MythFredricksmeyer
Homeric Hymn to Demeter Discussion Questions[1]
1. In light of our discussions of female adolescent initiation myths, what do you think the abduction (implied rape) of Persephone symbolizes?
2. Discuss the possible symbolism of the pomegranate seed with its dark red juice. Specifically, why would eating the seed keep Persephone in the underworld? Also, how is Persephone like a seed (of any variety)?
3. Explain how the Hymnemploys the SLR narrative pattern of other female adolescent initiation myths we have discussed. Include in your answer the symbolism of girls playing in a meadow and picking flowers.
4. How is Persephone's fate like that of every adolescent ancient Greek girl?
5. How is marriage represented in the Hymn? How does this representation compare or contrast with others that we have read?
6. Does the Hymn seem to you to be directed towards a female audience? If so, how do you think that audience may have responded?
7. Without Demeter’s permission, Zeus gives away by violent abduction his and Demeter’s daughter. What does this suggest about the relation of mothers and fathers and the sometimes conflicting interests they represented in ancient Greece?
8. At the same time, why does Zeus consent to Demeter’s demands for the return of her daughter? Why do the gods care if humans become extinct? To what kind of historical disaster(s) might the Hymn’s extended period of infertility refer?
9. What does this story tell us about Zeus' powers? What does this relation say about the relationship of power between men and women, husbands and young wives in Ancient Greece?
10. How does the Hymn set up a male-female opposition in its opening line?
11. Identify all the ways in which women support each other in this play.
12. What natural phenomenon or recurring meteorological pattern is explained by the Hymn?
13. Demeter represents an existentialist threat to mankind, yet her visit to earth contrasts sharply greatly with that of Pandora in Hesiod. Explain. Include in your answer the symbolism of Demeter’s pseudonym during her visit, Doso [gift or giver, etymologically related to the English term donation].
14. What benefit do the Eleusinian Mysteriesoffer mankind, and how do these compare with those offered by other religions such as Islam and Christianity?
15. Identify all the binary opposites you can as represented by characters in the Hymn (e.g., Demeter-life/Hades-death, and so on). Note also that a single character can represent binary opposites (e.g., Demeter-life/Demeter-death).
16. Identify as many parallel story elements and characters as possible. For example, just as Persephone is abducted by Hades, Demeter as Doso claims to have been abducted by (male) pirates.
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