Emmanuel John Delfin Hum I-MHD

2014-66922

HOMERIC HYMN OF DEMETER

Summary

Persephone is kidnapped

 Persephone was picking flowers.

 As she was about to pick up a flower of narcissus, Hades appeared and carried her away.
 Persephone shouted and called out for help.

Demeter’s Grief and Anger

 Demeter her daughter’s screams and pursued them for nine days.
 On the 10th day, the sun-god Helius, told Demeter everything that happened, and that her
daughter’s kidnapping was by the will of Zeus.
 Demeter became angry at Zeus and avoided the gods on Olympus, and wandered among
mortals.

Demeter Comes to Eleusis

 Demeter came to Eleusis, appearing as an old woman.

 There, she meets the four daughters of Celeus and Metaneira.
 She introduces herself as Doso, and that she has escaped from pirates and is now looking for
work as a housekeeper or nurse.
 One of the Callidice, one of the daughters, returned home to ask their mother.

Demeter Arrives at the Home of Celeus and Metaneira

 Metaneira decided to hire Demeter and invited the goddess into her home.

Demeter Nurses Demophon

 She nourished Demophon on ambrosia, and at night, would hide him in the fire.
 Demophon would have been made immortal, but his mother had cried out in terror after seeing
him being buried within the flames.

Demeter’s Instructions

 Demeter orders the people of Eleusis to build her a temple and an altar.
 Demeter then leaves Eleusis.

Demeter’s Determined Grief

 In her grief, nothing sprouted on Earth and caused a famine.

 Zeus, taking notice, orders the gods to convince Demeter to return to Olympus.
 Demeter refuses them all.

Zeus’ Orders Hades

 Zeus order Hermes to go down to the underworld and tell Hades to return Persephone to
Demeter.
Emmanuel John Delfin Hum I-MHD
2014-66922

Demeter’s Reunion with Her Daughter

 Demeter and Persephone were reunited

 However, Persephone ate a Pomegranate, the fruit of the underworld, and thus must live a third
part of the year in the Underworld.
 Demeter agrees to let her daughter spend two thirds of the year with her and the other gods,
and the last third of the year in the underworld.
 Demeter restores the fertility of the land.

Analysis

 One of the main themes in this story is the unconditional a mother has for their child.
 Reflects on how during those times, that the lives of daughters were controlled by their fathers.
 Shows how the Greeks in ancient times put emphasis on the beauty of women during
maidenhood in order for the women to get married.

References

Essay on Homeric Hymn to Demeter, and the Lives of Greek Women. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.essayjudge.com/document_detail.php?doc_id=473

Myth Summary – Chapter 14: Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780199997329/student/materials/chapter14/
summary/

Women’s transitions in the Hymn to Demeter. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.cornellcollege.edu/classical_studies/women/Informal%20Writing%201.pdf
Emmanuel John Delfin Hum I-MHD
2014-66922

THE FLOOD

Summary

 When the world was flat and had not mountains, there lived two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the
Great Spirit
 The brothers loved hunting but there were no mountains to catch wild pig and deer.
 The older brother suggested to flood the world so that mountains would rise.
 They used a head-basket as a trap and captured many wild pigs, deer, and people.
 Lumawig looked down and saw that only one spot remained on earth that wasn’t flooded and
found that only one brother and sister survived, who lived in the Pokis.
 Lumawig approached them, and the siblings told him that they were cold
 Lumawig sent his dog and deer to get fire for the boy and the girl but both animals couldn’t
bring them any without the fire being put out.
 Lumawig went quickly to the dog to take the fire before it was put out
 As Lumawig reached Pokis, he built a big fire, and the water evaporated and reverted the world
back to what it was before, except that now there were mountains.
 The brother and sister married and had children, and thus there came to be many people on
earth.

Analysis

 Flood myths are common across many cultures, all of which describe a great flood of a global
scale.
 This is a creation myth that depicts the origin of the Igorot people.
 Usually, these types of myths represent the cleansing of humanity, and the rebirth of people.
 In these flood myths, a hero usually appears to save the remaining people.

References:

Ashliman, D. L. (2003). The flood story. Retrieved from https://www.pitt.edu/~dash/flood-

phil.html#igorot