HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language 
of Succession and Domination 

In the Homeric Hymn to Hermes 

Sarah E. Harrell 

1\OLLO'S PRESENCE IN THE Hymn to Hermes at first strikes 
the reader as odd, even intrusive. Why, in a format 
designed to celebrate Hermes, should Apollo play such a 

prominent role? Some critics have found in the confrontation 
between Apollo and Hermes evidence of a cultic rivalry be­
tween the two gods; others emphasize the comic nature of their 
feud. 1 Although cultic realities and comic concerns might 
account for the prominence of Apollo here, a more immediate 
answer may lie in the poetic traditions to which the Hymn re­
fers. Apollo's first words to Hermes, in which he threatens to 
hurl the young god into Tartarus, reveal a specific connection 
between the conflict of Apollo and Hermes on the one hand, 
and on the other, Zeus' establishment of his power on Olym­
pus. Further examination will show that the theogonic connota­
tions of the brothers' struggle are appropriate to a hymn that 
not only tells the story of the birth of Hermes, but also 
represents a crisis for the Olympian order: a new god's en­
trance into the pantheon.2 

When Apollo discovers through an omen the identity of the 
thief who has stolen his cattle, it becomes clear that this conflict 
is one between siblings (213ff):3 

I ]. S. CLAY, The Politics of Olympus (Princeton 1989: hereafter 'Clay') 
100-03, provides an overview of the discussion. Clay herself argues that "the 
reconciliation of Apollo and Hermes ultimately represents their necessary 
complementarities and interdependence" (102). 

2 C. A. Sowa, Traditional Themes and the Homeric Hymns (Chicago 1984) 
esp. 157-72, recognizes the themes of the Succession Myth and the Feud 
within the Hymn to Hermes as aspects of a young god's consolidation of his 
power, but she is more concerned with the humorous realization of these 
themes. 

3 Apollo and Hermes are both described as sons of Zeus throughout the 
Hymn, but here the poet places their similar titles at the line-ends of consecu­
tive verses: cf 227, 230, where the same wording is used, separated by two 
lines. 

307 



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308 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

OlroVOV c' Evon 'tavuO'l1t'tEPOV, a\)'tl1<:a c' EYVro 
q>T)AT)'tTtV yqaona ~lO~ ltatca KPOVlroVO<;. 
EO'O'u~Ev~ c' ilt~EV ava~ ~lO~ ')lO~ 'AltOAAroV. 

Apollo immediately searches out his newborn brother and 
demands that Hermes reveal the location of the cattle. If 
Hermes does not obey quickly, Apollo will hurl him to 
Tartarus (254-59): 

';'(1 ltat o~ EV AlKVql lw't(h:nal, ~llvuE ~Ol l3ou~ 
SanOY' Eltd 'taxa vwt CLOlO'OJlES' ou Ka't<l KOO'~OV. 
~, , ~A" T' " pnvro yap qEa rov E~ ap'tapov UEpoEv'ta. 
d~ ~oq>ov aivoJlopov Kat aJlllxavov' OUCE O'E Jlll'tT)P 
E~ q>a~ OUC£ lta'tTtP avaA:60'E'tal, oX)'" UltO yai.TI 
tpPllO'n~ OAlyOlO'l JlE't' avcpaO'lv T)YEJlOVEuroV. 

As their first direct communication, this speech sets the stage 
for the sparring that ensues between the two brothers. The 
poet hints at the importance of this exchange later in the poem, 
when Hermes complains to Zeus of Apollo's harsh treatment: 
ltOAAa CE ~' T)ltdAT)O'E ~aAElv E~ Tap'tapov EUPUV (374). The 
repetition of the threat raises the question of what associations 
these words, as well as the image of hurling to Tartarus, might 
have had for the poet and his audience. 

Beyond the humor of the brothers' quarreling, the poet's use 
of the Tartarus motif suggests a more serious connection 
between their relationship and the underlying issue of the 
Hymn: Hermes' acquisition of time as he assumes his place in 
the divine hierarchy.4 That connection can be found in Zeus' 
earlier struggles to create the order that Hermes wishes to join 
and potentially alter in some way. The motif of hurling to 
Tartarus occurs in Homer and Hesiod at moments when Zeus' 
control of the Olympian hierachy is threatened. The Hymn to 
Hermes, therefore, refers to the Olympian power structure 
with an allusion that would have had specific connotations for 
an ancient audience steeped in theogonic and heroic epic 
traditions. For, as Clay argues, the mythological framework 
encompassing all periods of Olympian time would have been 
clear to the ancient audience and would have informed their 

• For the element of humor see Sow a (supra n.2) 157-72 cf Clay 133-36. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

SARAH E. HARRELL 309 

understanding of the hymnic narrative.s In this paper, I shall not 
attempt to determine who composed first: Homer, Hesiod, or 
the hymnist. (, Instead, I shall examine parallels to the Tartarus 
motif that appear in Hesiod and the Iliad, that point to a 
tradition from which the hymnist also drew.? 

There are striking dictional similarities between the Hymn to 
Hermes and lines in the Theogony, two Hesiodic fragments, 
and the Iliad: 

(1) pi'l'W yap o£ j3UAWV £<; Tap'tupov ,,£po£V'tu (Hymn. Hom. 
Mere. 256) 
(2) 11 J.LlV EAWV pi'l'w £<; Tap'tupov "EPOEV'tU (II. 8.13) 
(3) pi'l'E 8£ J.LlV 8uJ.LcfJ CtXUXwv £<; Tap'tupov EUPUV (Th. 868) 
(4) 'tOY 8£ AU]j3wv fPPl'l" £<; T[a]p'tupov ,,£POEV'tU (Hes. fr. 
30.22 M.-W.) 
(5) 'tOY pu [X]oAw[o]aJ.L[Evo<;/ pi'l'ElV 11J.LEA]AEvrrl~p'tupov f<; 
(Hes. 54aAf M.-W.) . 

All these poets usc essentially the same elements to express the 
idea of hurling someone into Tartarus: the verb rhipto com-

5 Clay 13; see also her introduction (3-16) and conclusion (267-70), where 
she discusses the role of divine time in hymn, theogonic epic, and heroic epic. 
She connects these complementary genres not in terms of their relative dates 
of composition but in terms of the periods of Olympian time that each 
represents. Theogonic epic describes how Zeus establishes his rule, through 
succeeding his father and defeating the Titans and Typhoeus; his new position 
of authority is symbolized by his division of timai among the other gods. By 
the time of Trojan war, the period covered by heroic epic, the other gods have 
received their timai and no longer pose any serious threat to Zeus' ultimate 
dominion. The Homeric Hymns occupy the period intervening. They depict 
the actual working out of the timai of individual gods, which the Theogony 
does not represent in detail and which has already occurred by the time of the 
Iliad. 

6 For a discussion of this problem see R. Janko, Homer, Hesiod, and the 
Hymns (Cambridge 1982), with the reviews of N. Postlethwaite, JHS 104 
(1984) 192f; R. L. fowler, Phoenix 37 (1983) 345ff; A. Hoekstra, Mnemosyne 
SER. 4 39 (1986) 158-64. 

7 The similarities in theme and diction in all of its occurrences suggest a 
common source for the motif; cf R. Martin, "Hesiod, Odysseus, and the 
Instruction of Princes," TAPA 114 (1984) 29-48, who argues that the presence 
of the same two and a half lines in both Homer and Hesiod provides 
evidence that the two passages share a parallel common source; he locates this 
'source' in the genre of speaking rather than in one particular text. Martin 
argues (3off) that in oral poetics "similar themes create similar diction." See 
also G. Nagy, Best of the Achaeans (Baltimore 1979) 1-6. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
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310 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

bined with an aorist participle, in the first half of the line, and in 
the second half a formulaic description of Tartarus: £(, Tap­
'tupOV TtEPOEV'tU or £(, Tap'tupov EUpUV. Their language, how­
ever, also displays a certain degree of flexibility. The position of 
the participle and verb varies from line to line, as does the tense 
of rhipto and the choice of participle, demonstrating that the 
line can be modified to encompass multiple shades of meaning. 
This flexibility suggests, instead of quotations from a fixed text, 
allusions to a common tradition, utilized slightly differently in 
each instance, depending on the constraints of context and 
genre.8 Examination of the contexts of this line in other genres 
can help determine what that tradition might have been and 
how it influenced the hymnist's depiction of the relationship 
between Apollo and Hermes. 

