The Politics of Olympus: Form and Meaning in the Major Homeric Hymns

Jenny Strauss Clay provides a systematic & convincing reading of the four Homeric hymns as a group, & in relation to the epics of Homer & the ‘Theogony’ of Hesiod. She reveals unexpected subtleties & coherence, & also shows how the hymns work in combination to provide an over-arching Greek worldview.

‘This important and ground-breaking book provides a systematic and convincing reading of these four fascinating poems as a group, and in relation to the epics of Homer and the Theogony of Hesiod. Clay’s expert and highly original analysis of the poems’ narrative and thematic patterns succeeds brilliantly in demonstrating not only the unexpected subtlety and coherence of each Hymn, but also the ways in which they work in combination to provide an over-arching Greek world-view. This is by far the best book that has been written on this important body of poetry.’ — Mark Griffith, University of California, Berkeley

‘Though controversial in many places, this book is of great value to classicists. Its assumption that the poems have an intellectual and “theological” coherence… is welcome and will benefit those who teach the Hymns.’ — Charles Platter, Classical Outlook