I particularly like the hymn below to the god Hermes, not just because of Hermes mischief 
but it also tells us how Apollo was venerated as the god of music.
Born at dawn, he played the lyre in the afternoon
And he stole the cattle of Apollo the Archer
In the evening – all on the fourth day of the month,
The day he was born from the lady Maia.
Wise Zeus made them both friends.
And Hermes loved the son of Leto continually,
Even as he does now, from the proof that he gave
The lovely lyre to the Archer and taught him,
And Apollo played it skillfully upon his arm.
Then the Son of Leto said to Hermes:
‘Son of Maia, guide,
You who are full of tricks,
I’m afraid you might
Steal the lyre back from me
And my curved bow at the same time.'
Then the son of Maia nodded his head and promised
That he would never steal anything the Archer possessed
Then Apollo, son of Leto, nodded his head in a bond
Of friendship, and promised that never
Would there be anyone else among the immortals
Whom he would love more than Hermes,
Neither a god nor a man born from Zeus
I find the Homeric hymns fascinating because they also tell us something about the Greek view of the relationship between the divine and human worlds. In some cases the actual union of a deity with a mortal produces an exceptional human being; this was the origin of some of the greatest heroes in The Iliad such as Achilles or Sarpedon.
2007-12-09 @ 22:57