Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2008
Department
Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Abstract
Hermes’ maturation into a god of commerce and diplomacy is punctuated by a series of oaths. At first he uses tricky or unsworn oaths in the investigation of his theftof Apollo’s cattle, but eventually he and Apollo exchange oaths that evoke the protocols of ritualized friendship. Although the ceremony suggests that Hermes has achieved adulthood, a narrative sleight of hand leaves some ambiguity about the completion of the ritual.
Recommended Citation
Fletcher, Judith, "A Trickster’s Oaths in The Homeric Hymn to Hermes" (2008). Ancient Studies Faculty Publications. 1.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/ams_faculty/1
COinS
Comments
Copyright © 2008 by The Johns Hopkins University Press. This article first appeared in American Journal of Philology 129.1 (2008), 19-46. Reprinted with permission by The Johns Hopkins University Press.