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The mythological studies of Greek and Rome were filled with stories about the gods and how mighty some of them were. These are stories that are passed down through generations. The divinity and power that most characters portray have been a subject of study and interpretation for many scholars around the world. Movies have been produced, and stories are written about both the Roman and the Greek gods and their influence in different spheres of life, be it fertility, war, or a mere expression of power manifested in nature like thunder. The immortal nature of the gods in these myths can be fictitious, but the reality is that both the Greeks and the Romans took these stories with high regard. This paper will do a comparative analysis of two hymns, the Hymn to Apollo and the Hymn to Demeter, by looking at how they present their ideologies about the mysterious gods of the Romans and the Greeks.
The Hymn to Demeter has brought out a storyline that deals with Demeter, Zeus, and Persephone. Demeter is the wife of Zeus with whom they gave birth to Persephone, their daughter. While on a walk picking flowers, Persephone gets tricked into a forceful marriage to Hades, the god of the underworld. Zeus who is mentioned to be aware of the plot did not hear the cry of her daughter as the earth opened up and swallowed her. Demeter, who was not aware of this plot by Zeus and his brother embarks on a mission to find her missing daughter who was long gone into Hades. Her pursuit leads her to Hades by disguising herself as an older woman who needed work. Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, and by her power, the ground can bring forth fruits and good tidings. However, her descent to the land of the mortals leads to severe consequences upon the inhabitants of the land. Demeter did not know of the plan of Zeus to give off her daughter to his brother Hades. She became worried for days going without food because her beautiful, loving daughter was missing. She did not even drink the nectar a much-favored drink among the gods (Shelmerdine 49). The writer of the songs paints a troubling mother who is pained by the loss of her daughter and would go to any length to ensure that she gets her. The love of Demeter has led her to carry out roles that do not befit that of a god but rather a servant in the house of Koleos. Her interaction with the mortals almost made her turn the son of Keleos into an immortal (Shelmerdine 242) being but was rather stopped by the mothers intervention. Demeter is then forced to reveal herself to the mortals, after which she orders a temple to be built form her. She reveals herself by saying that humans are foolish and without the sense to know their destiny ahead of time (HHDem. 47).
On the contrary, the Hymn to Apollo begins by the writer acknowledging the might of Apollo, the son of Zeus. Apollo is described to be feared by many, and his mother Leto takes pride in giving birth to such a reckoning figure among the gods. As Apollo approaches the gathering of the gods’ everyone is taken by awe at the sheer expression of power he wields. Zeus, the god of thunder, is delighted in his son and offers him the famous drink among the gods, the nectar. The writer of the hymn decided to focus on the birth of Apollo in Delos. His mother, Leto roamed the earth looking for places to give birth to her son, but many places did not allow her until she came to the rocky Delos. Leto made a promise to Delos that they would put up a temple for Apollo in Delos if Delos agreed to the birth of Apollo. Let swore san oath, and after that, she went it labor which has been mentioned took place for nine days and nine nights. The labor was more painful and disturbing for Leto until Eileithyia, and the other goddesses intervened. Apollo was born and weaned with nectar (HHAp.69) to announce the birth of the mighty one. All the goddesses rejoiced at this marvelous sight that the earth below Smiled. The birth of Apollo was a show of power and fertility one that is common among the gods that even the earth itself flourished. More striking is the fact that Apollo was born and right away expressed his might and power by making a declaration that he will serve the will of Zeus through bow, lyre and prophecy would be in his domain (Shelmerdine 131-132). The writer has mentioned that indeed, worshippers came to Delos to worship at the temple built for Apollo. They came with all kinds of gifts and sacrifices to offer them the gods.
Comparing the two hymns, there are many similarities though not under the same concept. In both hymns, Zeus is involved as the king of the gods. His wives, though under different circumstances have been portrayed to traverse the world of the gods. Leto was looking for a place to give birth while Demeter was looking for her daughter. Both women were goddesses and therefore were highly regarded among the mortals and immortals alike. It is said that Demeter did not eat nor drink anything for close to 10 days as she grieved for her lost daughter. On the contrary, Leto had to go through 9 days and nights of intense labor. The pain was unbearable, but her joy came when the son was born. Moreover, nectar has been mentioned as a famous drink among the gods, as can be seen in the introductory part of the Hymn to Apollo. This drink is highly regarded among the gods and from it they get fortification of their bodies and soul. Therefore, when Apollo was born the goddesses gave him nectar as an introduction to the world of immortals, the divine beings. Moreover, the baby Apollo was fed with the food of the gods, ambrosia and he grew fast. In the Hymn to Demeter, it is recorded that Demeter, during her babysitting duties, secretly fed the Keleos baby with ambrosia, and the baby grew faster without relying on the breast milk from its mother (HHDem. 46). In both instances, ambrosia has been mentioned to be the cause of a speedy growth among children meaning that the gods food had some divine power, which fortified the soul with divinity.
