Hymn To Demeter

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A charter myth is a term to describe a type of myth the gives authorization of certain group beliefs and practices. An example of a charter myth is the second Homeric Hymn to Apollo in which Apollo promises the sailors first choice of meats from the sacrifices if they become priests for his temple. The myth acts to validate the practices of the priests being able to take the meat. Some people believe that the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is also an example of a Charter myth in which it validates a ritual of Arranged Marriages. Despite featuring a forced marriage between Persephone and Hades, the Hymn does not give the authorization of the cultural practice, arranged marriages like other charter myths. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter actually describes the negative impacts of the marriage like the emotional toll on her mother, Demeter, in which, she caused an almost fatal famine.
One of the reasons the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is not a charter myth used for validation of arranged marriages because it shows how Demeter uses her anger and sadness to negatively impact the mortals of Greece. For example, the quote shows her …show more content…

Demeter refused to return to Olympus where all the other gods resided until her daughter was returned. Her refusal to stop affecting the crops a had put impacts on the gods. They were unable to receive offerings and sacrifices from mortals, “deprived those who live on olympos of the glorious honor of offerings and sacrifices” (Hymn 142). Eventually Zeus took actions to bring Persephone back to Demeter in which was beneficial to the mortals and the gods of Olympus because she restores the earth’s fertility. The earth was able to grow food for mortals and the sacrifices could begin again. This shows that the arranging of marriage effected everyone negatively and the only way to fix the issues were to reverse the actions taken in the first

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