Apollo's speech in the hymn appears to depart from the usage 
of Hesiodic and Homeric poetry, where Zeus alone hurls or 
intends to hurl someone to Tartarus. There seems to be a 
further distinction between performing this action and merely 
threatening to do so. The significance of Apollo's unfulfilled 
threat to Hermes, along with his appropriation of Zeus' lan­
guage, will become clearer when we explore the theogonic 
context of Zeus' actual dispatch of a victim to Tartarus and, in 
the heroic context of the Iliad, his threats to do SO.9 

The earliest instance of the motif, in terms of mythological 
time as we know it from preserved texts, describes Zeus 
hurling Typhoeus to Tartarus in order to prevent the monster 
from ruling Olympus. Typhoeus represents the last threat that 
Zeus must dispose of before he can establish his regime: for 
after Zeus has defeated the Titans, he recognizes that Typhoeus, 
son of Gaia and Tartarus (Th. 820f), is about to assume the rule 
over gods and mortals alike (836ff): 

8 Cf S. Shelmerdine, "Odyssean Allusions in the Fourth Homeric Hymn," 
TAPA 116 (1986) 49-63, who discusses (49ff) Homeric aspects of the Hymn, 
not as intentional imitation, but as allusions to a common Odyssean 
tradition. 

9 Perhaps the difference between the occurrence of this action in theogonic 
narrative and in heroic speeches has to do with genre, strict narrative being 
more characteristic of theogonic epic, speeches being a major element in 
heroic epic. This raises the question of how we should categorize the Hymn to 
Hermes, which is notable among the other hymns for its emphasis on 
speeches. For the importance of speeches in epic see R. Martin, The Language 
of Heroes (Ithaca 1989) esp. 1-42. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

SARAH E. HARRELL 

Kat VU KEV E1tAE'tO EPYOV UIl11Xavov lllla'tl Kdvcr, 
KatKEV 0 yE 8VlltotO'l Kat u8avatotow avaSEV, 
d Ill) ap' OS\> vOllcrE 1ta'tl)p uv8prov 1:E 8EroV 1:E. 

311 

Zeus attacks Typhoeus with his characteristic weapons of 
thunder and lightning, ~poV't11v 1:E cr1:EP01t11V 1:E Kat ai8aAOEV1:a 
KEpauvov (854). Finally, angered in his heart, Zeus hurls Ty­
phoeus into wide Tartarus (868). After a description of the 
winds that result from this action (869-80), the poet describes 
Zeus' attainment of sovereignty (881-85): 

aU1:ap E1td pa 1tOVOV llaKapE<; 8wt ESE1:£AEcrcrav, 
Tt1:11vEcrO'l 8£ 'ttllacov KptvaVto ~tll<Pt 
811 pa 1:01:' c'tYtpuvov ~acrtAEU£IlEV 1)8£ uvacrcrEtv 
ralll<; <ppa8/J-ocruvncrlv 'OAUIl1tLOV EUpU01ta Zilv 
u8ava1:cov' (5 8£ totcrtV £\> 8lE8acrcra1:o 'tllla<;. 

By the will of Gaia, the other gods urge Zeus to rule (uvaO'O'£lv), 
as Typhoeus would have done without his intervention 
(avaSEv, 837). The destructive whirlwinds emanating from the 
defeated Typhoeus reveal the chaotic world that would have 
resulted if he had been victorious, "a world as turbulent as 
Tartarus.» 10 But Zeus creates order in place of this chaos by 
eliminating Typhoeus and dividing timai among the rest of the 
immortals. Although the poet explicitly links Zeus' new 
position to his defeat of the Titans, the delay of this description 
until after Typhoeus' annihilation suggests that the monster's 
removal is an equally important step towards Zeus' kingship. 11 

10 J.-P. Vernant, "The Union with Metis and the Sovereignty of Heaven," in 
R. L. Gordon, cd., Myth, Religion, and Society (Cambridge 1981) 9; Vernant 
claims that his parentage, and his very nature, makes Typhoeus an agent of 
Chaos. Gaia represents the chthonic powers originally opposed to the 
Olympians; Tartarus, by association with Erebus and Night, represents 
Chaos (8f). See also Clay 66-71, who discusses this passage in connection with 
the Hymn to Apollo. 

11 Cf R. Mondi, "The Ascension of Zeus and the Composition of J Iesiod's 
Theogony," GRBS 25 (1984) 325-44, who argues that the Titanomachy, Ty­
phonomachy, and the defeat of Kronos represent separate, traditional nar­
ratives that Hesiod has joined together for the first time. This accounts for the 
inconsistencies in the narrative as a whole, such as the postponement of the 
division of timai, which could occur after the defeat of Kronos (453-500). The 
subsequent Titanomachy and Typhonomachy, however, would then be 
irrelevant. If we consider the Typhonomachy in Hesiod to be a reworking of 
a traditional song, it is conceivable that the hymnist knew of such a song also, 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
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312 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

Thus in the Theogony this motif has associations of both 
physical and political power. Zeus uses physical force, in the 
form of hurling Typhoeus to Tartarus, to defeat successfully a 
threat and achieve political authority. Once he has achieved this 
authority he can apportion out the timai in "'acknowledgement 
of his own time as the new 9£wv ~acrtA£Ue;. "12 

The two Hesiodic fragments, probably from the Catalogue of 
Women, represent a period later in Zeus' regime, when direct 
rebellion to his authority stiII occurs but is doomed to failure. 
The first, fro 54a M.-W. (=P.Oxy. XXVIII 2495 fro la), is very 
poorly preserved:13 

0.0 n[a'tpoe; 
~pov ['tT\V 
Z£u~ [ .. ]Ol~POV't[ 
'tov pa [X]OA'Wrcr]a~1[£voe; ]va 
pl\jlHV llJl£A[A£v . un' 'OAUJl]nou 
T]apa'tov fe;, [9ile; v£p9£ Kat u'tPUy£·'tOLO 9a]Aacrcr[T\e; 
crKJAT\p[OV] b' £[~pOV'tllcr£ Kat O~PlJlOV, UJlcpt bE y]ata 
K[t]vil9[Tl ]pa 
naV't£e;'b[' fbbHcmv ]e; 
u9av a't [Ot ] 
Ev9a' KEv 'A]noAAwva Ka'tEK'tav£ Jlll'tt£'ta Z]£ue; 
d Jlil up '[ . 

Lobel, the original editor, determined its context by comparing 
the account in Apollodorus.14 After Zeus has destroyed 

one that used similar diction to describe Tartarus. Clay points out (13ff) the 
relevance of this scene and Zeus' establishment of timai to the question of 
timai in the hymnic genre as a whole. 

12 Mondi (supra n.11) 342. The Titans too are eliminated as a threat by 
being imprisoned in Tartarus (Th. 713-25). In their case, however, the 
Hundred-Handers send them into the underworld by Zeus' command. The 
verb is not rhipto but pempo. 

