The Homeric Hymn to Hermes

Provides an edition, translation, introduction and line-by-line commentary for the longest hymn surviving from early Greece.

An essential point of reference for advanced students and researchers interested in ancient Greek poetry or religion. It contains a new text of the Homeric Hymn to Hermes, an English translation, detailed commentary on points of interest, and an introductory discussion of the poem's origin and significance.The Homeric Hymn to Hermes is the longest surviving hymn from early Greece, our fullest source for the god Hermes, and an entertaining narrative of theft, invention, cheekiness, and learning to get along. This study contains a new text of the poem, based on advances in our understanding of its transmission, and a commentary which brings together a range of methodologies to address points of linguistic difficulty, poetic technique, and cultural background. The introduction discusses the possible context for the first performance of the hymn, and makes an original argument about the hymnist's remarkable approach to praise and to the epic tradition. This book will therefore be an essential point of reference for students and scholars interested not only in the Hymn to Hermes but in Greek literature and religion.