​
Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 31, 2016

22. Θαλάσσης, θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν.
To Thalassa, Goddess of the Sea
Divine medium: libano, manna (frankincense and manna)
 
Ὠκεανοῦ καλέω νύμφην, γλαυκώπιδα Τηθύν,
I call Ocean’s grey-eyed Nymph, Tethys,
 
κυανόπεπλον ἄνασσαν, εὔτροχα κυμαίνουσαν,
Cyan-robed Queen, whirling, undulating,
 
αὔραις ἡδυπνόοισι πατασσομένην περὶ γαῖαν,
Exhaling sweet breaths, striking powerfully all ‘round Gaia
 
θραύουσ' αἰγιαλοῖσι πέτρηισί τε κύματα μακρά,
Fracturing the rocky shoreline with mighty waves;
 
εὐδίνοις ἁπαλοῖσι γαληνιόωσα δρόμοισι,
In calm weather, a gentle, serene course
 
ναυσὶν ἀγαλλομένη, θηροτρόφε, ὑγροκέλευθε,
For glorious, mighty ships, nurturing marine life’s watery journey,
 
μήτηρ μὲν Κύπριδος, μήτηρ νεφέων ἐρεβεννῶν
Mother of the Kyprian, Mother of woolly clouds,
 
καὶ πάσης πηγῆς νυμφῶν νασμοῖσι βρυούσης·
And of all Nymphs of fresh water’s flowing abundance.
 
κλῦθί μου, ὦ πολύσεμνε, καὶ εὐμενέουσ' ἐπαρήγοις,
I call O greatly revered and kindly benefactor,
 
εὐθυδρόμοις οὖρον ναυσὶν πέμπουσα, μάκαιρα.
A straight course and fair wind for seafarers, send forth with blessings.
 
 
 
 NOTES
 
Thalassa (Θάλασσα) is the immortal Goddess of the sea; literally “divine (Θ) + sea (αλς).”    Tethys (Τηθύς) is equated with Thalassa.   
 
Okeanos (Ὠκεανός) is the immortal God of the ocean, husband of Tethys.
 
A Nymph is a young, beautiful Goddess who prevails over a particular location in nature.
 
Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
 
The Kyprian is another name for Aphrodite, the immortal Goddess of sexual desire, so-called because of her famous temple on Kypros and the legnd of her birth from the sea near the island of Kypros.

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 31, 2016

​66. Ἡφαίστου, θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν.
To Hephaistos, God of Volcanic Fire
Divine medium: libanon (frankincense), manna
 
Ἥφαιστ’ ὀμβριμόθυμε, μεγασθενές, ἀκάματον πῦρ,
Hephaistos, mighty soul, magnificent force, untiring fire,
 
λαμπόμενε φλογέαις αὐγαῖς, φαεσίμβροτε δαῖμον,
Radiant power, blazing, dawning, gory light divine,
 
φωσφόρε, καρτερόχειρ, αἰώνιε, τεχνοδίαιτε,
Luminent overpowering flow, eternally creating, day-by-day,
 
ἐργαστήρ, κόσμοιο μέρος, στοιχεῖον ἀμεμφές,
Workshop of the cosmos, in fate with the elements, flawless,
 
παμφάγε, πανδαμάτωρ, πανυπέρτατε, παντοδίαιτε,
All-devourer, all-dominator, all-above-all, each and every day,
 
αἰθήρ, ἥλιος, ἄστρα, σελήνη, φῶς ἀμίαντον·
Aither’s, Helios’, Astra’s, and Selene’s pure light,
 
ταῦτα γὰρ Ἡφαίστοιο μέλη θνητοῖσι προφαίνει.
Then thou, Hephaistos, to sweet mortals bring light,
 
πάντα δὲ οἶκον ἔχεις, πᾶσαν πόλιν, ἔθνεα πάντα,
All households’ foundation, all cities, all tribes,
 
σώματά τε θνητῶν οἰκεῖς, πολύολβε, κραταιέ.
Body of our mortal home, power of many blessings.
 
