Homeric
Hymn to Aphrodite
1. Why are Athena, Artemis, and Hestia mentioned at the beginning of this hymn?
2. Describe the relationship between Zeus and Aphrodite.
3. How does Aphrodite seduce Anchises?
4. How does Anchises respond when he first sees her?
5. Why does Aphrodite lie to him?
6. How does Anchises respond to the revelation of Aphrodite's divinity?
7. What does Aphrodite say to reassure him?
8. What will be the future of Aineias?
Homeric
Hymn to Demeter
1. Who arranges the disappearance of Persephone and how is it brought about?
2. How does Persephone feel about her new state?
3. What advice does Helios give to Demeter?
4. What is Demeter's response?
5. What does Demeter do in the palace of Celeus at Eleusis?
6. How does Demeter negotiate with Zeus?
7. What is the meaning of the pomegranate seed?
8.What gift does Demeter give to mortals?
Helene
Foley, "Female Experience in the Hymn to Demeter"
1. How does Foley contrast the quest of the female with that of the male?
2. How does the myth reflect the experience of women in Greek society?
3. How is Persephone's marriage different from that of other goddesses?
4. How does the poem "humanize" the goddess Demeter?
5. What is the source of Demeter's power in the divine battle of the sexes?
6. What roles do other females play in the hymn?
7. How does Foley connect the myth in the hymn with rituals in honour of Demeter?
7. What does the hymn have in common with the fragments of Sappho quoted by Foley?