On Hyperborea, Deities, and the Book that Unites Them All

Individuals may remember that, once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away, it was ordained that a book about Apollon would be written as part of Routledge's Gods and Heroes of the Ancient World series. Little did any of us know that it would take so long to receive the data transmission from the Andromeda Galaxy.

Seriously. If you take one thing away from this post, make it this: never, ever trust release dates put out by Routledge. Ever.

Hellenic Polytheists—specifically those in love with Apollon—have awaited this book for a while. Many people had many questions about it. Would Fritz Graf acknowledge that people still believe in the deity? Would the representation of Apollon take the form of a broad sweep of the god's cultus or would it contain original critical work? And what, pray tell, took Dr. Graf so long?

I was not disappointed with Apollo. While Dr. Graf places Apollon-worship squarely in antiquity, and while the book is actually just a sweep of the god's cultus with some poetry analysis thrown in at the end, I do not bemoan the loss of the money I used to pay for this paperback. The information it yields is better, if slightly more biased, than that on Theoi.com (because, as we all know, scholars have very strong opinions that are seldom unbiased). When used with Burkert, I'm sure that it would provide a rewarding and interesting resource to use in ritual.

Some interesting things I learned—some of which raise more questions—are that the shout ié paián was used by men only because Greek exclamations are gendered; that Apollon can be considered an ecstatic god based on actual sources instead of UPG; and the extent of Apollon's involvement with the Dorians—especially the Spartans (43; 50; 137). Reading about Apollon helped me understand his connection with male youth, something strange to me as a female votary, and the time between childhood and adulthood. I found comfort and reconciliation in the tales of Hyperboreans and Dionysian ascendancy at Delphi, a reconciliation between two deities that have come to represent a binary opposition between reason and irrationality in modern society.

Anyone who gives Asklepios cultus may also want to read parts of this book. As Apollon's son, Asklepios receives no small amount of consideration in the chapters relating Apollon's connection to medicine—a fitting inclusion, as Asklepios received healing as his sphere of influence upon deification.

Dr. Graf provided little explanation for why the book was so late, so I will provide a hypothesis: as he needed to interview and refer sections to Apollon, the Hyperborean season being the only time Apollon deigned he could sacrifice to the volume's creation, the book proceeded more slowly than Dr. Graf and Routledge Publishing had anticipated.

So now for my ratings:

Layout - 5/5
Editing (Grammar, spelling, formatting) - 4.5/5
Content - 5/5
Readability - 4/5
Overall - 4.5/5