κλῦθι, μάκαρ, κλήιζω σε πρὸς εὐιέρους ἐπιλοιβάς,
I call, blessed one, with praise, before these holy drink-offerings,
 
αἰεὶ ὅπως χαίρουσιν ἐπ’ ἔργοις ἥμερος ἔλθοις.
Eternally bring grace upon each day’s work, come,
 
παῦσον λυσσῶσαν μανίαν πυρὸς ἀκαμάτοιο
Pause the furious manic fire untiring,
 
καῦσιν ἔχων φύσεως ἐν σώμασιν ἡμετέροισιν.
Caustic foundation of Phusis, in the body of our land.
 
 
NOTES
 
Hephaistos (Ἥφαιστος) is the immortal God of volcanic fire, literally “center-of (Ἡ) + radiant (φαί) + roof (στοιο).” He is also the God of blacksmiths because of the similarly intense heat needed to melt metal and because he is said to create beautiful and skillful metallic instruments and adornments for the Goddesses and Gods. He is said to dwell, not surprisingly, in places with active volcanoes.
 
Some traditions say that Hephaestos split the head of Zeus, God of lightning, and thus assisted Zeus in giving birth to Athena. This legend could be derived from the observation that lightning often accompanies volcanic eruptions.[1]
 
Dawn (Αὐγαί) literally means “arising above (α) + purified by (ὐ) + Gaia/Earth (γαῖς).”
 
This hymn suggests that Hephaistos is the source of the light of the Aither, Helios, Astral stars, and Selene.
 
Aither (Αἰθήρ) is the immortal God of the bright, all-encompassing ether of the cosmos. “Aether was considered as one of the elementary substances out of which the Universe was formed”.[2]
 
Helios is the immortal God of the sun.
 
Astraios (Ἀστραῖος) is the immortal Titan God and father of the stars and planets.
 
Selene is the immortal Goddess of the moon.
 
Phusis is the immortal Goddess of physics, of nature.

 

[1] Schmitz, L. (1870). HEPHAESTUS (Ἥφαιστος). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 2, p. 384). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

[2] Schmitz, L. (1870). AETHER (Αἰθήρ). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 1, p. 49). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 28, 2016

16. Ἥρης, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
To Hera, Goddess of Air
Divine media: aromatics
 
Κυανέοις κόλποισιν ἐνημένη, ἀερόμορφε,
Deep blue essence of the vaulted throne, air-formed,
 
Ἥρη παμβασίλεια, Διὸς σύλλεκτρε μάκαιρα,
All-ruling Hera, Dios’ blessed bed-partner,
 
ψυχοτρόφους αὔρας θνητοῖς παρέχουσα προσηνεῖς,
Psyche-nurturing breath, mortal foundation, gentle
 
ὄμβρων μὲν μήτηρ, ἀνέμων τροφέ, παντογένεθλε·
Mother of rainstorms, wind-nurturer, giving birth to all.
 
χωρὶς γὰρ σέθεν οὐδὲν ὅλως ζωῆς φύσιν ἔγνω·
Separate, for of thou, and not the whole, life’s origin is engendered;
 
κοινωνεῖς γὰρ ἅπασι κεκραμένη ἠέρι σεμνῶι·
In union, for all mixes by means of air divine;
 
πάντων γὰρ κρατέεις μούνη πάντεσσί τ' ἀνάσσεις
The all, for by your power alone all four are ruled.
 
ἠερίοις ῥοίζοισι τινασσομένη κατὰ χεῦμα.
Winds, sounds, motion, the power of every stream.
 
ἀλλά, μάκαιρα θεά, πολυώνυμε, παμβασίλεια,
Yes, blessed Goddess, many-named, Basileia over all,
 
ἔλθοις εὐμενέουσα καλῶι γήθουσα προσώπωι.
Come, kindly power, with your beautiful, joyful countenance.
 
 
Hera (Ἢρη) is the immortal Goddess of air (ἡερ-, ἀήρ, ἀερ-).[1] This is consistent with her role as the spouse of Zeus, the God of lightning and the spark of fire/spark of life, because without air the spark would die. It is also consistent with characterizations of her as angry and vengeful, because of the damaging and dangerous windstorms that accompany lightning storms.
 
