Homeric Hymn to Demeter

Sarah Williamson

CLAS170

Erickson

Fall 2016

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter

        What exactly is a charter myth? A charter myth is a myth that justifies power structures and the status quo of a society. In the hymn to Demeter, there are many examples as to why it is a charter myth to marriage. The society’s way in the hymn with marital issues are very similar and sometimes identical to how our society was and is now. Many people argue that the hymn is not a charter myth, but according to many examples throughout the hymn, it is one to marital issues.

 Women had little to no control over their own lives before they were married, but once they got married, the little control they once had lessened. The husband had power and control over the wife and what the wives did. Women were often forced into arranged marriages to men they did not know and did not want to marry. In the hymn, Zeus gives Persephone to Hades for her to marry him. “She screamed in a shrill voice calling for Zeus, her supreme and powerful father. But nobody, no one of the immortals, no one of the mortal men, heard her voice…” pg. 112 of the hymn shows that she was being forced into this marriage, but when she screamed for help, no one heard her. This shows how disregarded women were.

This exact same thing was going on in our world. For many and many years, beginning before the 18th century, women were forced into arranged marriages. Usually the fathers of the woman and man would set up the arranged marriage. They usually did it for money or power or just for religious norms. Since the gods did it with their children, then people thought that it was acceptable for themselves to do it.

Another reason why the hymn is a charter myth is that in the hymn, women were to stay home and take care of the children. “I would hold a new-born child in my arms and nurse him, and I would take care of the house, and make the beds in the master’s sturdy rooms, and oversee the women’s work,” pg. 124 of the hymn, Doso is saying how she would stay home to take care of the house and children. This proves that the hymn is a charter myth because ever since the 1800’s, once women were married, they became a “housewife”. Meaning, they were to stay home all day long to take care of the house and children while the men go out and work. Women in our world were also being treated this way. Their “role” in society was to stay home. Even though today most women do not do this, there is still a stereotype that women should stay home.