Homeric Hymn 6: To Aphrodite
A short, luminous invocation of 21 lines describing Aphrodite's birth from the sea-foam off Cyprus and her adorning by the golden-filleted Horae — a lyrical companion piece to the long Hymn 5.
About the Poem
The sixth Homeric Hymn is a complete lyric of 21 hexameter lines — a prooemial hymn of the type used to preface longer festival recitations. While its companion, Hymn 5 (293 lines), narrates the dramatic story of Aphrodite and Anchises, Hymn 6 is purely invocatory: a brilliant description of the goddess’s birth from the sea-foam, her reception by the Horae (Hours/Seasons), and her adorning with divine jewelry before being presented to the gods of Olympus.
The hymn draws on the same theogonic tradition as Hesiod’s Theogony (lines 188–206), composed independently but evidently drawing on a shared Aegean mythological pool. The gold imagery is deliberately overwhelming: the hymn contains five distinct golden objects or epithets, establishing Aphrodite as a goddess of blinding, divine beauty.
Complete Text
Greek (Homeric)
Αἰδοίην χρυσοστέφανον καλὴν Ἀφροδίτην ᾄσομαι, ᾗ πᾶσαι κεκλήρωνται σκοπιαὶ μὲν κυκλάδος ἁλιπλάγκτου· ἔνθα δέ μιν Ζεφύρου μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντος ἤνεικεν κατὰ κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης ἀφρῷ ἔνι μαλακῷ· τὴν δὲ χρυσάμπυκες Ὧραι δέξαντ’ ἀσπαζόμεναι· περὶ δ’ ἄμβροτα εἵματα ἕσσαν.
(Full Greek text available at Perseus Digital Library, link below.)
English (Hugh G. Evelyn-White, 1914 — public domain)
[1] I will sing of stately Aphrodite, gold-crowned and beautiful, whose dominion is the walled cities of all sea-set Cyprus. There the moist breath of the western wind wafted her over the waves of the loud-moaning sea in soft foam, and there the gold-filleted Hours welcomed her joyously. They clothed her with heavenly garments: on her head they put a fine, well-wrought crown of gold, and in her pierced ears they hung ornaments of orichalc and precious gold, and adorned her with golden necklaces over her soft neck and snow-white breasts, jewels which the gold-filleted Hours wear themselves whenever they go to their father’s house to join the lovely dances of the gods. And when they had fully decked her, they brought her to the gods, who welcomed her when they saw her, giving her their hands. Each one of them prayed that he might lead her home to be his wedded wife, so greatly were they amazed at the beauty of violet-crowned Cytherea.
[19] Hail, sweetly-winning, coy-eyed goddess! Grant that I may gain the victory in this contest, and order you my song. And now I will remember you and another song also.
The Gold of Aphrodite
The gold imagery in this hymn is deliberately dense and structural:
| Greek | Meaning |
|---|---|
| χρυσοστέφανον | gold-crowned |
| χρυσάμπυκες Ὧραι | gold-filleted Hours |
| στεφάνην χρυσείην | golden crown |
| χρυσοῦ τε τιμήεντος | precious gold (ear-ornaments) |
| ὅρμοισι χρυσέοισιν | golden necklaces |
This density of gold — five distinct instances in 21 lines — serves a theological purpose: gold in archaic Greek poetry is the material of the divine, of immortal permanence. To crown Aphrodite in gold is to assert her timeless, cosmic nature as the force of desire that governs gods and mortals alike.
The Horae as Divine Midwives
The Horae (Ὧραι, Hours/Seasons) appear here as ritual attendants at divine birth and transformation. They open the gates of Olympus in the Iliad (V.749–751), receive Hera’s chariot, and in Pindar dress the newborn Athena. Their role in Hymn 6 — welcoming, clothing, adorning Aphrodite — mirrors their function as goddesses of the proper cosmic order that governs the seasons.
The orichalc (ὀρείχαλκος, “mountain-copper”) earrings are notable: a metal highly prized in antiquity, mentioned by Hesiod and Plato (Critias), often identified with golden bronze or a copper alloy used in luxury goods.
Citations
- Evelyn-White, H. G. (trans.). Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns and Homerica. Loeb Classical Library 57. Harvard University Press, 1914. Public domain. https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomericHymns3.html
- Hesiod, Theogony 188–206 (parallel birth narrative). Perseus Digital Library. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Hes.+Th.+188
- Faulkner, Andrew. The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite: Introduction, Text, and Commentary. Oxford University Press, 2008.
- Boedeker, Deborah. Aphrodite’s Entry into Greek Epic. Leiden: Brill, 1974.
- Perseus Digital Library, Homeric Hymns (Greek text): http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0137:hymn=6