6. Πρωτογόνου, θυμίαμα σμύρναν.
 
To Protogonos, the First-Born Deity
Divine connection: myrrh
 
Πρωτόγονον καλέω διφυῆ, μέγαν, αἰθερόπλαγκτον,
First-born Protogonos[1] I call, dual-natured[2], great, aether-roaming[3],
 
ὠιογενῆ, χρυσέαισιν ἀγαλλόμενον πτερύγεσσι,
Eggborn[4], golden, gloriously-powered winged essence,
 
ταυρωβόαν, γένεσιν μακάρων θνητῶν τ' ἀνθρώπων,
Bull of bulls[5], blessed genetive origin of  mortal humanity,
 
σπέρμα πολύμνηστον, πολυόργιον, Ἠρικεπαῖον,
Seed of many courtships and sacred rites, healing[6] the shattered,
 
 
ἄρρητον, κρύφιον ῥοιζήτορα, παμφαὲς ἔρνος,
Not to be spoken of, secret, pomegranate life-engraver, all-illuminator, tender sprout,
 
ὄσσων ὃς σκοτόεσσαν ἀπημαύρωσας ὁμίχλην
Foretelling shadow’s essence, transcending the calamitous strength of misty fog,
 
πάντῃ δινηθεὶς πτερύγων ῥιπαῖς κατὰ κόσμον
All-extending power divine, winged onrush, pure, cosmic,
 
λαμπρὸν ἄγων φάος ἁγνόν, ἀφ' οὗ σε Φάνητα κικλήσκω
Brightening contests, pure enlightener, miraculous Phanes[7], I call,
 
 
ἠδὲ Πρίηπον ἄνακτα καὶ Ἀνταύγην ἑλίκωπον.
And Priapos[8], restorer and reflector of dawn’s encircling gaze,
 
ἀλλά, μάκαρ, πολύμητι, πολύσπορε, βαῖνε γεγηθὼς
Yet, blessed, plentiful, wise, prolific sower, dance with Ge[9] rejoicing,
 
 
ἐς τελετὴν ἁγνίαν πολυποίκιλον ὀργιοφάνταις.
Complete the pure, plentiful, various, celebrated, illuminating mysteries.
 

[1] Protogonos means “first/proto (Πρωτό) + born/created/generated/offspring/child (γονον); according to Pausanias I.31.4, a name of the Goddess Persephone, “Kore Protogona.”
 
[2] Protogonos/Phanes is bi-sexual.
 
[3] Aether is the ether, heavens, upper air, sky.
 
[4] It is of interest that the letter Ω (omega), which resembles an egg-hatching, is the first letter in the very short Greek word for “egg (ὠιο).

[5] The bull is the designated stud animal for breeding the herd.
 
[6] The peony is a spring flower with powerful medicinal value. http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-32-peony.aspx?activeingredientid=32&activeingredientname=peony
“Peony is a plant. The root and, less commonly, the flower and seed are used to make medicine.

“Peony is used for gout, osteoarthritis, fever, respiratory tract illnesses, and cough. Women use peony for menstrual cramps, polycystic ovary syndrome, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and for starting menstruation or causing an abortion. It is also used for viral hepatitis, livercirrhosis, upset stomach, muscle cramps, “hardening of thearteries” (atherosclerosis), and to cause vomiting. Peony is also used for spasms,whooping cough (pertussis), epilepsy, nerve pain (neuralgia), migraineheadache, andchronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

“People apply peony to the skin for healing cracked skin, especially cracks around theanus (anal fissures) that sometimes occur with hemorrhoids.
How does it work?
Peony might block chemicals produced by the body that can cause muscle cramps. It may also prevent blood clotting and act as an antioxidant.”
 
[7] Phanos (φᾱνός) means light, bright, torch, literally “divinely-animated -entity (φ) + transcendant (ᾱ) + tipping-point (ν).” Phanes is the immortal God/dess of the first principle of life. The Derveni Papyrus describes Phanes as a bi-sexual entity who emerged from an egg.
 
The Derveni Papyrus describes Phanes as a bi-sexual entity who emerged from an egg:
 
“First, there was Chronos or Time (Chronology). From Chronos, Aither and Chasma or Chaos were born. Chronos places an egg in Aither. The egg is also called white tunic (argeeta chitona (άργῆτα χιτῶνα)) or cloud (nepheleen (νεφελήν)). The [G]od[/dess] Phanes breaks out from the egg . .  . Phanes is a marvellous (sp. sic) creature. He/she is of both sexes . . .”
 
(Gabor Betegh, The Derveni Papyrus: Cosmology, Theology and Interpretation (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004) 141-142.)  http://books.google.com/books?id=5HaKQFeYSBEC&q=egg#v=snippet&q=egg&f=false
 
Phanes is depicted in illustrations as hatched from the world egg and encircled by the zodiac. Phanes is winged and enwrapped by a serpent, suggesting both heavenly (wings) and earthly (serpent) qualities. Greco-Roman
bas relief circa 150 CE. Image located in Galeriea e Museo Eustense, Modena, Italy. http://www.theoi.com/Protogenos/Phanes.html  
 

[8] Priapos is the immortal God of fertility, depicted with an enomous erect penis.  http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Priapos.html
 
"We shall at this point discuss Priapus and the myths related about him . . . certain writers say that when the ancients wished to speak in their myths of the sexual organ of males they called it Priapus . . .
 
“. . . the Egyptians in their myths about Priapus say that in ancient times the Titans formed a conspiracy against Osiris and slew him, and then, taking his body and dividing it into equal parts among themselves, they slipped them secretly out of the house, but this organ (the penis) alone they threw into the river, since no one of them was willing to take it with him.
 
“But Isis tracked down the murder(ers) of her husband, and after slaying the Titans and fashioning the several pieces of his body into the shape of a human figure, she gave them to the priests with orders that they pay Osiris the honours of a [G]od, but since the only member she was unable to recover was the organ of sex she commanded them to pay to it the honours of a [G]od and set it up in their temples in an erect position. Now this is the myth about the birth of Priapus and the honour paid to him, as it is given by the ancient Egyptians."
 
(Diodorus Siculus (of Sicily) (circa 50 BCE). Library of History (4 .6.1), translated by C. H. Oldfather, Loeb Classical Library Volume 303. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1935) 357-358.)

[9] Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.

​25. Πρωτέως, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
To Proteos
Divine Connection: storax/styrax
 
Πρωτέα κικλήσκω, πόντου κληῖδας ἔχοντα,
Protea[1] I call, Ocean’s[2] key-holder,
 
πρωτογενῆ, πάσης φύσεως ἀρχὰς ὃς ἔφηνεν
First-creation of all Nature,[3]  first to appear,
 
ὕλην ἀλλάσσων ἱερὴν ἰδέαις πολυμόρφοις,
Matter transforming, sacrificing form to numerous shapes,
 
πάντιμος, πολύβουλος, ἐπιστάμενος τά τ' ἐόντα
Honored by all, Counselor to many, from the framework to real actualization,
 
ὅσσα τε πρόσθεν ἔην ὅσα τ' ἔσσεται ὕστερον αὖτις·
Sole prophet of the future so far as essence extends to what comes next,
 
πάντα γὰρ αὐτὸς ἔχων μεταβάλλεται οὐδέ τις ἄλλος
In every way alone the foundation of change and not any of the other
 
ἀθανάτων, οἳ ἔχουσιν ἕδος νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου
Immortals who hold the thrones of snowy Olympos[5].
 
καὶ πόντον καὶ γαῖαν ἐνηέριοί τε ποτῶνται·
Of Pontos’ and Gaia’s[6] and Hera’s[7] winged creatures
 
πάντα γὰρ Πρωτεῖ πρώτη φύσις ἐγκατέθηκε.
In every way the very first of the first within Phusis,
 
ἀλλά, πάτερ, μόλε μυστιπόλοις ὁσίαισι προνοίαις
Yet, Father, bring the mystic axis of hallowed foresight,
 
πέμπων εὐόλβου βιότου τέλος ἐσθλὸν ἐπ' ἔργοις.
Send whole life blessings and complete goodness upon these works.


[1] Protea means the very first; before (Πρω) + stretch/extension (τέα). Note the feminine ending – α.
Proteos is described as a sea-deity who can tell the future and the past and who can change shape into any animal, plant, or object.

[2] Pontos is the immortal God of the sea.

[3] Phusis is the immortal Goddess of physics/nature.

[4] “The container” is probably a reference to pregnancy and seeds and eggs.

[5] Olympos is a mountain in Greece believed to be the home of the Olympian deities.

[6] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.

[7] Hera is the immortal Goddess of air.

Translated by Catherine Proppe  March 24, 2016

2.  Προθυραίας, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
To Prothyraia, Goddess of Parturition, “Approaching the Doorway”
Divine connection: storax
 
Κλῦθί μοι, ὦ πολύσεμνε θεά, πολυώνυμε δαῖμον,
I call, O much-revered Goddess, many-named deity,
 
ὠδίνων ἐπαρωγέ, λεχῶν ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,
In travail of childbirth, with your aid, women give birth sweetly, before long.
 
θηλειῶν σώτειρα μόνη, φιλόπαις, ἀγανόφρον,
Women’s sole savior, lover of children, gentle counselor,
 
ὠκυλόχεια, παροῦσα νέαις θνητῶν, Προθυραία,
Bring swift childbirth for new mortals approaching the doorway,
 
κλειδοῦχ', εὐάντητε, φιλοτρόφε, πᾶσι προσηνής,
Key holder, welcoming host, loving nurturer, guide of all,
 
ἣ κατέχεις[1] οἴκους πάντων θαλίαις τε γέγηθας,
Little by little crafting all homes, with Ge[2] rejoicing,
 
λυσίζων', ἀφανής, ἔργοισι δὲ φαίνῃ ἅπασι,
Loosen the zone, invisibly work to bring all to light,
 
συμπάσχεις ὠδῖσι καὶ εὐτοκίηισι γέγηθας,
In sympathy with throes of parturition and ease childbirth, with Ge rejoicing,
 
Εἰλείθυια, λύουσα πόνους δειναῖς ἐν ἀνάγκαις·
Eileithyia[3], unbind the toil and terrible dangers of Ananke[4],
 
μούνην γὰρ σὲ καλοῦσι λεχοὶ ψυχῆς ἀνάπαυμα·
You alone come to women in labor and give respite to their Soul[5].
 
ἐν γὰρ σοὶ τοκετῶν λυσιπήμονές εἰσιν ἀνῖαι,
Come to childbirth, release suffering and painful distress,
 
Ἄρτεμις Εἰλείθυια, καὶ ἡ σεμνή, Προθυραία.
Artemis[6] Eileithyia and revered Prothyraia,
 
κλῦθι, μάκαιρα, δίδου δὲ γονὰς ἐπαρωγὸς ἐοῦσα
Come, give blessings of offspring, aide their coming to be,
 
καὶ σῴζ', ὥσπερ ἔφυς αἰεὶ σώτειρα προπάντων.
And save from death, as Nature’s[7] eternal savior for all.


[1] ἣ κατέχεις = little by little (ἣκα) + craft (τέχεις)

[2] Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.

[3] Eileithyia is the immortal Goddess of childbirth and parturitiom.

[4] Ananke is the immortal Goddess of what is necessary, in this case, the travail of parturition.

[5] Psyche is the immortal Goddess of the soul.
“When we draw in the air, we harvest the divine soul.” Vettius Valens in Tracing Orpheus: Studies of Orphic Fragments in Honour of Alberto Bernabe  p. 142)
 
“…the soul comes in from the universe when breathing takes place, borne in upon the winds…” Artistotle de An. 410b 27-11a 2), Tracing Orpheus p. 139
 
“Respiration marks the limit of life.” Aristotle de An. 404a 10, Tracing Orpheus p. 140 footnote #5
 
“…the soul diffuses throughout the cosmos, and we are animate beings for having a part of it.” Cleanthes, Tracing Orpheus p. 143.
 
“They (sc. the Stoics) declare that there is one soul in the universe—which they called ‘ether’ and ‘air’…The other souls are born from it…” Diogenes Laertius, Tracing Orpheus p. 143.
 
“Indeed, for the Stoics the soul is, as we have said, pneuma. However, that pneuma is not soul while the foetus is inside the mother’s womb.” Carlos Megino, Tracing Orpheus p.144.
 

[6] Artemis is the immortal Goddess of independence.

[7] Phusis is the immortal Goddess of nature, of Physics.

Translated by Catherine Proppe

​17. Ποσειδῶνος, θυμίαμα σμύρναν.
To Poseidon
Divine connection: myrrh
 
Κλῦθι, Ποσειδάον γαιήοχε, κυανοχαῖτα,
I call Poseidon[1], Gaia’s[2] ox[3], with navy[4]-maned
 
ἵππιε, χαλκοτόρευτον ἔχων χείρεσσι τρίαιναν,
Steeds, holding fast in hand the embossed-copper[5] trident[6],
 
ὃς ναίεις πόντοιο βαθυστέρνοιο θέμεθλα,
Prevailing over Pontos’[7] deep-chested foundation.
 
ποντομέδων, ἁλίδουπε, βαρύκτυπε, ἐννοσίγαιε,
Pontos-ruling, sea-roaring, deep-crashing, Gaia-ennauseating,
 
κυμοθαλής, χαριτῶπα, τετράορον ἅρμα διώκων,
With beautiful swells, charming to behold, your four-yoked chariot driven
 
εἰναλίοις ῥοίζοισι τινάσσων ἁλμυρὸν ὕδωρ,
In the seas’ rushing, shaking, briny water,
 
ὃς τριτάτης ἔλαχες μοίρης βαθὺ χεῦμα θαλάσσης,
The third, least fate deep in the streams of Thalassa[8].
 
κύμασι τερπόμενος θηρσίν θ' ἅμα, πότνιε δαῖμον·
Swelling, dancing, beastly power, as one with Queens divine,
 
ἕδρανα γῆς σῴζοις καὶ νηῶν εὔδρομον ὁρμήν,
Seat of Ge, save and propell ships’ fair course,
 
εἰρήνην, ὑγίειαν ἄγων, ἠδ' ὄλβον ἀμεμφῆ.
With Eirene[9] and Hygieia[10] engage, and grant a whole life above reproach.
 
 
[1] Poseidon is the immortal Olympian God of the sea: a quantity (Ποσ) + of forms (ειδάον); or, husband (Ποσ) + form (ειδάον); or, drink (Ποσ) + form (ειδάον).
“Quantity of forms” is a likely translation considering the multitude of shapes that the ocean’s surface can take.
“Husband-form” seems unlikely, except that one of Poseidon’s epithets is “Gaia’s ox” (often euphemistically translated as “earth-shaker.”)
“Drink-form” is likely since the ocean is water, although it is not drinkable because of the salt.

[2] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.

[3] An ox is a male stud animal kept for breeding.

[4] Cyan is dark blue.

[5] Cyprus was a major copper supplier during the Late Bronze Age (ca.1650-1100 BCE). The copper was exported by ship all over the Mediterranean. In fact, the word “copper” is derived from the name of this Greek island. (“The Archaeology of Late Bronze Age Coper Production” by A. Bernard Knapp and Vasiliki Kassianidou, 2008 http://www.academia.edu/1179089/The_Archaeology_of_Late_Bronze_Age_Copper_Production_Politiko_Phorades_on_Cyprus  
“The mining, production and export of Cypriot copper peaked at this time (ca.1650-1100 BCE), an era of settlement growth and unprecedented prosperity on the island. Urban centres with harbours arose all along the Cypriot coast, along with other prominent centres inland (Knapp 1997: 53-63). The wealth of all these sites stemmed from widening trade contacts in the eastern Mediterranean, and the demand for Cypriot copper throughout the Mediterranean world (Muhlyet al. 1988; Knapp 2008: 357-363).
The copper of Cyprus was traded both commercially and through gift-exchange in oxhide-shaped ingots widely regarded as an internationally accepted unit of trade during the Late Bronze Age (e.g. Muhly et al. 1988; Gale 1991; cf. Bass 1967: 71-72). Such ingots have been found throughout the eastern Mediterranean and as far west as Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Marseille and now even at Oberwilflingen in Germany (Lo Schiavo 1998; 2003: 23-25; 2005a; 2005b; Primas & Pernicka 1998; Domergue & Rico 2002: 141-144).” 

[6] The trident is a three-pronged fishing spear.

[7] Pontos the ancient primordial God of the sea.

[8] Thalassa is an ancient immortal sea Goddess.

[9] Eirene is the immortal Goddess of peace.

[10] Hygieia is the immortal Goddess of health.

Translated by Catherine Proppe, March 21, 2015
​
18. Εἰς Πλούτωνα.
Enter Plouton
 
Ὠ τὸν ὑποχθόνιον ναίων δόμον, ὀμβριμόθυμε,
Stretch forth from your dwelling place beneath the earth, O mighty spirit,
 
Ταρτάριον λειμῶνα βαθύσκιον ἠδὲ λιπαυγῆ,
From Tartarian[1] meadows deeply shaded and deprived of dawn’s light,
 
Ζεῦ χθόνιε, σκηπτοῦχε, τάδ' ἱερὰ δέξο προθύμως,
Zeus[2] of the foundation divine, scepter-bearer, extend your sacred right hand, welcoming spirit,
 
Πλούτων, ὃς κατέχεις γαίης κληῖδας ἁπάσης,
Plouton[3], pure foundation, Gaia’s[4] key for all,
 
πλουτοδοτῶν γενεὴν βροτέην καρποῖς ἐνιαυτῶν·
Wealth-giving genesis of mortal fruit each year,
 
ὃς τριτάτης μοίρης ἔλαχες χθόνα παμβασίλειαν,
The third portion[5] thou lot, all-ruler[6] of the foundation divine,
 
ἕδρανον ἀθανάτων, θνητῶν στήριγμα κραταιόν·
Seated amongst immortals, mortal-sustaining power,
 
ὃς θρόνον ἐστήριξας ὑπὸ ζοφοειδέα χῶρον
Enthroned firmly below in the nether dark region,
 
τηλέπορον τ', ἀκάμαντα, λιπόπνοον, ἄκριτον Ἅιδην
Where far-reaching passages extend unsupported, without air, to indiscriminate Aidon[7], the place of departed souls,
 
κυάνεόν τ' Ἀχέρονθ', ὃς ἔχει ῥιζώματα γαίης·
Darkly stretching to Acheron[8], the foundation rooted in Gaia.
 
ὃς κρατέεις θνητῶν θανάτου χάριν, ὦ πολυδέγμων
Ruler of mortal death, charitably receive the multitude,
 
Εὔβουλ', ἁγνοπόλου Δημήτερος ὅς ποτε παῖδα
Good counselor, pure axis, when the child of Demeter
 
νυμφεύσας λειμῶνος ἀποσπαδίην διὰ πόντου
In the Nymphs’[9] meadow was torn away across Pontos[10]
 
τετρώροις ἵπποισιν ὑπ' Ἀτθίδος ἤγαγες ἄντρον
On four, yoked horses to beneath Attica’s[11] central cave,
 
δήμου Ἐλευσῖνος, τόθι περ πύλαι εἴσ' Ἀίδαο.
In the deme of Eleusis[12], where surrounding gates lead to Aidao[13],
 
μοῦνος ἔφυς ἀφανῶν ἔργων φανερῶν τε βραβευτής,
There alone nature’s invisible works made visible, then judged.
 
ἔνθεε, παντοκράτωρ, ἱερώτατε, ἀγλαότιμε,
With thee, all ruler, holy power, gloriously honored,
 
σεμνοῖς μυστιπόλοις χαίρων ὁσίοις τε σεβασμοῖς·
Solemn mystic charitable axis, devoutly revered,
 
ἵλαον ἀγκαλέω σε μολεῖν κεχαρηότα μύσταις.
Generously summon thou transplants, your grace extend to the mystae[14].


[1] Tartaros is the deepest realm beneath the earth’s surface, according to Hesiod’s Theogony 715, the cosmic inverse of the highest point of the heavens:
“For a brazen anvil falling down from heaven nine nights
and days would reach the earth upon the tenth: and again, a
brazen anvil falling from earth nine nights and days would
reach Tartarus upon the tenth.”

[2] Zeus is the immortal God of lightning storms and the spark of fire/spark of life: spark (Ζ) + essence (ε) pure (ῦ). This suggests that Plouto is the God of the spark of life beneath the earth.

[3] Plouton is the God of the afterlife: under-the-same-roof (Π) + bathe/wash/cleanse impurities (λούτων): release (λ) + entity (ο) + pure (ύ) + stretch/extend (τ) + bring-forth (ω) + ν.

[4] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth: generative (γ) + arising (α) + divine power (ί).

[5] The sky is allotted to Zeus, the sea to Poseidon, the realm beneath the earth to Plouton.

[6] Basileian means ruling base.

[7] Aidon is the eternal place of deceased souls: transcendant/arising (Ἅ) + divine-power (ι) + directing (δ) + center (η) + ν.

[8] Acheron is the river and lake of the afterlife: transcendant/arising (Ἀ) + foundation (χ) + essence (έ) + flow (ρ). One of Sappho’s poems speaks of a yearning to see Acheron: 

 
"but a kind of yearning has hold of me—to die
and to look upon the dewy lotus banks
of Acheron.”
 
(Sappho. If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho, Fragment 95, translated by Anne Carson (New York: Vintage Books, a division of Random House, 2000) 189. http://inamidst.com/stuff/sappho/)
 

[9] Nymphs are beautiful young Goddesses who preside over a particular location in nature.

[10] Pontos is the immortal God of the sea, suggesting that Kore was spirited away over the sea when she was abucted by Plouton.

[11] Attica is the region of Athens.

[12] Eleusis is the city of the Eleusinian Mysteries of the immortal Mother Demeter and her Daughter Kore/Persephone.

[13] Aidao is the region of the afterlife, aka “Hades.”

[14] Mystae are initiates in the Mysteries.

Translated by Catherine Proppe, March 15, 2016

47. Περικιονίου, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα
To Bacchos’ All-Surrounding Pillars
Divine connection: aromatics
 
Κικλήσκω Βάκχον περικιόνιον, μεθυδώτην,
I call Bacchos[1], with pillars[2] all-surrounding, giver of wine,
 
Καδμείοισι δόμοις ὃς ἑλισσόμενος πέρι πάντη
Kadmean[3]-dwelling whirling power, surrounding all,
 
ἔστησε κρατερῶς βρασμοὺς γαίης ἀποπέμψας,
Upstanding mighty power; dispatch violent earthquakes[4]
 
ἡνίκα πυρφόρος αὐγὴ ἐκίνησε χθόνα πᾶσαν
When fire-bearing Dawn[5] sets in motion all the earth,
 
πρηστῆρος ῥοίζοις· ὃ δ' ἀνέδραμε δεσμὸς ἁπάντων.
And roaring hurricanes give rise to drama that bonds all.
 
ἐλθέ, μάκαρ, βακχευτά, γεγηθυίαις πραπίδεσσιν.
Come, blessed Bacchian, with heartfelt rejoicing.


[1] This hymn suggests that Bacchos/Dionysos’ powers extend beyond wine and its effects to include control over earthquakes and hurricanes.
 
[2]Dionysos is said to have conquered the farthest inhabited places on earth and erected pillars (hermai) to stake his territorial claim.
 
“Dionysos and the host of Pans, Satyrs, and Bacchic women, by whom he was accompanied, conquered his enemies, taught the Indians the cultivation of the vine and of various fruits, and the worship of the Goddesses and Gods; he also founded towns among them, gave them laws, and left behind him pillars and monuments in the happy land which he had thus conquered and civilized, and the inhabitants worshipped him as a God. (Comp. Strab. xi. p. 505; Arrian, Ind. 5; Diod. ii. 38; Philostr. Vit. Apollon. ii. 9; Virg.Aen. vi. 805.)” http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Dionysos.html
 
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3.5.2 :
“Having traversed Thrace and the whole of India and set up pillars there, he (Dionysos) came to Thebes…”
 
Seneca, Oedipus 112 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) :
"O Bacchus…who dared to ride on the Eastern plains and plant thy banners on the world’s first edge.”
 
[3] Kadmeia is the citadel of ancient Greek Thebes.

[4] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth. In Euripides play, Bacchae 580-605, Dionysos sends and quells an earthquake in Thebes because its leader refuses to worship him.

[5] Auge is the immortal Goddess of dawn.

Translated by Catherine Proppe, March 14, 2016​

11. Πανός, θυμίαμα ποικίλα.
To Pan
Divine connection: various incense
 
Πᾶνα καλῶ κρατερόν, νόμιον, κόσμοιο τὸ σύμπαν,
Pan[1], I call, mighty nomad of the cosmos, as one with all,
 
οὐρανὸν ἠδὲ θάλασσαν ἰδὲ χθόνα παμβασίλειαν
Ruling over all: the sky[2] and sea[3] and earth
 
καὶ πῦρ ἀθάνατον· τάδε γὰρ μέλη ἐστὶ τὰ Πανός.
And eternal fire, too, here given kindly in Hestia[4] through Pan.
 
ἐλθέ, μάκαρ, σκιρτητά, περίδρομε, σύνθρονε Ὥραις,
Come, blessed one, on your leaping, circling course, enthroned together with the Horai[5],
 
αἰγομελές, βακχευτά, φιλένθεε, ἀστροδίαιτε,
Goat-limbed[6] Bacchian[7], loving enthusiastically, living under the stars[8],
 
ἁρμονίαν κόσμοιο κρέκων φιλοπαίγμονι μολπῆι,
Harmonious cosmic strummer, loving playful, solo, song and dance,
 
φαντασιῶν ἐπαρωγέ, φόβων ἔκπαγλε βροτείων,
Aiding fantasies of excessive phobias[9] in humans.
 
αἰγονόμοις χαίρων ἀνὰ πίδακας ἠδέ τε βούταις,
Delighting in goatherds’ and ox-herds’ springwater fountains,
 
εὔσκοπε, θηρητήρ, Ἠχοῦς φίλε, σύγχορε νυμφῶν,
Keen-sighted hunter of Echo’s[10] love and the chorus of Nymphs[11],
 
παντοφυής, γενέτωρ πάντων, πολυώνυμε δαῖμον,
All-nature’s[12] parent of all, many-named deity,
 
κοσμοκράτωρ, αὐξητά, φαεσφόρε, κάρπιμε Παιάν,
Cosmos’ ruler, giving rise to enlightening fruitful Paians[13],
 
ἀντροχαρές, βαρύμηνις, ἀληθὴς Ζεὺς ὁ κεράστης.
Cave-delighting, deepest power, truly Zeus[14] with horns!
 
σοὶ γὰρ ἀπειρέσιον γαίης πέδον ἐστήρικται,
Thou gives boundless Gaia[15] ground firmly set,
 
εἴκει δ' ἀκαμάτου πόντου τὸ βαθύρροον ὕδωρ
Giving way to unwearying Pontos’[16] deepflowing water,
 
Ὠκεανός τε πέριξ ἐν ὕδασι γαῖαν ἑλίσσων,
Oceanos’[17] surrounding waters against Gaia whirling,
 
ἀέριόν τε μέρισμα τροφῆς, ζωοῖσιν ἔναυσμα,
Aerial too, apportioned nurturing life’s spark,
 
καὶ κορυφῆς ἐφύπερθεν ἐλαφροτάτου πυρὸς ὄμμα.
And the summit of the highest lightest fire visible,
 
βαίνει γὰρ τάδε θεῖα πολύκριτα σαῖσιν ἐφετμαῖς
Placing here divine, plenteous, critical, synchronized commands,
 
ἀλλάσσεις δὲ φύσεις πάντων ταῖς σαῖσι προνοίαις
Exchanging with Phusis all synchronized Forethought[18],
 
βόσκων ἀνθρώπων γενεὴν κατ' ἀπείρονα κόσμον.
Nourishing human genesis pure, impenetrable, cosmic.
 
ἀλλά, μάκαρ, βακχευτά, φιλένθεε, βαῖν' ἐπὶ λοιβαῖς
Yet, blessed Bachhian, enthusiastic lover, dance upon these libations[19],
 
εὐιέροις, ἀγαθὴν δ' ὄπασον βιότοιο τελευτὴν
Send holy goodness with life-extending completion rites,
 
Πανικὸν ἐκπέμπων οἶστρον ἐπὶ τέρματα γαίης.
Pan, come, dispatch mad frenzy to the ends of the earth.


[1] Pan is the immortal God of “all.” In this hymn, he is described as ruling over all of nature.
Pan is often depicted as part human/part animal (with tail, horns, and hooves), a wandering, randy, free-spirit and patron of shepherds. He is particularly associated with playing the pan-pipes, a bundle of reeds that are played somewhat like a harmonica.

[2] Ouranos is the immortal God of the heavens.

[3] Thalassa is the immortal Goddess of the sea.

[4] Hestia is the immortal Goddess of the altar/hearth fire.

[5] The Horai are the immortal Goddesses of the seasons and the hours, the proper time for events of nature to occur.

[6] Pan is often depicted as a goat-limbed, music-playing shepherd.

[7] Bacchos is the immortal God of wine and its effects.

[8] Living under the stars, in the great outdoors.

[9] The term “panic” is derived from the sense of being surrounded by danger on “all” sides or being afraid of everything at once.
 
[10] Echo is the immortal Goddess of the echo. Pan is entranced to hear his music played back to him by Echo.
Apuleius, Metamorphosis (renamed The Golden Ass) 5. 25 ff (trans. Walsh):
"The rustic god Pan chanced to be sitting at that moment on the brow of the stream, holding the mountain deity Echo in his arms, and teaching her to repeat after him all kinds of songs."

Nonnus, Dionysiaca 45. 174 ff : 
"Melodious Pan sat beside herds of goats or sheepcoates playing his tune on the assembled reeds, . . . imitating Echo returned the sounds of his pipes…”  http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Pan.html
 
[11] Nymphs are beautiful young Goddesses who prevail over a particular location in nature. Pan famously chases them amorously.

[12] Phusis is the immortal Goddess of nature.

[13] A paian is a song of triumph or thanksgiving that unites “all” in a community, literally “under the same roof (Π) + give rise to (α) + divine power (ι) + arise and (ά) + prevail (ν).”

[14] Zeus is the immortal God of the spark of fire, spark of life, lightning storms.

[15] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.

[16] Pontos is the primordial immortal God of the sea with this name emphasizing the all-encompassing nature of the ocean, literally “under the same roof (π) + entity (ό) + prevailing (ν) + stretches/extends (του).”

[17] Oceanos is another name for Pontos, the sea or ocean emphasizing the generative aspect of the ocean, literally “bring-forth (Ὠ) + core (κ) + essence (ε) + arising (α) + prevailing (ν) + entity (ό).” The salty sea water is poetically compared to divine semen with the earth its partner, thus the comparison of the sea God Poseidon with horses, that is, “hung like a horse” and the epithet “Gaia’s ox (γαιήοχε).”

[18] Pronoia is the immortal Goddess of forethought or foresight. http://www.theoi.com/Nymphe/NymphePronoia.html

[19] Libations are drink offerings.

​“We could therefore say that every mother contains her daughter in herself and every daughter her mother, and that every woman extends backwards into her mother and forwards into her daughter.” (Carl Jung)
 
 
“We could therefore say that every mother contains her daughter in herself and every daughter her mother, and that every woman extends backwards into her mother and forwards into her daughter. This participation and intermingling give rise to that peculiar uncertainty as regards time…The conscious experience of these ties produces the feeling that her life is spread out over generations—the first step towards the immediate experience and conviction of being outside time, which brings with it a feeling of immortality…This leads to a restoration or apocatastasis of the lives of her ancestors, who now, through the bridge of the momentary individual, pass on into the generations of the future. An experience of this kind gives the individual a place and a meaning in the life of the generations, so that all unnecessary obstacles are cleared out of the way of the life-stream that is to flow through her. At the same time the individual is rescued from her isolation and restored to wholeness…
 
“It is immediately clear to the psychologist what cathartic and at the same time rejuvenating effects must flow from the Demeter cult into the feminine psyche, and what a lack of psychic hygiene characterizes our culture, which no longer knows the kind of wholesome experience afforded by Eleusinian emotions.”
The Archtypes and the Collective Unconscious, translated by R.F.C. Hull, by C.G. Jung, Princeton University Press, 1990. ps. 188-189
 
 https://books.google.com/books?id=Yc5PlU9MyDwC&q=kore+#v=snippet&q=kore&f=false
 
apocatastasis (ἀποκατάστασις) upon pure position
 - restoration to the original or primordial condition

​75. Παλαίμονος, θυμίαμα μάνναν.
To Palaimon, God of Sea Rescues
Divine connection: manna
 
Σύντροφε βακχεχόροιο Διωνύσου πολυγηθοῦς,
Fostered in the Bacchian realm with Dionysos[1] amidst Ge’s[2] bounty,
 
ὃς ναίεις πόντοιο βυθοὺς ἁλικύμονας, ἁγνούς,
Dwelling in Pontos’[3] deep pregnant pure seas,
 
κικλήσκω σε, Παλαῖμον, ἐπ’ εὐιέροις τελεταῖσιν
I call Palaimon[4] upon these holy rites,
 
ἐλθεῖν εὐμενέοντα, νέωι γήθοντα προσώπωι,
Come, kindly power, to nautical earth’s divine façade,
 
καὶ σώζειν μύστας κατά τε χθόνα καὶ κατὰ πόντον·
And keep safe the mystae[5] on earth and every sea.
 
