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“Rayor’s book is superb and appeals to all who are interested in classical literature, mythology, and related subjects. It displays the translator’s art at its best and is highly suitable for classroom use. Those wishing to pursue the Hymns in greater depth will find the select bibliography a useful source of current scholarship on the subject. Rayor is to be congratulated for a job well done.”—Classical Outlook
"This translation beautifully captures the style of the Homeric Hymns, at once pictorial and flowing. With an art that conceals art, Rayor finds the right euphonious language: accurate, vibrant without calling attention to itself, varied in tone, and natural. It is a delight to read."—Eva Stehle, author of Performance and Gender in Ancient Greece
List of contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Map
Introduction
1. Dionysos
2. Demeter
3. Apollo
4. Hermes
5. Aphrodite
6. Aphrodite
7. Dionysos
8. Ares
9. Artemis
10. Aphrodite
11. Athena
12. Hera
13. Demeter
14. Mother of the Gods
15. Herakles
16. Asklepios
17. Dioskouroi
18. Hermes
19. Pan
20. Hephaistos
21. Apollo
22. Poseidon
23. Zeus
24. Hestia
25. The Muses, Apollo, and Zeus
26. Dionysos
27. Artemis
28. Athena
29. Hestia and Hermes
30. Gaia
31. Helios
32. Selene
33. Dioskouroi
34. Xenoi
Notes
Select Bibliography
Glossary
About the author
Diane J. Rayor is Professor of Classics at Grand Valley State University, Michigan, in the department she helped found. In 2011, she received the prestigious Glenn A. Niemeyer Outstanding Faculty Award for excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service. Her translations of ancient Greek poetry and drama include Euripides’ “Medea”; Sophocles’ “Antigone”; Sappho's Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece; and, with Stanley Lombardo, Callimachus. She also edited, with William Batstone, Latin Lyric and Elegiac Poetry.
Summary
The Homeric Hymns have survived for two and a half millennia because of their captivating stories, beautiful language, and religious significance. This book incorporates twenty-eight new lines in the first Hymn to Dionysos, along with expanded notes, a new preface, and an enhanced bibliography.