Empedocles, naming the four root elements, equates Zeus (Ζεύς) with fire, Hera (Ἢρη) with air, Hades (Ἀϊδωνεύς) with earth, and Nestis (Νῆστις), a Sicilian water-Goddess, with water:
 
“And first the fourfold root of all things hear!--
White gleaming Zeus (Ζεύς), life-bringing Here (Ἥρη), Dis (Ἀϊδωνεύς),
And Nestis (Νῆστις) whose tears bedew mortality.”[2]
 
Aetius confirms this characterization in Opinions: “’Zeus is his name for the seething [zesis] of heavenly fire, ‘life-bearing Hera’ for air, ‘Aidoneus’ for earth, and ‘Nestis’…for…water.”[3]
 
Plato has Socrates say in Cratylus, “But perhaps the lawgiver had natural phenomena in mind, and called her Hera as a disguise for air…You would understand, if you were to repeat the name Hera over and over.”[4]
 
Plutarch, in Isis and Osiris 32, says the Greeks believe that Hera is a name for Air.[5]
 
In Virgil’s Aeneid, Hera (Juno) is described as a Goddess of windstorms and whirlwinds and the commander of Aiolos, God of the winds:
 
“She, from the clouds, herself Jove's (Zeus’) lightning threw,
scattered the ships, and ploughed the sea with storms.
Her foe, from his pierced breast out-breathing fire,
in whirlwind on a deadly rock she flung.”
 
Hera then commands Aiolos (Αἴολος) (whose name means “changeful”) to raise the winds. He obeys, saying, “My fealty thy high behest obeys. This humble throne is of thy gift.” He raises the winds and ships are destroyed at sea.[6]
 
The Tonea (Τόνεα) was the festival of Hera at Samos, a festival of the pitch-pipe, giving the key note for singing. One of Hera’s epithets is akraios (ἀκραῖος), “dwelling on heights.”
 
The Heresides (ἠρεσίδες) were the priestesses of Hera at Argos.

Women of ancient Greece derived significant status by serving as priestesses and ambassadors. Pausanias gives an account of the temple of Hera at Olympus and the Sixteen Women in charge of administering games and negotiating peace treaties:
 
“[5.16.1] It remains after this for me to describe the temple of Hera…The length of the temple is one hundred and sixty-nine feet, the breadth sixty-three feet, the height not short of fifty feet...

“[5.16.2] Every fourth year there is woven for Hera a robe by the Sixteen women, and the same also hold games called Heraea. The games consist of foot-races for maidens…

“[5.16.3] These too have the Olympic stadium reserved for their games…Those who administer to the Sixteen are, like the presidents of the games, married women…

“[5.16.5] … they tell another story about the Sixteen Women as follows…they chose a woman from each of the sixteen cities of Elis still inhabited at that time to settle their differences, this woman to be the oldest, the most noble, and the most esteemed of all the women.

“[5.16.6]. . .The women from these cities made peace between Pisa and Elis. Later on they were entrusted with the management of the Heraean games…

“[5.16.8] Whatever ritual it is the duty of either the Sixteen Women or the Elean umpires to perform, they do not perform before they have purified themselves with a pig meet for purification and with water. Their purification takes place at the spring Piera. You reach this spring as you go along the flat road from Olympia to Elis.”[7]
 
Hera is called megistoanassa (μεγιστοάνασσα), “greatest of Queens, “Potnia (πότνια), “revered, august,” and Presba (πρέσβᾰ), “august, honored.”  Basileia (βασίλεια) means Queen, ruler, the “base” or seat of governance.
 
Dios refers to Zeus, the immortal God of lightning and spark of fire, spark of life.
 
Psyche is the immortal Goddess of the soul.
 
Phusis is the immortal Goddess of nature, of physics, of the elementary substance, of the originating power.
 
 “All four” refers to the four “root” elements: earth, air, fire, and water.


[1] Empedocles, Poeta Philosophus (On Nature) 6.1-3; Aetius, Opinions 1.3.20 Diels; Plato, Cratylus (404c); Virgil, Aeneid I.42-45; other references in Pease ND vol.2, p.716.

[2] The Fragments of Empedocles, (“Physics” also known as “On Nature” (6.2-3)), trans. William Ellery Leonard, Open Court Publishing, Chicago, 1908. p. 17.

[3] (Aetius, Opinions 1.3.20 Diels)

[4] Plato, Cratylus (404c).

[5] Plutarch,Isis and Osiris, 32. http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Plutarch/Moralia/Isis_and_Osiris*/B.html
 
[6] Virgil.  Aeneid. I.42-45 and I. 78-79,Theodore C. Williams. trans. Boston. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1910.
 
[7] Pausanias. Pausanias Description of Greece with an English Translation by W.H.S. Jones, Litt.D., and H.A. Ormerod, M.A., in 4 Volumes. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1918.
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0160%3Abook%3D5%3Achapter%3D16%3Asection%3D2

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 27, 2016

12. Ἡρακλέος, θυμίαμα λίβανον.
To Herakles, God of Time
Divine medium: libanon (frankincense)
 
Ἥρακλες ὀμβριμόθυμε, μεγασθενές, ἄλκιμε Τιτάν,
Herakles, mighty, impassioned, powerful, courageous Titan,
 
καρτερόχειρ, ἀδάμαστε, βρύων ἄθλοισι κραταιοῖς,
Strong-armed, indominatable, teeming athletic power,
 
αἰολόμορφε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀίδιέ τε ἐύφρων,
Eternally changing father Time, eternal wisdom,
 
ἄρρητ', ἀγριόθυμε, πολύλλιτε, παντοδυνάστα,
Inexplicable untamed spirit, much entreatied, all-dynastic,
 
παγκρατὲς ἦτορ ἔχων, κάρτος μέγα, τοξότα, μάντι,
All-powerful heart, foundational power, majestic archer of inspiration,
 
παμφάγε, παγγενέτωρ, πανυπέρτατε, πᾶσιν ἀρωγέ,
All-slayer, all-parent, all-reigning, all-serving,
 
ὃς θνητοῖς κατέπαυσας ἀνήμερα φῦλα διώξας,
Arresting death, fulfilling fate, tribally impelled,
 
εἰρήνην ποθέων κουροτρόφον, ἀγλαότιμον,
Eirene’s peace desiring, child-nurturer, gloriously honored,
 
αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, γαίης βλάστημα φέριστον,
Singular in nature, unbending, Gaia’s offshoot born,
 
πρωτογόνοις στράψας βολίσιν, μεγαλώνυμε Παιών,
Protogonos twister, launching, mighty-named Savior,
 
ὃς περὶ κρατὶ φορεῖς ἠῶ καὶ νύκτα μέλαιναν,
All-encompassing power bearing both Eos light and Night’s darkness,
 
δώδεκ' ἀπ' ἀντολιῶν ἄχρι δυσμῶν ἆθλα διέρπων,
Twelve spring from the east uttermost, setting westward the battle and completing the course,
 
ἀθάνατοις, πολύπειρος, ἀπείριτος, ἀστυφέλικτος·
Immortals of many trials, impervious, unbludgeoned.
 
ἐλθέ, μάκαρ, νούσων θελκτήρια πάντα κομίζων,
Come with blessings incline toward soothing all life’s cares,
 
ἐξέλασον δὲ κακὰς ἄτας κλάδον ἐν χερὶ πάλλων,
Expel the evil, the ruinous, club in hand brandish,
 
πτηνοῖς τ' ἰοβόλοις κῆρας χαλεπὰς ἀπόπεμπε.
Let fly poison arrows at cruel death from your hand.
 
 
 
NOTES
 
Herakles (Roman: Hercules) (Ἡρακλῆς, Ἡρακλέης, Ἡρακλῆος, Ἡρακλέος, Ἡρακλέϝης, Ἡρακλέεος, Ἡρακλέους, Ἡρακλέει, Ἡρακλέᾱ) was a strong, athletic, courageous figure celebrated in Greece, Rome, Egypt, Anatolia (Turkey), Libya, Phoenicia (Israel/Palestine), and among the Celts and Germanic people for his feats of superhuman strength and bravery. His name can be translated as Hera’s (Ἡρα) + key/lock (κλέη).
 
Among other accomplishments, the hero Herakles completed 12 labors.  
 
The Greek Herakles is the son of Zeus, the God of lightning/spark of life, and the mortal Alkmene (Ἀλκμήνη, Ἀλκμάνα), whose name means courage, might (ἄλκῐμος). Zeus is an Olympian God, but Zeus’ father, Kronos, is a Titan.
 
This hymn is not about the hero named Herakles, however, it is about the Orphic God named Herakles who is equated with Kronos, the God of time.[1]
 
According to the Orphic tradition, in the beginning water formed mud which produced a fantastic multi-headed creature by the name of Kronos or Herakles who generated an egg which burst apart to form the sky and earth and everything else.
 
“For, according to [Orpheus], water was the beginning of all things, and from water mud was formed, and from both was produced an animal, a dragon with the head of a lion growing to it, and between the two heads there was the face of a [G]od, named Heracles and Kronos.
“This Heracles generated an egg of enormous size, which, on becoming full, was, by the powerful friction of its generator, burst into two, the part at the top receiving the form of heaven (οὐρανός [Ouranos]), and the lower part that of earth (γῆ [Ge]).”[2]

Another similar creation story holds that Heracles (Time) united with Necessity as the generating cause of all things. It is interesting to note that a creation story where time and necessity create all things is consistent with Darwin’s theory of evolution:

“The theology according to Hieronymus or Hellanicus, even if the latter is not the same personage, is as follows. In the beginning, he says, there were water and matter, from which earth was coagulated, and these he establishes as the first two principles, water and earth… But as for the third principle after the two, it arose from these, I mean from water and earth, and it is a serpent with the heads of a lion and a bull grown upon it, and in the middle the countenance of a [G]od, and it has wings on its shoulders, and the same [G]od is called Ageless Time, and Heracles.
​
“And Necessity is united with it, which is the same nature as Adrasteia, stretching the arms of its bimorph body throughout the entire cosmos, touching the very boundaries of it. I think that this is said to be the third principle that functions as their substance, except that they represent it as male-female in order to show that it is the generating cause of all things.”[3]
Eirene is the immortal Goddess of peace.
 
Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
 
Protogonos is Phanes, characterized as a bi-gender “first-born” egg.
 
Eos is the immortal Goddess of dawn.
 
Night is the immortal Goddess of night.
 
“Twelve spring from the east” is a reference to the the Twelve signs of the zodiac which arise on the eastern horizon and set on the western horizon, each occupying the sky for approximately 30 days and comprising a 360 circle, accounting for the 365 (360 + five) days and twelve months of the year.
 
 

[1] Orphica, Theogonies Fragment 54 (from Damascius) and Orphica, Theogonies Fragment 57 (from Athenogoras).

[2] Athenagoras A Plea for the Christians Chapter 18, (trans. by Rev. B.P. Pratten.] (Vol. II. Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325, 10 vols., edited by A. Cleveland Coxe (1885. http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/002/0020188.htm 

[3] Translation of Damascius’ Problems and Solutions Concerning First Pinciples, trans. by Sara Ahbel-Rappe 123.2, (Oxford University Press, New York 2010 https://books.google.com/books?id=ovjUC1em8SgC&pg=PR2&lpg=PR2&dq=buy+translation+of+damascius+problems+and+solutions+sara+ahbel-rappe&source=bl&ots=WqiQMAJaOY&sig=Oo4ZV1Mq8MCOOX_BEqAyUyg74JA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDQQ6AEwBWoVChMIr4CopK2IyAIVR56ACh1loQfN#v=onepage&q=%20heracles&f=false  

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 27, 2016​

78. Ἠοῦς, θυμίαμα μάνναν.
To Eos, Goddess of Dawn
Divine medium: manna
 
Κλῦθι, θεά, θνητοῖς φαεσίμβροτον ἦμαρ ἄγουσα,
I call the Goddess of arising mortal light, each day’s dawn,
 
Ἠὼς λαμπροφαής, ἐρυθαινομένη κατὰ κόσμον,
Eos, lamp-bearing light, blushing red upon the cosmos,
 
ἀγγέλτειρα θεοῦ μεγάλου Τιτᾶνος ἀγαυοῦ,
Herald divine, majestic Titan exalted,
 
ἣ νυκτὸς ζοφόεντα κελαινόχρωτα πορείην
Slayer of Night’s black-skin, marching from
 
ἀντολίαις ταῖς σαῖς πέμπεις ὑπὸ νέρτερα γαίης·
Anatolia, stretching, sweeping, dispatching Night to the dark region of Gaia.
 
ἔργων ἡγήτειρα, βίου πρόπολε θνητοῖσιν·
Initiating work, life’s precursor of death,
 
ἧι χαίρει θνητῶν μερόπων γένος· οὐδέ τίς ἐστιν,
Eternally gracing mortal destiny at birth, and none are
 
ὃς φεύγει τὴν σὴν ὄψιν καθυπέρτερον οὖσαν,
Those who escape your view from the highest essence.
 
ἡνίκα τὸν γλυκὺν ὕπνον ἀπὸ βλεφάρων ἀποσείσηις,
When sweet Sleep springs from fluttering eyelids,
 
πᾶς δὲ βροτὸς γήθει, πᾶν ἑρπετὸν ἄλλα τε φῦλα
All humanity of Ge divine, all earth’s creatures, all progeny of
 
τετραπόδων πτηνῶν τε καὶ εἰναλίων πολυεθνῶν·
The four-footed, winged, and the sea’s many species,
 
πάντα γὰρ ἐργάσιμον βίοτον θνητοῖσι πορίζεις.
All commence the work life’s mortality provides.
 
ἀλλά, μάκαιρ’, ἁγνή, μύσταις ἱερὸν φάος αὔξοις.
Now then, blessed, pure, holy mystae, the light arises.
 
NOTES
 
Eos (Ἠώς) is the immortal Goddess of dawn, the sister of the sun (Ἥλιος, Ἠέλιος)) and moon (Σελήνη, Σελάνα).
 
Eos is said to be “Eternally gracing mortal destiny at birth” because fate is read by the stars and planets that appear at the horizon line in the morning.
 
The Titans are the immortal deities who reside in Tartaros, the deepest realm beneath the earth, in contrast to the Olympian deities, who reside on Mount Olympos, the highest known place on earth.
 
Night (Νυκτὸς, Νύξ) is the immortal Goddess of night, the mother of Sleep (Ὕπνος), Dreams (Ὄνειρος), Fate (Μοῖρα), and Death (Θάνατος).
 
Anatolia is the ancient word for the country that is now Turkey, which lies to the east of Greece.
 
Gaia and Ge are names for the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
 
The mystae are initiates in the divine mysteries.
 
 

​ 
8. Εἰς Ἥλιον, θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν.
To Helios, God of the Sun
Divine medium: libanon mannan (frankincense, manna)
 
 
Κλῦθι μάκαρ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων αἰώνιον ὄμμα,
I call the blessed, all-seeing foundation, the eternal eye,
 
Τιτὰν χρυσαυγής, Ὑπερίων, οὐράνιον φῶς,
Titan of golden dawn, Hyperion’s heavenly light,
 
αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, ζώιων ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,
Singular arising arc, whose life-giving, sweet face
 
δεξιὲ μὲν γενέτωρ ἠοῦς, εὐώνυμε νυκτός,
On the right gives birth to Dawn, and, on the left, to Night,
 
κρᾶσιν ἔχων ὡρῶν, τετραβάμοσι ποσσὶ χορεύων,
Mixing the foundation’s four horizons, counting each circling
 
εὔδρομε, ῥοιζήτωρ, πυρόεις, φαιδρωπέ, διφρευτά,
Course, with his fire-hurtling, light-bestowing chariot,
 
ῥόμβου ἀπειρεσίου δινεύμασιν οἶμον ἐλαύνων,
Whirling without intermission on a wheeling path, driving
 
εὐσεβέσιν καθοδηγὲ καλῶν, ζαμενὴς ἀσεβοῦσιν,
A well-honored guided cycle, beautiful, powerful, impudent.
 
