Homeric Hymns

The hymn elaborates on Hestia’s great honor within the pantheon. The narrator calls on Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia, to live with Hestia in “close friendship” (92). Together, the goddess of the hearth and the god of luck help alleviate the plight of humankind on earth.

The earth, also named Gaia, birthed the Titans, such as Cronus and Rhea, with Uranus, deity of the heavens. She is the “feeder of creation” (93), and the earth rewards all those who worship her with fruitful crop yields and immense wealth. The hymn praises her as the “mother of gods” (93). 

Helios, the sun god, is born from the Titan siblings Hyperion and Euryphaessa and is the grandson of the Earth and the Heavens, Gaia and Uranus. Helios drives his chariot from east to west, pulling the sun with him. At night, he sails the seas of Olympus. The narrator asks Helios to grant him a “happy living” and states that he will now praise the divine acts gods allow mortals to observe (94).