Another comparison that can be drawn from the two hymns is the influence of the gods among mortals. When Demeter traveled searching for her daughter, she came to the house of Koleos and worked as a maid. The author says that her divine influence was manifest when she attempted to turn the son of Keleos into an immortal being. She had to identify herself as the goddess of harvest and ordered the people to build her a temple and offer sacrifice in her name. Demeter promised to teach them how to worship and do rituals. On the contrary, Leto promised Delos a temple so that Delos could allow Apollo to be born on that rocky island (HHAp. 65). She promised Delos that even though the land was barren and there were no harvests or fruits that could sprout from the rocky ground, building a temple for Apollo was all that Delos needed so that mortals could throng the Island bringing in all manner of gifts and sacrifices in the name of Apollo (Shelmerdine 2012). The dwelling places for the gods are temples from where mortals come to worship and pay reverence to them. Therefore, in the two hymns of Apollo and Demeter, the temple has been used to signify the presence of a divine being. Apollo is quoted saying that he will build a beautiful temple so that people could bring him complete hecatombs as well as consult the oracle. Additionally, the construction of the two temples, both in Eleusis and Delos took place in rocky areas. Demeter had the temple built in the rocky city from where she spent her days waiting for her child to be returned to her. On the contrary, Apollo had the sailors build a temple for him in the rocky Island by the sea, and from it, many could come by to offer sacrifices and gifts to the gods. Hence looking at the significance of the temples in these two cases, it can be deduced that the gods fancied temples because the mortals brought all manner of gifts and sacrifices to them. When Demeter overstayed among the mortals had to be concerned because the god would also be affected by her wrath by not receiving gifts among the mortals (Shelmerdine 354).
Moreover, Apollo, the arch-shooter is depicted in the hymn as a liberator of men as he killed a serpent, which had caused chaos to the people who lived by the spring. Any disturbance that would hinder the people from serving his father Zeus, he dealt with swiftly, and nobody was going to stand in his way- not even the gods themselves. Through his bow and arrows, Apollo takes a violent demeanor that causes fear even unto his mother, Leto. The character of Apollo can be described as both tough and loyal which makes Zeus a delighted father. His toast with Apollo is a clear indication Zeus had high regard for his son Apollo. On the contrary, Demeter, the goddess is rather kind and soft. She lowers herself to the level of a mortal in sheer humility. It can be deduced that her daughters love had made her desperate to work as a babysitter. She graciously blesses the land with fertility upon recovering her daughter from Hades, signifying her undying love and care for the immortals.
Zeus is depicted in both hymns as the king of all gods and goddesses. However, there is a similar trend in the way in which he is mentioned in both hymns. According to the Hymn to Demeter, Zeus was involved in the plan to give off her daughter to Hades, his brother (Shelmerdine 1-11). He plotted this plan without engaging Demeter, which led to Demeter developing a bitter feeling towards him upon the realization that he consented to the marriage of Demeters daughter. Upon realizing his mistake Zeus embarks on a mission to beg Demeter to stop pouring her wrath upon the land by sending in messengers to beg her to get back to Olympus – the land of the gods. In the Hymn to Apollo, Zeus is still the overall ruler among the gods. Referred to as the god who delights in thunder, Zeus is considered all-powerful to the extent that he gave birth to Athena via his head. This birth angered Hera, who feels that Zeus had dishonored her by making her his wife. Perhaps Hera was bitter that Zeus was able to give birth to Athena, who was highly regarded among the gods, yet her son could not even stand on his two feet. Hera had to sermon the gods and goddesses to express her displeasure in what Zeus was capable of.
The journey that Apollo took by the sea, taking the form of a dolphin and steering the sailors to shore, is an expression of the power that he had. He could bend men to do his bidding, as can be seen when he takes the sailors and charges them to look after the temple that he built. Upon reaching the shore Apollo led the Cretans in music and dance. After all, Apollo was the god of the lyre. They rejoiced and danced, pouring out food as a libation to the gods, which signaled sacrificial worship. On the contrary, Demeter initiated the building of the temple and encouraged the people in Eleusis to always worship by bringing in sacrifices to her, and in return, she blessed them by making their lands fertile and full of food.
The discussion above has highlighted the analysis based on the two hymns, the Hymn to Apollo and the Hymn to Demeter. In both hymns, the authors have used features that were similar and at the same time, different in describing the two gods-Apollo and Demeter. Apollo is depicted as a powerful god right away from his birth. His birth occurred under unfavorable circumstances, being born on the rocky island of Delos. Demeter, on the other hand, is a mother pained by the loss of her child and is forced to leave the godly dwellings and travel to the mortal world in pursuit of her daughter. In both hymns, the use of the temple has been brought out clearly as the dwelling place of the gods. Hence mortals come to the temples to give offerings and sacrifices to the gods. Zeus has been mentioned as the supreme god of the gods, and his role in the two hymns justify his jurisdiction among the gods.
Work Cited
- Shelmerdine, Susan C. The Homeric Hymns. Hackett Publishing, 2012.
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