Telemachus Comparison

Comparison of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo with Callimachus’ Hymn to Apollo reveals that Callimachus’ myth was composed centuries later. Although a writer may be directly influenced by previous writers’ accounts of the same myth, it is evident that Callimachus was not so influenced by the Homeric Hymn to Apollo in this work. Callimachus’ work’s difference in detail and length, mismatching etiologies, and lack of plot similarities all indicate an absence of a direct connection. Callimachus, an author of a later time, composes a Hymn to Apollo that is quite different from the Homeric version. One of the main differences is the difference in length with Callimachus’ version being substantially shorter. The Homeric version was written with great detail whereas Callimachus’ version is more summarized and omits entire sections present in the Homeric version. As the two versions are so different in size, one can see that Callimachus took his own route when it came to his version. Along with being substantially shorter, the aetiologies for Apollo in the Homeric version differ as he is referred to as “the Far-darter” (Hymn 181). Although somewhat similar in Callimachus’ version, his “far archer” varies from the Homeric “far-darter” (Callimachus 41). One may try to make the argument that the words may have been the same before translation; however, the translation of the Homeric hymn uses a different word to mean archer as shown on Page 179 and again on 180: “archer god” and “archer prince” (Hymn 179-80). “Darter” is not presented whatsoever in Hymn to Apollo. In the Homeric version, “darter” is the most often used aetiology to refer to Apollo; however, “archer” is still present. This difference, though small, allows the reader to make the assumption that although Callimachus may have been knowledgeable of the story of Apollo, his hymn did not receive strong influence from the Homeric version. The ‘far darting archer’ was also the “prince of the silver bow” according to the Homeric hymn (Hymn 181) while being referred to as having a “golden bow” in Callimachus’ hymn (Callimachus 44). This is one of the most major differences between the two hymns as the bow is his instrument of strength and power. Why, if Callimachus were trying to follow in the footsteps of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, would he change a symbolic part of Apollo’s appearance? One can figure that the myth of Apollo included lots of precious metals as gold is discussed in both hymns: with a “peg of gold” and “golden cup” in the Homeric hymn (Hymn 179) and Callimachus’s version where Apollo had many items “of gold [including] his cloak and his lyre, his quiver and Lyctian bow” (Callimachus 42). Nevertheless, the writers chose to represent his prized bow with different metals. There are a few elements between …show more content…
For example, the “temple …” (Callimachus 41) and while in “the hall of Zeus, the gods …” (Hymn 178) both “tremble.” Along Apollo “founding” (Callimachus 42) or constructing “foundations” (Hymn 183) for a temple (Hymn 183) or a “shrine” (Callimachus 43). Though these components and a few other parts of the plot do seem quite similar, these parallels can be explained through Callimachus’s general knowledge of the Greco-Roman gods. Callimachus could have easily obtained information about Apollo without ever seeing or hearing the Homeric hymn through other stories about the god circulating in his