13 R. Merkelbach and M. L. West, Fragmenta Hesiodea (Oxford 1967). 

14 Bibl. 3.1 0.4: Zl::U~ OE <poPTled.~ )l~ A.o:pov'tl::~ uv8pol7totel::pa1tdav 1tap' 
au'tOu pOTleiOOtv aAA"ACJt~. hl::pauvwol::v au'tov [Asclepius]. Kat Ota 't01J'tO 
opytOe€l~ 'A1tOAAWV 1('tdvEt KUKAW1tac; 'tou~ 'tOY Kl::paUVOv tnt Kamo­
Kl::Uaoav'ta~. Zl::U-; OE CW:AAUOC Pl1t'tEtV au'tov d~ Tap'tapov. O£TledOTl~ OE 
ATl'tou~ htAl::UO£V au'tov cvwu'tov aVOpt eTl't£UOat. <> OE 1tapay£v6)l£vo~ d~ 
<l>£pa~ 1tpO~ "AO)lTl'tov 'tOY <l>tPTl'to~ 'tou't'P Aa'tpcuwv C1tOl)latvl::. Kat 'ta~ 
eTlA.cia~ P{>a~ 1taoa~ OtOU)lO'tOKOU~ C1tOlTlO£V. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
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SARAH E. HARRELL 313 

Asclepius, Apollo retaliates by killing the Cyclopes. In language 
similar to the fragment, Apollodorus says that Zeus was about 
to hurl Apollo to Tartarus: Z£\)<;; OE E~EA.A:rl(J£ ptlt't£lV U1HOV d<;; 
Tap'tupov. The use of rhipto in particular suggests that Apol­
lodorus was familiar either with this text or with the tradition 
that lies behind the Tartarus motif. We cannot recreate for 
certain the larger context of the Hesiodic fragment; but if we 
accept the connection to Apollodorus' version of the story, 
j3pov'(1)v (2), relates to the overall theme of Zeus' authority. By 
killing the Cyclopes, Apollo destroys those who make his 
father's thunder and lightning, the symbols of Zeus' physical 
and political preeminence. As we have already seen, these 
weapons play an important role in Zeus' ability to dispose of 
Typhoeus (Th. 854). Since the names of the Cyclopes are the 
same as those of the weapons, Apollo attempts to annihilate the 
very instruments that allowed Zeus to establish and maintain his 
regime. 15 Apollo's actions constitute a threat to the power 
structure on Olympus, and only Leto's intervention saves him 
from a fate similar to that of Typhoeus.16 Apollo's punishment is 
instead a year's servitude as the herdsman of Admetus' cattleY 

A second Hesiodic fragment varies the Tartarus motif: Zeus 
punishes a mortal by hurling him to Tartarus. This story does 
not directly comment on struggles within the Olympian 
cosmos, but it does represent the theme of an attempted 
incursion into Zeus' realm of power. Again Lobel determined 
the context of the fragment (P.Oxy. XXVIII 2481 fro 1) through 

15 M. L. West, ed., lIesiod, Theogony (Oxford 1966) 207; cf Th. 139ff for 
the importance of the Cyclopes to Zeus. 

16 The averted confrontation between father and son recalls Hom.Hymn. 
Ap. 1-9, where Apollo seems to threaten the Olympians with his bow, which 
Leto unstrings before any violence can occur. See Clay 19-29 for an exam­
ination of the critical debate surounding this episode; she concludes that 
Apollo's threatening entrance and the subsequent diffusion of that threat 
evokes both the terror and joy of his epiphany. 

17 Perhaps the hymnist alludes to this story not only through the Tartarus 
motif, but also through his focus on Apollo's cattle as the issue that sparks the 
conflict between the two brothers; see n.33 infra. This Jess severe form of 
punishment also recalls Il. 21.441-60, where we learn that Zeus made Apollo 
and Poseidon slaves to Laomedon before the Trojan War. Both events occur 
at a time in Zeus' regime when permanent banishment to the underworld is 
no longer necessary; the shame of servitude to a mortal is enough to neutralize 
opposition to Zeus. 



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314 APOLLO'S fRATERNAL THREATS 

verbal similarities to Apollodorus' account,18 where Salmoneus, 
a king in Thessaly, claims to be Zeus and demands that Zeus' 
sacrifices now be paid to him. Salmoneus even attempts to 
make his own thunder and lightning with cauldrons and leather 
hides. The king's impiety, like Apollo's actions, results from a 
desire to usurp the symbols of Zeus' power. Apollodorus does 
not mention Tartarus; he tells us only that Zeus punishes Sal­
moneus and all those in his settlement by striking them with a 
thunderbolt. But in the Hesiodic version Zeus singles out Sal­
moneus for the ultimate retaliation: he hurls him to Tartarus (fr. 
30 M.-W. [=P.Oxy. XXVIII 2481 fro 1.15-23]):19 

~il 8£ Kat' O]UAUJ,l1tOLO [XO]MUJ,lEVO<;, ai\jfa 8' lKavEv 
AaoUe;; LaAJ,l]wviloe;; (h[acr]8aAO\), o't 'taX' EJ,lEAAOV 
1tElcrEcr8' EP)y' fii8llAa 8t' u~[phcrti1v ~acrtAila' . 
1Oue;; 8' E~a]AEv ~POV'till [t£ K]Ul ai8aAoEvn KEpaUVWl. 
roe;; AaoUe;; U1tE}tlVE8' U1tEp~[acrlllv] ~acrlAiloe;; . 
..... ... [.]J.e;; 1tal8ae;; tE y[uv]alKa 'tE oiKflac;; 'tE, 
..... 1tOlAlV Kal8wJ,la[i' .. ]lPpu'tcX '8~KEV ulcr'tWe;;, 
'tOY 8£ Aa]~wv EPPl\jf' Ee;; T[a]p'ta'pov itEpoEv'ta, 
ffic;; J,lit ne;;] ~po'toe;; aAMe;; [£]e~~?~ ZllVl avaK'tl. 

The poet states Zeus' motivation for punishing Salmoneus, the 
U~Plcr'ti1v ~acrlAila: Zeus wishes to ensure that no other mortal 
will ever compete with him in this way (23).20 This admonitory 

18 Bibl. 1.9.7: IaAIHovEU<; oi: ,0 Ili:v 1tponov 1tEpt 8cooaAiav Ka,0K:£l, 
napaYEVOIlEVO<; oi: aMl<; Ei<; ~HAlV £Kct nOAlV ElCttOEV, u~plOtil<; oi: roy Kat ,ip 
.1tt £~tOOUoSal StACOV Ola ,ilv aot~Etav hoMoST]' fAeyE yap EmHov dvat 
.1ia, Kat ,a<; £Kcivou Suoia<; acpEA.OIl£vo<; Eau,ip 1tpoOt,UOOE SUEtV, Kat ~upoa<; 
Ili:v £~l1palllltva<; £~ apllato<; IlEta AE~it,cov Xahwv oupcov EA£y£ ~pov,av, 
~aAACOv oi: d<; oupavov a i9olltva<; Aall1taoa<; EA£YEV ao'tpa1t'tElV. ZEU<; oi: 
au,ov KEpauvwoa<; ,ilv KtlOS£lOav un' au'tOu nOAlV Kat 'tOU<; oi.!dj,opa<; 
i]cpavlo£ nav,a<;. 

19 Vergil (Aen. 6.577-94) also places Salmoneus in Tartarus. 
20 Note the dictional similarity between 30.17f M.-W. and Th. 514f: 

u~plo,ilv oi: MEVOtttOV £upuo1ta ZEU<; 
d<;"Ep£~o<; Ka,t1tEIlIj1£ ~aAwv 'lI0A.O£vn K£pauvip. 

Here Zeus sends Menoetius, son of Iapetos and brother of Prometheus and At­
las (all rebels against Zeus), into Erebus because he is "insolent" (U~plO,tl<;) like 
Salmoneus. West (supra n.t 5: 310) points out that although Hesiod does not 
elaborate on Menoetius' offense, his nature alone may threaten Zeus' preemin­
eminence. Although the verb rhipto does not appear here and Menoetius goes 
to Erebus, this form of punishing insolence seems to be a variation on the Tar­
tarus motif. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
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SARAH E. HARRELL 315 

principle could also apply to the immortals whom Zeus hurls, 
or intends to hurl, into Tartarus. The act is effective on two 
levels. Physically, Zeus deprives his opponents of strength and 
banishes them permanently from Olympus. Symbolically, his 
victims serve as reminders of the irrevocable consequences, 
and ultimate failure, of any attempt to defy him. They become a 
warning against future rebellion. 

