Jackson Renfro: Photographing Liminal Spaces in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Liminal Spaces Power Point
Liminal spaces are included throughout the Homeric Hymn to Demeter to reveal a transition between two spaces or two states of being. The Hymn tells the story of Demeter and her efforts to persuade Zeus to give her back her daughter Persephone, who unwillingly resides in the murky Underworld with Hades. Accordingly, both Demeter and Persephone must pass through various liminal spaces in order to be reunited with one another. In this project, I isolated nine liminal spaces in the Hymn and matched them with photos taken by me that I believe best represent the transitional qualities of these locations. Most of the photos are various scenes of nature to help illustrate Demeter’s estrangement from her daughter who resides below in the inaccessible realm of Hades as well as her journey as she searches for Persephone over land and ocean. Finally, as Persephone’s reunification with her mother bridges the upper and lower realms and Demeter sends up flowers once again, I aim to show this cycle of birth and rebirth.
Thanks for checking it out, and I hope you enjoy!
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Amelia Andreano: Eleusinian Kykeon
Vincent Scauzzo: Εἰς Ἐλευθερίαν
Vincent Scauzzo: To Liberty
I’ll sing of receiver-of-all lovely-crowned Liberty,
far-seeing mother of land and sea,
whose beacon of grace and welcoming shines for all,
Who begets beautiful children: Determination and Resilience,
Compassion and Preservation, Humility and Independence.
You are the face of our nation,
the unceasing visage of justice and honor.
Let us all give praise to you, and let us all
in your majestic purple shadow seek to live like you.
Give us the strength to care for this land
with which you have entrusted us,
the land which ought to be rid of injustice, dishonesty, and corruption.
These amber waves of grain have made flourish
so many great ones in your name,
so guide us to live lives full of empathy and progress
and to be the best, not so that we might shame others,
but because it is the just and right thing to do.
May we as you do stare down the great unknown with courage,
enlighten the dishonest with the light of truth,
and heal the wounds of our world with your motherly grace.
May respect and praise be to you for all days.
But I am reminded of your song, and of another.
Εἰς Ἐλευθερίαν
Αἰέδω πολυδέγμονα εὐστέφανον Ἐλευθερίαν,
εὐρούπα[1] μητρὴν γῆς τε καὶ θαλαττοῦ,
ἧς ὁ φρυκτὸς χάριτος καὶ φιλότητος φαίν’[2] ὔπερ παντῶν,
ἧ τίκτει καλλίστους παῖδας: Βουλὴ τε καὶ Καρτερία,
Ἔλεος τε Σωτηρία, Ταπεινότης καὶ Αὐτονομία.
Εἶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμετέρης πολιτείας,
ὁ ἄπαυστος ὄψις δικῆς καὶ τιμῆς.
Σοι ἐγκωμιάζωμεν πάντες, καὶ πάντες
ἐν σῇ ὑψηλῇ ἁλουργεῖ σκιᾷ ζηλῶμεν ζώειν ὥς σὺ.
Δῶ τὸ κράτος ἡμῖν ὅτι φιλῶμεν τὴν χῶραν
ἥν ἐπιτέτραφας ἡμῖν,
ἧ ἐλυσατέη ἀδικῆς, κάκης, καὶ διαφθορᾶς.
τὰ χρύσεα ῥόθια ἀσταχύων ἐπέφυκει
τοσούτους πρὸ σοῦ ὀνομάτου,
οὔν ἡγοῦ ὅτι διάγωμεν πλέους εὐμενείας καὶ ἐπιδοσέως βίους
καὶ ὦμεν οἱ καλλίστοι, ὅτι μὴ καταισχύνωμεν ἄλλους,
ἀλλὰ ἐπείτε τὸ δικαῖον καὶ τὸ εὐπρεπὲς ποιεῖν.
Βλέπωμεν ἀρητῇ ὥς σὺ τὸ ἀγνώτον τὸ μεγαλὸν,
διδασκῶμεν τοὺς κακοὺς τῷ φάει ἀληθείας,
τε καὶ ἀκώμεθα τὰ τραύματα ἡμετέρης γῆς μητρῳῇ χάριτι.
σοι εἴη σέβας καὶ τιμὴ ἤματα πάντα.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ’[3] ἀοιδῆς.
To Liberty
Εἴς Ἐλευθερίαν
I’ll sing of receiver-of-all lovely-crowned Liberty,
Αἰέδω πολυδέγμονα εὐστέφανον Ἐλευθερίαν,
far-seeing mother of land and sea,
εὐρούπα[4] μητρὴν γῆς τε καὶ θαλαττοῦ,
whose beacon of grace and welcoming shines for all,
ἧς ὁ φρυκτὸς χάριτος καὶ φιλότητος φαίν’[5] ὔπερ παντῶν,
Who begets beautiful children: Determination and Resilience,
ἧ τίκτει καλλίστους παῖδας: Βουλὴ τε καὶ Καρτερία,
Compassion and Preservation, Humility and Independence.
