Having come across across references to trees and to wooden construction in the Iliad and Odyssey, my curiosity was piqued, and I decided to gather a few examples where wood and trees were mentioned, to try and better understand what these meant in Homeric and Hesiodic poetry. Are there any special associations with trees or using wood? What kinds of trees are mentioned? Read more
Semele and Selene, one was born a mortal and the other a goddess. Both have enchanting and melodious names in ancient Greek with the same type of resonance. No wonder we sometimes confuse one for the other. However their stories are very dissimilar and poles apart. Read more
This month's selection comprises two of the Homeric Hymns: #3 to Apollo, and #4 to Hermes. They relate myths connected with the gods; in the Hymn to Apollo there are two stories. Discussion will start and continue in the Forum, and we will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, March 29, at 11 a.m. EDT. Read more
I wanted to look at the two short Homeric Hymns to Artemis, #9 and #27, and to think about what kind of narrative or myth might have accompanied either of these Hymns, if we take them as prooemia, and to see what key words stand out. Do they have much in common, or do they concentrate on different aspects of Artemis? Read more
I had not previously paid much attention to the shorter Homeric Hymns. I became curious to look at examples to examine the wording more closely and to see if there were clues about the sort of stories that might have been associated with them, or at least formulaic phrases that occur in epic or in the longer hymns, and I chose to look this time at the Homeric Hymns to… Read more
