The Homeric Hymns Chapter Summary & Analysis - The Hymns to Athena and Hestia Summary

The Hymns to Athena and Hestia Summary

"The Hymn to Athena" and "The Second Hymn to Athena"

The first hymn to the goddess of wisdom and the homely arts (weaving, etc.) recounts her origin - how she sprang fully formed and fully born from the forehead of Zeus, both the gods and the men who witnessed her birth reacting with fearful awe. In the second, the poet praises Athena's attributes as the powerful goddess of war, and asks to be blessed with "good luck and happiness."

"The Hymn to Hestia" and "The Second Hymn to Hestia"

Here the poet honors Hestia with praise for her eternal, inescapable presence in the hearths and homes of both gods and humanity, asking her to bless his home in the same way that she blesses that of Apollo.

The Hymns to Athena and Hestia Analysis

These brief hymns celebrate the influence of two powerful goddesses. While Athena is the more flamboyant figure (witness the story of...
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