The Homeric Hymns
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Description
The Homeric Hymns of early Greek epic tradition are poems giving us the source for several of the most famous Greek myths such as Aphrodite's love affair, Apollo's birth, young Hermes making his Lyre and Demeter searching for her daughter Persephone in the underworld. Mythic archetypal themes such as the Hero's birth and journey play out in these poems.
There are thirty-three Hymns ranging from three to 580 verses in length. Their authorship is unknown, as is the date and place of composition, though they all seem generally to be from a period between 700-500 B.C.
Despite their name it is doubtful that the Hymns were composed by Homer. Their ascription to him was not unanimous even in antiquity. It is more likely they were written by schools of people following in his style, and named in homage to him.