In the Iliad we move into 'heroic time', a period in which the 
other gods may intend to oppose Zeus' will but abandon their 
opposition before Zeus inflicts any punishment. The Tartarus 
motif now takes on the symbolic function foreshadowed by the 
Salmoneus episode: it refers to the earlier theogonic time when 
Zeus actually did throw into Tartarus those who threatened his 
authority. But by the time of the Trojan War such threats no 
longer exist; Zeus' rule has been stabilized. 21 At the beginning of 
Book 8, Zeus gathers an assembly of the gods to warn them not 
to help either the Trojans or the Greeks in battle: anyone whom 
Zeus perceives (v0110"w, 10) going apart from the gods will be 
punished. 22 He will either strike the culprits as they return to 
Olympus, "in no orderly fashion" (ou Ka'tu KOO"~OV, 12; cf 
Hymn. Hom. Mere. 255); or he will hurl the errant god or 
goddess into Tartarus (8.13-17): 

11 ~tV EArov pi'l'w E<; Tap'tapov ';EpoEV'ta 
'tflAE ~aA', ilxt ~afh(J'tov U1tO X80vo<; EO"n ~EPE8pov, 
Ev8a crtOf)PEWi. 'tE 1tUAat Kat XaAK£O<; OUOO<;, 
'tOO'O'ov EVEp8' 'AioEW OO'ov oupavo<; EO''t' a1tO yaill<;' 
"y'VWO'E't' E1tEl8' OO'ov Ei~t 8EWV KapnO''tO<; em aV't wv . 

Zeus emphasizes the significance of threatening the gods with 
banishment to Tartarus by adding a three-line description of 
this region of the underworld (14-16).23 This elaboration points 
to the theogonic connotations inherent in the threat itself. 
Commentators have noted that aspects of this conception of 

21 See Clay 12; Vernant (supra n.10) traces this stability to Zeus' con­
sumption of Metis (Th. 886-900): Zeus now embodies all the metis that others 
might employ in disputes over succession, "And so sovereignty ceases to be 
the prize in a perpetual struggle; it becomes a stable, enduring state" (2f). 

22 Cf. Th. 838, where Zeus perceives (VOll()£) Typhoeus as a threat. 
23 For a discussion of this speech as the epitome of mythoi in the Iliad and 

on the evidence of Zeus' successful use of imagery and elaboration sec Martin 
(supra n.9) 54f. 



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316 APOLLO'S fRATERNAL THREATS 

Tartarus resemble Hesiod's own account of the underworld in 
the Theogony:24 

'tOO"O"OV EVEpe' U1tO yl1e;, OO"OV oupavoe; £O"'t' a1to yalTle;· 
'tOO"O"OV yap 't' a1tO yl1e; Ee; Tap'tapov llEpoEv'ta (720f; cf 16) 

Evea Of jlapjlapEal 't£ 1tVAat Kat xaAKEOe; ouooe; (811; cf 15). 

Instead of explaining these similarities as direct quotations, we 
should consider the possibility that both poets took these 
details, in addition to the rhipto motif, from a common 
tradition. We can imagine that this tradition was originally 
theogonic, since Tartarus plays a direct role in the actual 
theogonic narrative as the prison of the Ti tans and Typhocus 
and the symbol of the end of the succession attempts. 

Moreover, apart from this passage, Tartarus is named only 
one other time in heroic epic, again in a theogonic context. We 
can assume that its very presence in Zeus' speech would alert 
the audience to these allusions. At the end of Book 8, Zeus 
taunts Hera, saying that he would not care about her anger even 
if she should wander to the depths of Tartarus, where Iapetos 
and Kronos dwell (8.477-83): 

roe; yap eEO"<pa't()V Eon· O"Ee£V 0' £yw OUK (XA£)'l~W 
XWOjlEVTle;, ouo' d K£ 'ta VEla'ta 1tElpae' 'tKTJat 
yatTle; Kat 1tov'tOto, 'tv' 'Ja1t£'toc; 't£ Kpovoc; 'tE 
lljlEVOt ou't' auyfte; 'Y 1tEPlOVO<; 'REAlOto 
'tEP1tOV't' oU't' aVEjlOtO"t, ~aeUC; O£ 'tE Tap'tapoc; ajlcpic; . 
OUO'TtV Eve' acplKTJat aAWjlEVTl. ou OEU £'ywy£ 
O"KU~OjlEVTle; aAEYW, E1td ou OEO KUV't£pOV aAAo. 

With mention of Iapetos and Kronos, foremost of the Titans, 
Zeus refers to the Titanomachy and his elimination of theogonic 
threats to his power. The only inhabitants of Tartarus are those, 
like Iapetos and Kronos, whom Zeus imprisoned before or 

24 W. Leaf, ed., The Iliad 2 I-II (London 1900-02) I 324, comments on the 
striking similarities between this passage and the Hymn to Hermes (in terms 
of the rhipto motif), and concludes, "The author of one of these passages must 
have had the other before him-it is hard to say which. So with the 
unmistakable echoes in Hesiod: Th. 720,726,732,811." Cf West (supra n.15) 
358f,378. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

SARAH E. HARRELL 317 

during the establishment of his reign.25 Tartarus is referred to 
once more in the Iliad, with the adjective \)1to'tup'tuptOC; 
(14.279). Hera swears an oath, calling by name all those beneath 
Tartarus who are called Titans. Here again, by associating 
Tartarus with the Titans, the poet recalls the theogonic suc­
cession story. In the context of heroic epic, Tartarus alludes to 
the violence that Zeus employed in the past in order to ensure 
the stable Olympian order that exists in heroic time.26 

We can see that in the Iliad, the mention of Tartarus even 
without any threat recalls theogonic myths. There is additional 
evidence that the combination of rhipto and Tartarus would 
suggest former punishments of Zeus both to the poem's 
internal audience and to the poet's external audience, familiar 
with oral traditions. Elsewhere in the Iliad Zeus ejects from 
Olympus those who disobey him: he casts Hephaestus to 

Lemnos (1.590-94); he nearly tosses Hypnos into the sea 
(14.247-60); he would hurl to earth any of the gods who try to 
save Hera, whom Zeus has hung from Olympus with anvils 
tied to her feet (15.18-33);27 and he casts Ate to the world of 
men (19.91-133). All these punishments that have actually been 
executed took place before the Trojan War and revolve around 
Hera's attempts to destroy Heracles.28 All use a form of the 
verb rhipto to characterize Zeus' actions or intended actions: 
pi'l'E (1.591), Pt7t'tClS{J)v (14.257), Pt7t'tucrJ(ov (15.23), EPPt'l'EV 
(19.130). Lang considers the Heracles stories to be part of an 
older tradition. If we accept her analysis, rhipto in these pas­
sages, as well as in the theogonic setting centered on Tartarus, 

25 See Clay 12, who interprets this passage, following Leaf, to mean that 
Zeus would not care if I-{era attempted to raise a revolt in Tartarus. I would 
suggest further that Zeus implies that Hera would only be wandering in 
T artarus if she were banished there. 

26 See also Jl. 5.898, with Leaf's comments (supra n.24: I 254) on i:v£p'tEPO<; 
OUPUVtWvrov. 

27 See C. Whitman, "Hera's Anvils," IlSCP 74 (1970) 37-42, for the cos­
mogonic and theogonic implications of the imagery in this story. 

28 Cf M. Lang, "Reverberation and Mythology in the Iliad," in C. A. 
Rubino and C. W. Shelmerdine, edd., Approaches to Homer (Austin 1983) 
140-61; Lang argues that the motif of hurling is particularly associated with 
the disposing of immortals (160). She explains (152) that the tales describing 
the wrath of Hera against Heracles are examples of an older tradition of 
Heracles as the "object of divine favor and hostility," which the poet of the 
Iliad used to suit his own purposes. 



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318 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

reveals a traditional mode of describing Zeus' punishments. 29 

The wording of Zeus' threat in Book 8 would therefore recall 
not only theogonic imprisonments in Tartarus, but also other 
instances when he violently removed rebellious immortals 
from Olympus. 

Zeus makes clear that the purpose of his speech to the 
assembled gods is to demonstrate his power (8.17, 27). Without 
specific mention of Typhoeus or the Titans, the image of 
Tartarus recaJIs the series of punishments that allowed Zeus to 
establish and consolidate his rule in the theogonic past. Yet he 
no longer needs to hurl anyone to Tartarus; instead he merely 
reminds his audience that his political standing is based upon 
former acts of physical force, acts that could be repeated in the 
future. Slatkin sees a similar function in the appearance of 
Briareos, one of the Hundred-Handers, in Il. 1.394-412. There 
Achilles recalls how the attempt of Hera, Poseidon, and Athena 
to bind up Zeus was thwarted by Thetis, who called up Briareos 
to sit beside Zeus on Olympus. The gods yielded immediately. 
Briareos did not need to harm them physically; his presence 
was a reminder of the theogonic succession myth in which the 
Hundred-Handers helped Zeus overthrow the Titans by 
placing them in Tartarus. 3o In this pre-Trojan War episode the 
sight of Briareos, together with his theogonic associations, 
dissuades the gods from once again trying to tie up Zeus. In the 
assembly of Book 8, Zeus averts not a direct physical threat, but 
rather defiance of his commands through a verbal recollection 
of the past. Succession attempts are obsolete, but Zeus can still 
refer to them to make his authority clear. The other gods do 

29 When recounting how Hera threw him from Olympus (the other 
instance of the motif of hurling from Olympus in the Iliad), Hephaestus says 
he fell "by the will of his mother"; rhipto is not used (Il. 18.395ff). But in the 
Hymn to Apollo (311-30), Hera recalls this same incident, using rhipto to 

describe her own actions (318). Perhaps she attempts thus to equate her power 
with Zeus', for the point of this speech is that Zeus did not respect her 
position when, apart from her, he gave birth to Athena. Hera now intends to 

assert her equality by bearing a preeminent child without Zeus (323-30). That 
child will be Typhoeus. Cf Clay 67f. 

30 L. Slatkin, "The Wrath of Thetis," TAPA 116 (1986) 1-24, argues that 
"One can see Briareos' narrative function as a mirror of his dramatic function: 
as a reminder. The binding element in itself is a sufficient allusion to the 
succession myth, so that Briareos is included as a multiplication of the motif" 
(11). Cf Clay 11 on the theogonic connotations of this episode. 



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the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

SARAH E. HARRELL 319 

not misunderstand his reference: they are struck to silence at 
the end of his speech) marvelling at its power (28f).31 

Zeus' threat does not require a clear intention to enforce it in 
the future: instead it recalls a period in the past during which he 
performed similar actions. It refers to the moment in Olympian 
time when Zeus began to rule the gods and institutionalize their 
place in the cosmos through their timai. When Zeus says he will 
hurl someone to Tartarus) he alludes to his role as the supreme 
authority of the Olympian cosmos.32 If the wording of this 
threat comes from a traditional source, and the audience of the 
Iliad was familiar with theogonic stories such as those preserved 
in Hesiod, Zeus' threat becomes all the more effective. The use 
of the Tartarus motif in one context would remind the audience 
of other similar stories originating from sources now lost to us. 

What then does it mean for Apollo to threaten Hermes with 
Zeus' words in the Hymn to Hermes? On one level, it adds to 
the comic nature of the relationship between Apollo and 
Hermes. Apollo's use of Zeus's words, with all their connota­
tions of physical and political power, highlights the incongruity 
of the hymnic setting. Apollo addresses Hermes lying in his 
cradle as "boy" (nut, 254). Hermes cannot be considered an 
audience on the scale of the assembled Olympian gods, nor an 
opponent on par with Typhoeus. Moreover, Apollo's elabo­
ration of the threat does not contain the terrifying description 
of Tartarus that Zeus employed. Instead, he pictures Hermes in 
the underworld leading a group of little men: rppT)crEu; oAi:yotcrt 
JlE't' uvbpacrlv TtYEJlOV£UWV (259). Where are Iapetos and 
Kronos? In Apollo's speech, Tartarus is used to mock Hermes 
rather than to frighten him, especially given that an important 
aspect of Hermes' time will be to lead the souls of the dead to 
the underworld. In fact at the end of the Hymn we learn that he 
alone of all the gods will be the messenger to Hades (572f). 
Therefore being in the underworld in charge of little men is a 
fate more fitting for Hermes than for any other Olympian. 

31 Cf also Hera's reaction to Zeus' later mention of Tartarus; she does not 
respond (8.484). Note also that following the assembly of Book 8, the three 
gods who demonstrate their opposition to Zeus'command are Hera, Poseidon, 
and Athena, the same three gods who in an earlier time had attempted to 
bind Zeus. 

32 Martin (supra n.9: 54) points out that Zeus' use of symbolic rhetoric 
demonstrates his mastery of the" poetics of power": "The muthos of what 
'might' happen is actually a projection of the current power configuration on 
Olympus." 



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320 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

Apollo assures Hermes that, once in Tartarus, neither his 
mother nor his father will be able to release him to the light 
(257f)-a particularly ironic warning when we remember that 
Hermes' father is Zeus, and that Zeus alone banishes rebels to 
Tartarus in the manner described by Apollo. If anyone could 
rescue Hermes from Tartarus, it would be Zeus. 

We would expect such a ridiculous inversion of Zeus' threat 
to prove ineffectual, and we are not disappointed. In contrast to 
the assembled gods whom Zeus impresses with his infernal 
imagery, Hermes displays no fear at Apollo's rhetoric. Far from 
being speechless with awe, Hermes replies to Apollo with 
"cunning words" (J.1U80t<HV K£pOUAEOtat, 260). He proceeds to 
lie, pleading ignorance about the cattle that Apollo has just 
commanded him to reveal (261-77). Apollo seems to admit 
defeat in this round; he replies to Hermes' speech with laughter 
(281). Apollo's words do not carry the weight of past deeds, the 
factor that makes Zeus' threat terrifying. Although in a position 
superior to Hermes, Apollo cannot refer to a political system in 
which he has sole authority. As the 'trial' scene later in the 
hymn demonstrates, Apollo and Hermes both must accede to 
Zeus' judgment (391-96). Ultimately Apollo too lives under the 
sway of the one whom he tries to imitate. This irony would be 
especially clear to an audience familiar with the tradition of 
Zeus' punishments, and perhaps even the story that Zeus once 
came close to casting Apollo into Tartarus, a punishment he 
avoided by serving as Admetus' herdsman. 33 Apollo's inversion 
of Zeus' threat adds to the humorous characterization of the 
god as an adolescent, brutish older brother unable to outwit the 
devious baby Hermes. His attempts to bully Hermes are 
ultimately as ineffectual as his intention to do violence to the 
child, thwarted by Hermes' strategic fart (293-98).34 

Yet these comic elements do not satisfactorily explain the 
force of the theogonic imagery inherent in Apollo's threat. 
Why should Apollo in particular recall the former struggles of 
Zeus in this present conflict with Hermes? Perhaps we need to 

33 lowe this observation to Jenny Clay. Indeed, according to Antoninus Li­
beralis (23), Apollo was tending both his own and Admetus' cattle at the time 
of Hermes' theft. Apollo' confrontation with Hermes would, in this chronol­
ogy, have occurred directly after his own confrontation with Zeus. Cf Clay 
112 n.57; see also supra n.17. 

