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Homeric Hymns. Homeric Apocrypha. Lives of Homer
Performances of Greek epics customarily began with a hymn to a god or goddess--as Hesiod's Theogony and Works and Days do. A collection of thirty-three such poems has come down to us from antiquity under the title "Hymns of Homer." This new Loeb Classical Library volume contains, in addition to the Hymns, fragments of five comic poems that were connected with Homer's name in or just after the Classical period (but are not today believed to be by the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey). Here too is a collection of ancient accounts of the poet's life.
The Hymns range widely in length: two are over 500 lines long; several run only a half dozen lines. Among the longest are the hymn To Demeter, which tells the foundational story of the Eleusinian Mysteries; and To Hermes, distinctive in being amusing. The comic poems gathered as Homeric Apocrypha include Margites, the Battle of Frogs and Mice, and, for the first time in English, a fragment of a perhaps earlier poem of the same type called Battle of the Weasel and the Mice. The edition of Lives of Homer contains The Contest of Homer and Hesiod and nine other biographical accounts, translated into English for the first time.
Martin West's faithful and pleasing translations are fully annotated; his freshly edited texts offer new solutions to a number of textual puzzles.
The Hymns range widely in length: two are over 500 lines long; several run only a half dozen lines. Among the longest are the hymn To Demeter, which tells the foundational story of the Eleusinian Mysteries; and To Hermes, distinctive in being amusing. The comic poems gathered as Homeric Apocrypha include Margites, the Battle of Frogs and Mice, and, for the first time in English, a fragment of a perhaps earlier poem of the same type called Battle of the Weasel and the Mice. The edition of Lives of Homer contains The Contest of Homer and Hesiod and nine other biographical accounts, translated into English for the first time.
Martin West's faithful and pleasing translations are fully annotated; his freshly edited texts offer new solutions to a number of textual puzzles.
467 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 501
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About the author
Homer
4,731 books7,078 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 3, 2017
The Homeric Hymns are poetical and a pleasure to read if you have an interest in mythology: **** The apocrypha are humorous and smutty works probably not written by Homer: **
Since nothing is really known about Homer, even if he ever existed, the Lives of Homer are fictional attempts to glorify various Greek cities as his birthplace and/or residence. Skip them and you won't be missing anything important: *
Since nothing is really known about Homer, even if he ever existed, the Lives of Homer are fictional attempts to glorify various Greek cities as his birthplace and/or residence. Skip them and you won't be missing anything important: *
June 2, 2021
A really wonderful read and I do love me my Loeb editions so I can learn more/remember tiny bits of my classical Greek. Great introductions to the three sections, useful footnotes and a valuable index. I'm sure to turn to this volume in the future for reference.
The Hymns were my favorite, explaining the origin/mythologies of various gods. I especially loved the rascal Hermes and the piece on Aprodite. The Apocrypha were enjoyable, if short and not fully extant. I've read the Battle of Frogs and Mice before and it's still so good and a fun read. The Lives of Homer was the least fun to read but useful for all the thoughts people in antiquity had about who they thought Homer was.
The Hymns were my favorite, explaining the origin/mythologies of various gods. I especially loved the rascal Hermes and the piece on Aprodite. The Apocrypha were enjoyable, if short and not fully extant. I've read the Battle of Frogs and Mice before and it's still so good and a fun read. The Lives of Homer was the least fun to read but useful for all the thoughts people in antiquity had about who they thought Homer was.
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November 18, 2022This isn't actually finished, I'm tabling this for now because I haven't been doing classical Greek and I'm not sure when I'll be picking the language back up. My language objectives have shifted and, frankly, I'm facing so much institutional pressure to pick the Greek back up that the obligation is making me have less of a taste for it. Originally, I picked it up very privately just for myself, now it's becoming something expected of me, which I dislike. When I do pick it up again, it will be when I can do so on my own terms. It is such a beautiful language, though, and not quite so impossible to learn as others say! I'll miss it while I pursue other things.
November 27, 2023
I only read the "Homeric Hymns" in this translation, so I will consider this book finished for the time being. I enjoyed M.L. West's translation, but there were some choices in the translation that I don't like in comparison to other translations by M. Crudden and A. Athanassakis.
April 11, 2021
Amazing! Absolutely amazing!
November 5, 2014
The battle of Frogs and Mice is an epic epic parody. The book is worth buying just for that (if you are a fan of the Iliad - otherwise it may not excite so much).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews