GRST 209 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Homeric Hymns, Curved Bow, Cynthus

• School: University of Calgary
• Department: Greek and Roman Studies
• Course: GRST 209
• Professor: James Hume

Document Summary

At delphi you go to ask a question and you get a riddle as an answer. "let the lyre and the curved bow be dear to my heart, and i shall prophesy to human beings the unerring will of zeus" - homeric hymn dedicated to delian apollo. Is capable of violence (has a bow like his sister) The bow might be a mythical explanation to random death. Music, harmony in that sense is associated with apollo as well. Birds are common emblems of gods, in the case of apollo it is the raven. Failed love affair with a mortal princess, she conceived a child (coronus cheated on him) Ravens were white and witnessed her infidelity and reports to apollo. His anger makes the raven black and he kills coronus, saves the child. Emblems of apollo: raven, lyre, hair-knot, bow, laurel, tripod, omphalos, dolphin.