H Clay (132f) sees much of the comedy in the brothers' relationship in the 
conflict between hie and metis that they represent. 



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SARAH E. HARRELL 321 

modify our original question and ask not only why the hymnist 
pits Apollo against Hermes, but also why he pictures two 
brothers vying for power in a hymnic setting. If we think of the 
problem in fraternal terms, the theogonic allusions take on 
greater significance especially for the issue of time, the issue 
that most concerns Hermes in the Hymn (cf. 172-75). 

The Olympian power configuration depicted in the Iliad 
provides a parallel to the fraternal conflict between Apollo and 
Hermes, in the form of a dispute between two brothers: Zeus 
and Poseidon. Poseidon is the only god who defies Zeus' 
prohibition against fighting among mortals; he alone seems 
unconvinced by Zeus' references to Tartarus and former 
punishments. 35 Poseidon has been aiding the Greeks in the 
form of the mortal Chalchas, and the narrator characterizes this 
rebellion as that of a younger brother acting against his older 
sibling (13.354-57): 

~ J.ul.V UJlCPO"tEPOlcrtV oJlov YEVOC, i)8' La mhpll, 
aAAa ZEUC, 1tpO"tEPOC, yqovn Kat1tAdova n811 
"too pa Kat aJlCPa8illv Jl£V aAE~EJlEVat aAEnvE, 
AUSPTI ()' at£v EynpE KaT a cnpaTOV, aV()pl EOlKW<;. 

The narrator connects the course of the human fighting to the 
opposition between Zeus and Poseidon, "two powerful sons of 
Kronos" (345). Their fraternal relationship defines the two gods 
in this setting, yet they clearly do not have an equal standing. 
The discrepancy in their power is accounted for by their birth 
order: although they have the same parentage, Zeus was born 
earlier and knows more (354f). Moreover, because of their 
unequal position, Poseidon avoids a face-to-face contest with 
Zeus; instead, he fights among the Greeks secretly (AUSPTI, 352, 
357). As a younger, inferior brother, Poseidon chooses an 
indirect mode of rebellion. Here we can see a parallel to 
Hermes' status as thief: one who acts at night and literally 
covers his tracks (see e.g. Hymn. Hom. Mere. 13ff). Like 
Poseidon, another 'younger brother', Hermes lacks the 
authority, familial or political, that would allow him to enter into 
an open contest with Apollo. Deceit is an appropriate weapon 
for him to employ. 

35 Hera is forced to end her opposition when Zeus awakens after she has 
seduced him. He reminds her of the time when he suspended her from 
Olympus with anvils attached to her feet. See supra n.27. 



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322 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

If we recall the implications of the Tartarus motif, we realize 
that the poet's explanation of Zeus' superiority over Poseidon 
only tells part of the story. In Book 13 the poet stresses that 
Zeus presides over Poseidon by virtue of his earlier birth, yet 
elsewhere in the Iliad we have seen allusions to the theogonic 
period in which Zeus attained his power through such acts of 
physical force as hurling Typhoeus to Tartarus. He becomes 
king at the urging of the other gods (Th. 883) in order to end the 
cycle of violence and discord. Furthermore, after defeating the 
Titans, Zeus swallows Metis (Th. 886-90), thus appropriating 
her essence and preventing the possibility of a further suc­
cession. 36 Zeus knows more not only because he is older, but 
also because he has absorbed the intelligence embodied in 
Metis. 

Further, any reference to the family history of Zeus and 
Poseidon recalls the highly unusual circumstances surrounding 
their births. In the theogonic tradition as Hesiod presents it, 
Zeus was not the first but the last born son of Kronos (Th. 
453-58). Zeus becomes the oldest only when the other chil­
dren, including Poseidon, are swallowed by Kronos, while Zeus 
remains free to overthrow his father. 37 The representation of 
Zeus as eldest son of Kronos inevitably alludes to the manner in 
which Zeus succeeded his father as ruler of Olympus. We 
should therefore be wary of taking at face value Zeus' claim to 
an authority based on seniority. 

The poet pits Zeus and Poseidon against one another as 
brothers, while suggesting also that their relative positions of 
power result not from the accident of their births, but from 
Zeus' specific actions and intelligence. The fraternal imagery 
recurs when Zeus, having lost patience with Poseidon's lack of 
respect for his threat, tries to get Poseidon off the battlefield. 
Zeus sends down Iris to urge his brother to reconsider his 
opposition to one clearly superior to himself (15.158-67): 

36 Cf Clay 13, 67; Vernant (supra n.10) 1--6. 
37 Cf West (supra n.15) 293: "The idea that the regurgitation was a second 

birth may have been developed so that Zeus, who grew up before any of these 
secondary births, could be counted as the eldest as well as the youngest." Cf 
also Hymn. Hom. Ven. 22£, where Hestia is called both the first born and 
youngest child of Kronos, i.e., she was the first whom Rhea bore and the first 
whom Kronos swallowed, and therefore the last to be vomited up. See Clay 
161f. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

SARAH E. HARRELL 

~acrK' tel, "I pl 'taXEta, Oocr£t8arovl aVaK'tl 
1taV'ta 'ta8' UYY£lAat, J.lTl8E "'Eu8aYYEAo<; rIVat. 
1taucraJ.lEVOV J.llV avroxSl J.laXTl~ 1i8E 1t'tOAEJ.lOtO 
EPx£cr8at J!£tU Cj>uAa 8£wv ~ d<; (iAa b'iav. 
d 8E J.lOl OUK E1tEEcrcr' E1tl1tdcr£'tat, UAA' UAorilcr£t, 
cppa~Ecr8ro 8i) E1t£t'ta Ka'tu cppEva Kat Ka'tu 8uJ.lov 
J.lll J.l' ou8E Kpa'tEpo~ 1tEp EWV E1tlOV'ta 'taAacrcrn 
J.l£lVat, E1td £0 CPTlJ.lt ~tn 1tOAU CPEP'tEPO<; dvat 
Kat Y£VETt 1tp6t£po~· 'to\) 8' OUK oSna l cptAoV ~'tOp 
'lcrov EJ.lOt cpacr9 at , 'tOV 't£ cr'tUYEOUcrt Kat aAAot. 

323 

Zeus admits that Poseidon is Kpa'tEpo<;, but describes himself as 
CPEP't£pO~ 1tOA\) ~in (164f).38 If we understand CPEP't£pO~ as a term 
that denotes preeminence in social or political standing, the 
claim to be "better by far in force" would refer to Zeus' 
position as ruler of the Olympians, as well as the physical force 
he used to attain that position. Zeus adds that he was born 
before Poseidon (166), manipulating the familial imagery 
employed earlier by the narrator, and alluding to the succession 
myth associated with his birth. 

The explanation for this emphasis on familial imagery can be 
found in Poseidon's reply to Iris. When she repeats Zeus' 
words to Poseidon (181 ff; cf 165ff), Poseidon's response 
focuses on his fraternal connection with Zeus. He does not 
mention the familiar theogonic succession story, but appeals 
instead to their common parentage as proof of his equality with 
Zeus (185-99): 

W 1t01tOl ~ p' uyaSo~ 1t£p EWV 1.l1tEP01tAoV ££t1tEV 
d J.l' OJ.lOtlJ.lOV EOV'ta ~in uEKov'ta Ka9E~£t. 
'tPEt<; yap 't' EK Kpovou dJ.lEV U8EACP£Ot ou~ 'tEKE'tO 'PEa 
ZEU<; Kat EYW, 'tpitaw<; 8' 'Ai8Tl<; EVEPOtcrtV uvacrcrrov. 
'tPlxSU 8E 1taV'ta 8E8acr'tat, £Kacr'to~ 8' fJ.lJ.lOp£ 'tlJ.li1~ . 
~'tOt EYWV EAaxov 1tOAt~V (iAa vatEJ!Ev aid 
1taAAOJ.lEvrov, 'Ai8Tl~ 8' fAaX£ ~ocpov 1)Epo£V'ta, 
ZEU<; b' fAax' oupavov EUPUV EV ai9Ept Kat VECj>EAncrv 
yata 8' E'tl ~uvi) 1tav'trov Kat J.laKpO~ "OAUJ.l1tO~. 
'tw pa Kat OU 'tl ~to<; ~EOJ.lat cPp£crtV, UAAU EKTlAo<; 

38 Cf the opposition drawn by Nestor between Agamemnon and Achilles 
(1.280f). Nestor advises Achilles not to fight against Agamemnon; even though 
Achilles is KPat£p6~, Agamemnon is <p£p't£po~ because he rules over many. 



