod.
There are now better editions of the Homeric Hymns and Homerica out there (although without the original Greek texts in them in some cases).
Good source for ALL of Hesiod in one place. Ebook is reasonably priced. But format is old and clunky. and not easy to jump through. No Chapter hyperlinks.
February 26, 2024
The complete surviving works of Hesiod and then a collection of other ancient texts -- the selection is a bit puzzling to me. Evelyn-White's translation hits my personal sweet spot of not-too-flowery and not-too-formal.
I picked this up mostly for the Theogony and the Homeric hymns, but I came to really appreciate 'The Catalogues of Women and Eoiae' (love picking through heroes' and demigods' family trees!) and 'The Battle of Frogs and Mice' (which is such a clever parody of war epics I'm gonna rank it just below the Iliad!).
I picked this up mostly for the Theogony and the Homeric hymns, but I came to really appreciate 'The Catalogues of Women and Eoiae' (love picking through heroes' and demigods' family trees!) and 'The Battle of Frogs and Mice' (which is such a clever parody of war epics I'm gonna rank it just below the Iliad!).
January 13, 2023
Поемата "Дела и дни" дава много ясна представа за разбиранията, нравите и бита на древните гърци!
paused
July 11, 2025Introduction
Hesiod
- Theogony ✔
Homeric Hymns
Hesiod
- Theogony ✔
Homeric Hymns
September 12, 2016
The preface was informative and easy to digest, with intriguing little explanations, such as this about "the burlesque poems":
"To Homer were popularly ascribed certain burlesque poems in which Aristotle ("Poetics" iv) saw the germ of comedy."
This text in ebook format has a wealth of classic Greek literature, and I'd never have read any of it if not for Amazon Prime. Gotta love these chapter titles: The Divination By Birds; The Battle Of Frogs And Mice.
Personally, I downloaded it for the Hymn To Hermes. I'm a big fan of the God of Roads, the soul guide of alchemists, protector of thieves. Well, all the Homeric Hymns were cool to read. Scratch that off my bucket list.
"To Homer were popularly ascribed certain burlesque poems in which Aristotle ("Poetics" iv) saw the germ of comedy."
This text in ebook format has a wealth of classic Greek literature, and I'd never have read any of it if not for Amazon Prime. Gotta love these chapter titles: The Divination By Birds; The Battle Of Frogs And Mice.
Personally, I downloaded it for the Hymn To Hermes. I'm a big fan of the God of Roads, the soul guide of alchemists, protector of thieves. Well, all the Homeric Hymns were cool to read. Scratch that off my bucket list.
July 27, 2017
Hesiod is not my preferred reteller on the Greek myths - I personally find him rather dry and dull... I'm still glad I read it though, as his work is good mental food if bland - kinda like the literary equivalent of branflakes for me... ;)
Want to read
April 14, 2013I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11831697
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11831697
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews