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.