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324 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

Kat Kpat£p6<; 1t£p EcOV Il£V£-rW tpt'tchn EVt llolPl1. 
x£pcrt Of 11ft tl 11£ 1ta:yxu KaKov w<; OnOtcrcr£cr8w' 
8uyat£p£crcrtV yap t£ Kat utacrt ~£At£pov £tTl 
EK1tayAOt<; E1t££crcrtV EVtcrcr£Il£V OU<; t£K£V a1n6<;, 
Ot £8£v OtpUVOV'tO<; (XKOUcroVtat Kat uvaYKT\. 

Poseidon calls himself equal in time to Zeus (0 1l0'ttIlO<; , 186). He 
then refers to the three (tp£t<;) brothers born of Kronos (187), 
and the corresponding three-way (tptX8a) division of time 
between them (189). Poseidon stresses that each of the brothers 
received their realm by lot: 1taAAOIl£vWV (191), £Aaxov (190), 
fAaX£ (191£). He takes great pains to avoid the impression that 
any specific individual controlled the apportionment of timai 
among the brothers (cf the passive o£oacrta t, 189). It was a 
matter of luck, in which personal attributes of age or strength 
played no role. 39 According to Hesiod's theogonic account, as 
we have already seen, Zeus was responsible for the distribution 
of time among the immortals after his defeat of the Titans and 
Typhoeus. In the Theogony, Zeus offers to honor those gods 
who help him overthrow the Titans, whether they already had 
timai under the rule of Kronos, or have been without privileges 
up to this point (Th. 392-96; cf West [supra 0.15J 274ff). Even if 
the three brothers received their honors by lot during the reign 
of Kronos, their possession of timai in the heroic time of the 
Iliad ultimately results from Zeus' reconfiguration of the 
cosmos (Th. 112, 885). Moreover in the Iliad, Zeus clearly 
controls all the gods and Olympus, despite Poseidon's assertion 
here that the earth and Olympus are common to the three 
brothers. In fact Poseidon earlier refuses to fight against Zeus, 
saying that he is 1toAu (j>£ptEPO<; (8.211). In less heated moments, 
Poseidon recognizes Zeus' supremacy. 

39 Clay sees a connection between these lines (187-95) and Hermes' distri­
bution by lot of the portions of his feast/sacrifice (1(Al'\po1taA{l~. Hymn. Hom. 
Mere. 129). According to Clay (121), "the casting by lots presupposes a 
community of equals and ignores the existence of hierarchical differences 
among its members." She point out (122) in relation to both Poseidon and 
Hermes that "the appeal to lots is most effective in the mouth of an 
underdog." While I accept Clay's comparison of the two passges, I suggest 
that their connection goes beyond the feast/sacrifice scene. See also Nagy 
(supra n.7) 127-34, for the relationship between a feast (dais) and the verb 
dedastai, and for discussion of the related terms aisa and moira, which also 
occur in this passage. Cf Callimachus' ironic elaboration of the difference 
between the Hesiodic and Homeric accounts at Jov. 60-67. 



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SARAH E. HARRELL 325 

Poseidon characterizes the relationship between himself, 
Hades, and Zeus, as one of brothers joined in equality. He does 
this at the moment when he is being summoned by the 
sovereign power of heaven and the entire cosmos, and must 
admit defeat in the face of Zeus' superior will. Poseidon 
presents a selective explanation for how he obtained his time in 
order to gloss over the evident imbalance of power between 
himself and Zeus. Iris, however, chides Poseidon for his 
speech. She asks if he really wants her to report his words to 
Zeus. Her words bring us back to the Hymn to Hermes 
(201-04): 

OU'HO yap oi) 'tOt Yati)0XE KuaVOxat'ta 
'tOVOE <pEPro L\ tl ~uSov U1tTlv Ea 'tE Kpa'tEpov 'tE, 
~ n ~£'tacr'tpE'fEl(;; cr'tpE1t'tat ~EV 'tE <PPEVEC; [crSAmv. 
olcrS' roc; 1tp£(j~U'tEPotcrtV 'EptVUEC; al£V E1tOV'tat. 

Iris calls Poseidon's speech a ~ueov a1tTlv£u (202). she lets him 
know that his claims of equality to Zeus are unwise. To apply 
the adjective "hard" to the marked word mythos draws atten­
tion to the rashness of Poseidon's words. 40 The only other 
instance in Homer and the Homeric Hymns, as well as Hesiod, 
in which apeneus is applied to mythos occurs in the Hymn to 
Hermes. Hermes' reply to Apollo's threat to hurl him to 
Tartarus begins: ATI'to"{OTl 'tlva 'tou'tOV u1tuvEa uuSov £El1tac; 
(261). The speeches of Poseidon and Apollo as thus described 
display similarities, since both speak unreasonably. In an 
arrogant tone Poseidon asserts his equality to Zeus in a world 
where Zeus has the ultimate authority. Apollo tries to ap­
propriate some of that authority by using a threat that, as we 
have seen in other instances, belongs to the realm of Zeus. As 
both Iris' and Hermes' replies demonstrate, the speeches of 
Poseidon and Apollo fail. The speakers lack the force-Zeus' 
force-that they attempt to assert. 

In pointing out to Poseidon the inevitability of his acquies­
cence to Zeus, Iris presents this imminent subjugation as the 

40 For Zeus to receive this mythos would conflict with the power structure 
of Olympus. According to Martin (supra n.9: 48ff), Zeus issues the most 
frequent command-mythoi in this poem, and no one ever directs such a 
mythos towards him. Poseidon's wish that Zeus remain in his own realm, 
and threaten only his children, would constitute such an unprecedented 
command if Iris were to relate his speech to Zeus. 



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326 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

natural result of Poseidon's position within the family. She 
invokes the Furies in their capacity as defenders of familial 
relationships by reminding Poseidon that the Furies always 
follow elders (1tp£a~ty[£pol<nv, 204).41 Here the adjective can be 
translated as 'older brothers'. Again this form of the adjective 
appears in the Hymn to Hermes, and nowhere else in Homer, 
Hesiod, and the Hymns. Apollo urges Hermes to teach him to 
play the lyre, saying (456-62): 

VUV 0' E1td o-ov 6A(YO~ 1t£p EWV KAU'tU /lr,O£a oloa~, 
t~E 1tbtOV Kat /lu80v E1talVEt 1tpEa~u't£polat. 
VUV yap 'tOl KA£O~ fa'tal EV a8aVa'tOlal 8Edim 
ao( 't' au'to)t Kat /lll'tp(· 'to 0' a'tpEK£W~ ayop£1)(jw· 
vat /lu 'tOOE Kpavflvov aKOV'tlOV ~ /lEV tyro aE 
KUOpOV EV a8ava'tOlal Kat OA~LOV llYE/lovEuaw, 
Oroaw 't' aYAau owpa Kat E~ 't£AO~ OUK a1ta'tr,aw. 

