Greek Myth VIII: Hymns to Hermes, or Cheeky from the Start

Posted byTriumvir ClioPosted inGreek Myth, The Greeks

In this episode, we cover the two Homeric Hymns to Hermes, numbers 4 and 18.

Hermes holding his caduceus
Hermes holding his caduceus. Image by Nicholas Demetriades from Pixabay 
Discussion Prompts
  1. Working off the idea that Hymn 18 is a kind of abstract for Hymn 4, now I’m curious what you think. If the Homeric Hymns were an academic journal, what would it be called? Who would be on the editorial board? Who would be the peer reviewers?
  2. We met Prometheus in Prometheus Bound. He is Atlas’s brother which means he is also Hermes’s great-uncle. Why is this important?
  3. Have you read George O’Connor’s Olympians series? If so, which one is your favorite (so far)?
  4. Does it matter that the tortoise is female? Why or why not?
  5. Hermes is said to have invented sandals. What do you think the other gods have been wearing on their feet?
  6. Hermes is said to have invented fire. Prometheus gave fire to humans. Can you create a timeline of Greek mythology?
  7. How do you think Maia feels about Hermes’s midnight exploits? Why?

Published by Triumvir Clio

I have a BA in History and Classical Civilization from Loyola University Chicago and an MPH from Western Michigan University. I've been a geometry teacher, a religion teacher, a writing tutor. I'm a writer, a knitter, a dancer, a singer, an actor. And, yes, for fun I like to reread everything that was assigned while getting my classics degree.

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