Ἔλεος τε Σωτηρία, Ταπεινότης καὶ Αὐτονομία.
You are the face of our nation,
Εἶ τὸ πρόσωπον ἡμετέρης πολιτείας,
the unceasing visage of justice and honor.
ὁ ἄπαυστος ὄψις δικῆς καὶ τιμῆς.
Let us all give praise to you, and let us all
Σοι ἐγκωμιάζωμεν πάντες, καὶ πάντες
in your majestic purple shadow seek to live like you.
ἐν σῇ ὑψηλῇ ἁλουργεῖ σκιᾷ ζηλῶμεν ζώειν ὥς σὺ.
Give us the strength to care for this land
Δῶ τὸ κράτος ἡμῖν ὅτι φιλῶμεν τὴν χῶραν
with which you have entrusted us,
ἥν ἐπιτέτραφας ἡμῖν,
the land which ought to be rid of injustice, dishonesty, and corruption.
ἧ ἐλυσατέη ἀδικῆς, κάκης, καὶ διαφθορᾶς.
These amber waves of grain have made flourish
τὰ χρύσεα ῥόθια ἀσταχύων ἐπέφυκει
so many great ones in your name,
τοσούτους πρὸ σοῦ ὀνομάτου,
so guide us to live lives full of empathy and progress
οὔν ἡγοῦ ὅτι διάγωμεν πλέους εὐμενείας καὶ ἐπιδοσέως βίους
and to be the best, not so that we might shame others,
καὶ ὦμεν οἱ καλλίστοι, ὅτι μὴ καταισχύνωμεν ἄλλους,
but because it is the just and right thing to do.
ἀλλὰ ἐπείτε τὸ δικαῖον καὶ τὸ εὐπρεπὲς ποιεῖν.
May we as you do stare down the great unknown with courage,
Βλέπωμεν ἀρητῇ ὥς σὺ τὸ ἀγνώτον τὸ μεγαλὸν,
enlighten the dishonest with the light of truth,
διδασκῶμεν τοὺς κακοὺς τῷ φάει ἀληθείας,
and heal the wounds of our world with your motherly grace.
τε καὶ ἀκώμεθα τὰ τραύματα ἡμετέρης γῆς μητρῳῇ χάριτι.
May respect and praise be to you for all days.
σοι εἴη σέβας καὶ τιμὴ ἤματα πάντα.
But I am reminded of your song, and of another.
αὐτὰρ ἐγὼ καὶ σεῖο καὶ ἄλλης μνήσομ’[6] ἀοιδῆς.
[1] Epithet only found in context with Zeus. No feminine equivalent. One spelling, accusative here.
[2] 3rd pers. s. pres. Act. indic. φαίνει
[3] 1st pers. mid. fut. indic. μνήσομαι
[4] Epithet only found in context with Zeus. No feminine equivalent. One spelling, accusative here.
[5] 3rd pers. s. pres. Act. indic. φαίνει
[6] 1st pers. mid. fut. indic. μνήσομαι
Emmie Lo: Demeter’s Song (I would burn the World)
Performance
I Would Burn the World
You were in the meadow
Picking flowers with your friends
Just like all those times before
We ever knew what sorrow meant.
You were so excited,
Like the day when you were born
When you smiled up at me
And I knew that I would burn the world
If it keeps you smiling.
Then the earth broke open
And the Host-of-Many rose,
And with his deathless horses,
Dragged you down beneath the misty dark and
To his hellish home.
You were screaming for your father
You were screaming for your friends
And you cried my name,
But I could not hear you then.
And no one of gods or mortals
Underneath the barren sky
None but Hecate
From her deep cave heard you cry.
So she came to meet me
Holding torches in her hands
She said, “Some man or god has taken your daughter,
But who? I could not see”
So we asked the Sun God
For he gazes on all things
And he said, “Don’t worry,
Her daddy’s got it all arranged
She’ll have heaps of honors,
Hades is a great catch,
You should be so proud.
Stop this silly anger,
Don’t you weep
There’s no reason to cry anymore
Stop being so unreasonable.”
They can say you’re better off now
They can beg and praise and fawn
But I will never be okay now you are gone
Let the people die of famine
Let the barley fall in vain
I’ll let nothing grow
’til I see your face again
The gods can keep their useless honors
They can keep their thrones of gold
I will make them pay for the way
They hurt you so
So they let you come home
And I held you in my arms
But Hades in secret
Forced you to eat
A pomegranate seed
So for two thirds of the year
You’re with me in glorious light
But when winter comes
You sink beneath the earth and rule all who have died.