ποντοπλάνοις γὰρ ἀεὶ ναυσὶν χειμῶνος ἐναργὴς
When Pontos’ eternal plane gives form to nautical winter storms,
 
φαινομένου σωτὴρ μοῦνος θνητοῖς ἀναφαίνηι,
Appear, divine and only savior, to mortals arise and appear,
 
ῥυόμενος μῆνιν χαλεπὴν κατὰ πόντιον οἶδμα.
Rescue from the grievous pure wrath of the sea’s swollen waves.


[1] Dionysos/Bacchos is the immortal God of wine and its effects. Dionysos was fostered by Palaimon’s parents.

[2] Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.

[3] Pontos is an immortal God of the sea.

[4] Palaimon and his mother, Ino Leukothea, are marine deities who aid sailors in distress.
The most likely explanation for the name Palaimon is “under-the-same-roof (Π) + salty (αλαῖ) + medium (μ) + ον.”
The meaning of “Palaimon” isn’t immediately clear from similarly-based words. The base pal- (Παλ-) generally means either “old, in the past, go back,” or, refers to the palm of the hand and things that are done with the hand such as wrestling, throwing, scattering items.
The literal meaing of Παλ is “under-the-same-roof (Π) + transcendent (α) + release (λ)” which, in the case of the palm, could describe its role as the common joining point of the five (loose) fingers, and in the case of going back and forth could describe the action of an active/loose thing that is contained.
Palaios (πᾰλαιός) means old, aged, ancient, in the past; also, venerable, held in esteem.
Paleo (πᾰλέω) means to be disabled, to be wrecked (of a ship).
Pali- (πᾰλί-) is a prefix that means again, go back to, double-back, recur, return.
Palmos (παλμός) means quivering motion, pulsation, vibration, back-and-forth.
Palamee (πᾰλᾰμη) and palastee (πᾰλαστή) mean palm of the hand.
Palee (πάλη) means wrestling (as in hand-to-hand combat.)
Paltos (παλτός) means brandished, hurled (presumably by hand).
Paluo (πᾰλύνω) means strew, sprinkle, besmear (presumably by hand).
 
[5] Mystae are initiates in the Mystery religions.

Translated by Catherine Proppe  March 7, 2016​

4. Οὐρανοῦ, θυμίαμα λίβανον.
To Ouranos, God of the Heavens
Divine connection: libanon (frankincense)
 
Οὐρανὲ παγγενέτωρ, κόσμου μέρος αἰὲν ἀτειρές,
Ouranos[1], Father of all[2], allotted the eternally indestructible cosmos,
 
πρεσβυγένεθλ', ἀρχὴ πάντων πάντων τε τελευτή,
Of the eldest-generation[3], beginning all and all-completing[4],
 
κόσμε πατήρ, σφαιρηδὸν ἑλισσόμενος περὶ γαῖαν,
Father of the cosmos, spherical whirling force surrounding Gaia,
 
οἶκε θεῶν μακάρων, ῥόμβου δίνῃσιν ὁδεύων,
Housed in a divinely blessed whirling dynamic voyage,
 
οὐράνιος χθόνιός τε φύλαξ πάντων περιβληθείς,
Heaven and Earth’s guardian, in an all-encompassing trajectory,
 
ἐν στέρνοισιν ἔχων φύσεως ἄτλητον ἀνάγκην,
In your firm mind holding Phusis’[5] with steadfast Necessity[6].
 
κυανόχρως, ἀδάμαστε, παναίολε, αἰολόμορφε,
Cyan[7]-fortress, unconquerable, always eternally varying, of eternally various form[8],
 
πανδερκές, Κρονότεκνε, μάκαρ, πανυπέρτατε δαῖμον,
All-seeing creator of Kronos’[9], blessed deity underlying all
 
κλῦθ' ἐπάγων ζωὴν ὁσίαν μύστηι νεοφάντηι.
I call, bring on eternal life’s divine mysterious new light.
 

[1] Ouranos is the immortal God of the heavens. Ouranos was born of Gaia, the immortal Goddess of generative earth, without a father.

[2] Ouranos is the father, through Gaia, of the 12 immortal Titans, who he imprisoned beneath the earth in Tartaros. His castration by his son, Kronos, freed the Titans and resulted in the birth of other dieities such as the Erinyes, the Gigantes, the Telkhines, and Aphrodite. (Hesiod, Theogony 154-193)

[3] Ouranos is a primeval God who came into being at the beginning of creation.

[4] Ouranos (Ούρᾰνός) and Ourania (Όύρᾰνία) are the only major Greek God and Goddess whose names begin with the letter Ο. The ancient Greek letter O literally means “intact entity, entity.” The heavens form a complete, unbroken circle around the earth.

[5] Phusis is the immortal Goddess of physics, of nature.

[6] Ananke is the immortal Goddess of necessity, of what must be, the unavoidable.

[7] Cyan is lapis lazuli, a dark-blue gemstone studded with glittering crystal.

[8] “Form” may be a reference to the constellations.

[9] Kronos is the immortal God of time. Time was (and still is) reckoned by the position of the stars, the shape of the moon, and the movement of the sun.