Illuminating the Abyss: The Divine Underworld in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Illuminating the Abyss: The Divine Underworld in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Knodel, Rachael

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Greek and Latin

This dissertation re-examines the gods Hades and Persephone as they are portrayed in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter. Though the poem is nominally dedicated to Demeter, Persephone's story propels the remainder of the narrative. Historically, scholarship on this poem has focused on the relationship between the narrative and cult activity; instead, my dissertation relies on a close reading of the text, in unison with comparative texts, feminist readings, and narratological theory. With these tools, I demonstrate how the characters of Hades and Persephone evolve through the story and how this has been overlooked in previous scholarship. Persephone, for example, is often read as a victim and never beyond that. I build upon feminist readings to show how Persephone's roles are vital to the interpretation of the poem. She is first portrayed as a naive παρθενος (maiden), who becomes περιφρων (wise) by the time the narrative returns to her story. My study of Hades begins by pushing against the notion in scholarship that he is an inherently negative deity. I show that there are biases in our studies of this god which are unfounded and based instead on modern perspectives. By reading these characters in this way, I highlight previously unrecognized moments of the poem; for example, I read the opening flower-picking scene as an epiphany of Hades and Persephone as consenting to the consumption of the pomegranate seed. This project proposes an alternative way to read the Hymn but does not negate or remove the value of other approaches to the text. I focus on the narrative itself and its historical, social, and mythological background to better comprehend the ways the ancient audience likely understood this story, especially regarding Hades and Persephone. I accomplish this by prioritizing the narrative of the poem and the use of narratological theories. This project is, therefore, a narratological-feminist reading of and commentary on the Homeric Hymn to Demeter.

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Committee: Sarah Johnston (Advisor); Harriet Fertik (Committee Member); Tom Hawkins (Committee Member); Fritz Graf (Committee Member)