Apollo placates Hermes: despite his small size, Hermes knows 
great things. But now he should honor the words of his elders 
(or again elder brothers). Both Iris' and Apollo's statements 
have the appearance of generalized sayings to promote respect 
for elders: "the Furies always follow elders," "honor the words 
of your elders." 42 Such general 'truths' account for the gods' 
inferior positions by placing them within a hierarchy based on 
age and birth order. Yet the players in both poems know well 
the means through which Zeus created the Olympian order and 
his position at its head. Apollo's assurances that honoring his 
speech will lead to fame and gifts for Hermes and his mother 
overlook the fact that no such generosity would be possible 
without the intervention of Zeus. 

The poet of the Iliad chooses to describe Zeus' victory over 
Poseidon as the respect an older brother deserves from a 
younger brother. The familial construct makes it easier for 
Poseidon to become reintegrated into the assembly of gods 
who obey the commands of Zeus, albeit with varying degrees 
of willingness. While surrendering to Zeus' clear physical and 
political superiority, Poseidon can still claim, however weakly, 
that he and Zeus as brothers are "equal in portion" (iao/lopov) 

41 Leaf (supra n.24) II 118; see also I 404. 

42 Martin (supra n.9: 42) contrasts Poseidon's mythos with Iris' words, 
identified as epea by Poseidon. Martin suggests that such gnomic statements 
are characteristic of epea. 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
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SARAH E. HARRELL 327 

and have been allotted an equal share of honor (OJ.1n atan, 209). 
The picture of familial divison of timai has been superimposed 
upon the mythological explanation for Zeus' dominance not 
only over Poseidon, but over all the gods. For we have seen the 
poet alluding, both here and elsewhere in the Iliad, to Zeus' 
theogonic victories over those who challenged him. The two 
explanations are not necessarily contradictory. They differ in 
their emphasis on whether Zeus became preeminent because of 
his age or his personal attributes and past deeds. 

Therefore when the hymnist accounts for the division of 
power between Apollo and Hermes as the result of their 
fraternal relationship, he invokes an image that other poets have 
used to make the (re)integration of a god into the Olympian 
order more palatable. Although Hermes' place in the Olympic 
pantheon cannot equal Apollo's, for political (or from the 
hymnist's point of view cultic) considerations, this discrepancy 
can be explained as his predetermined allotment as the most 
youthful member of a family. Hermes seems to recognize this 
when he charms Apollo with his lyre. Hermes sings a theogony 
(427-33), in which he describes the issue most vital to him, how 
the gods obtained their apportionment of honor (428). He 
celebrates the gods according to their seniority (Ka'tc:X 1tp£a~LV, 
431).43 Hermes' theogony does not refer to the succession 
myths or to Zeus' exertion of physical force and subsequent 
distribution of timai; instead it recalls the births of all the gods in 
order of their age. Hermes' own portion of time then, par­
ticularly in relation to Apollo, is a function of his age, not any 
inherent weakness or inferiority. 

As in the story of the distribution of realms between Zeus, 
Poseidon, and Hades, familial connections play an important 
role in the hymn's central concern: Hermes' time. When 
Apollo attempts to assert as his own the power by which Zeus 
rules Olympus, we realize that the metaphor for this authority 
is at once political and familial. At the beginning of the Hymn, 

43 Cf Clay 138: uHermes' theme is nothing less than the ordered cosmos 
and the pantheon, in which each god possesses his own share of moira. 
Organized as it is on the principle of seniority, the song must end with the 
culminating event of theogony: Hermes' own birth and his accession to his 
own destined moira within the pantheon. The song itself is the vehicle of its 
own ends, for it will bring about the exchange that will form the basis for 
Hermes' timai." 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

328 APOLLO'S FRATERNAL THREATS 

Hermes has stated his desire to obtain time equal to Apollo's 
(172-75): 

. .. a/lq> t bE n/l ile; 
1(aYel> 'tile; oalTle; btt~T)aO/lal ~e; 1t£P 'A1tOAAroV. 
d bE 1(£ /lit bwaT1al 1ta'tit P £/lOe;, ~ 'tOl EYroy£ 
1t£lp1)aro, buva/lat, qrrlATl'tErov OPXa/lOe; rIval. 

Hermes assures his mother that if his father does not grant him 
these honors, he will steal what he can from Apollo, becoming 
the prince of thieves. Hermes' desire to enter into the 
Olympian order is stated in terms of a dissatisfied younger 
sibling, wanting his father to treat him as an equal of his brother. 
That Hermes' ultimate goal in defying his brother is his 
integration into the Olympian order becomes clear when he 
requests that their conflict be brought to Zeus (312; Clay 134f). 
On their way to Olympus, the fraternal connection of Apollo 
and Hermes is stressed; for the first time they are explicitly 
joined as brothers (322f): 

ah"a bE 'tEp8pov Y1(ov'tO 8uwb£oe; 'OUAU/l1tOlO 
£e; 1ta'tEpa Kpovirova Mo~ 1t£pl1(aAAEa 'tEKVa. 

Also for the first time, Hermes will gain access to his father's 
house and the recognition of his paternity that will lead to his 
acquisition of timai: familial and political acceptance are 
inextricably linked. 

Familial imagery is apparent both in Apollo's misguided at­
tempt to assume the position of his father in relation to his 
younger brother, and in Hermes' desire to gain his father's 
favor and achieve equality with his older brother. Here we have 
the motivation for the hymnist's (or the tradition's) choice to 
begin the hymn with the opposition of these two, in a context 
that we would expect to glorify Hermes primarily. Apollo and 
Hermes' fraternity symbolizes the overarching concern not 
only of this hymn, but indeed of all the Homeric Hymns. 44 

The comparison of Apollo and Hermes' fraternal relationship 
to that between Zeus and Poseidon reminds us finally of their 
differences. As we have seen, Zeus holds a unique position 
within the Olympian family and within the cosmos. His power 

-4-4 Cf Clay 15: "At the core of each [hymn] lies a concern with the acquisi­
tion or redistribution of timai within the Olympian cosmos." 



HARRELL, SARAH E., Apollo's Fraternal Threats: Language of Succession and Domination in 
the "Homeric Hymn to Hermes" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 32:4 (1991:Winter) p.307 

SARAH E. HARRELL 329 

is absolute, whereas the superiority of Apollo over Hermes has 
limits. Ultimately Zeus has control over both Apollo and 
Hermes; their reconciliation comes only after they approach 
their father. He puts an end to their quarreling with the nod of 
his head (395f), and he orchestrates and gives his approval to 
their friendship, which continues until the present day, after the 
exchange of the staff for the lyre (508-12, 574f). Most impor­
tantly it is Zeus who grants Hermes his timai at the end of the 
hymn (569-73).45 The king of the Olympians acts as the father of 
two rebellious sons who must learn to accept one another in 
order to ensure the stability of the family. 

Fraternal sparring signals the crisis that occurs when the order 
of the cosmos must be shifted in some way. As eldest son, 
Apollo cannot hope to emulate his father too closely, for that 
would lead to another succession. On the other hand, Hermes, 
like Poseidon, can never achieve equality with his older 
brother, the only god who knows the counsel of Zeus (Hymn. 
Hom. Mere. 535ff). This familial metaphor highlights the sort of 
accommodation of individual gods characteristic of hymnic 
time, in contrast to the finality and violence of theogonic 
transi tions. 46 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY 

July, 1992 

45 See T. W. Allen et al., edd., The Homeric Hymns (Oxford 1936) 348: there 
is a lacuna after 568 and a main verb must be provided: "The subject can 
hardly be other than Zeus." See also Clay 149f, who sees Zeus' presence here 
as affirming the Olympian orientation of this hymn. 

46 I would like to thank Jenny Clay and Leslie Kurke for their comments 
and suggestions for improving this paper, and to give special thanks to 
Richard Martin for his generous criticism of several earlier versions.