χρησολύρη, κόσμου τὸν ἐναρμόνιον δρόμον ἕλκων,
Your golden lyre the cosmos’ harmonic course follows.
 
ἔργων σημάντωρ ἀγαθῶν, ὡροτρόφε κοῦρε,
Signaling the time for work, good hour-turning son,
 
κοσμοκράτωρ, συρικτά, πυρίδρομε, κυκλοέλικτε,
Cosmic ruler, trailing a fiery course, in a cycling spiral.
 
φωσφόρε, αἰολόδικτε, φερέσβιε, κάρπιμε Παιάν,
Light-bearer, eternally variable dictator, bringing life to Gaia’s fruits,
 
ἀιθαλής, ἀμίαντε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀθάνατε Ζεῦ,
Ethereal, exemplary father of time, eternal Zeus,
 
εὔδιε, πασιφαής, κόσμου τὸ περίδρομον ὄμμα,
Fair-coursing, all-light of the the cosmos, circumnavigating eye:
 
σβεννύμενε λάμπων τε καλαῖς ἀκτῖσι φαειναῖς,
From extinguished lamp to beautiful noonday brilliance.
 
δεῖκτα δικαιοσύνης, φιλονάματε, δέσποτα κόσμου,
Clear illuminator in league with Dike’s justice, beloved streaming font, all-powerful despot of the cosmos,
 
πιστοφύλαξ, αἰεὶ πανυπέρτατε, πᾶσιν ἀρωγέ,
Trusted sentinel, eternally uppermost, giving aid to all,
 
ὄμμα δικαιοσύνης, ζωῆς φῶς· ὦ ἐλάσιππε,
Eye of justice, life’s illuminator, O steed-driver,
 
μάστιγι λιγυρῆι τετράορον ἅρμα διώκων,
Whip sharply that four-horsed chariot, drive on!
 
κλῦθι λόγων, ἡδὺν δὲ βίον μύστηισι πρόφαινε.
I call with sweet words of life to the mystae: come before the light.
 
 
NOTES
 
Helios (Ἥλιος, Ἠέλιος) is the immortal God of the sun and the son of Hyperion (Ὑπερίων), the God of the “upper air.”  Helios’ siblings are the Goddess Eos (dawn), and the Goddess Selene (moon) (Theogony 371, Homeric Hymn To Helios, Apollodorus 1.9, Hyginus Pref). Helios and his siblings are Titans.  
 
When facing north, Helios appears to rise on the right and set on the lefthand horizon. Helios is characterized as driving his chariot across the sky.
 “The points at which Helios rises and descends into the ocean are of course different at the different seasons of the year; and the extreme points in the north and south, between which the rising and setting take place, are the τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο. (Od. xv. 403; Hes. Op. et Dies, 449, 525.)[1]” Tropai helio (τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο) means the turning points of Helios.
 
Gaia (Γαῖα) is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
 
Zeus (Ζεύς) is the immortal lightning God of the spark of fire, spark of life. Ζεύς is a title also used to refer to other deities, such as Pluto, Ammon, Poseidon, Aphrodite, and Helios, and to some mortals, such as Pericles and various kings and emperors.
 
Dike (Δίκη) is the immortal, all-seeing Goddess of justice.
 
This hymn may have been performed at dawn when the initiates in the mysteries, the “mystae,” emerge at sunrise from their night-long initiation rituals.


[1] Schmitz, L. (1870). HE′LIOS (Ἥλιος or Ἠέλιος). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 2, p. 375). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 19, 2016

81. Ζεφύρου, θυμίαμα λίβανον.
To Zephyros, God of the West Wind
Divine medium: libanon (frankincense)
 
Αὖραι παντογενεῖς Ζεφυριτίδες, ἠεροφοῖται,
The Aurai’s all-generative Zephyros, air-roaming,
 
ἡδύπνοοι ψιθυραί, θανάτου ἀνάπαυσιν ἔχουσαι,
Sweet-breathed whispers, foundation of death’s repose.
 
εἰαριναί, λειμωνιάδες, πεποθημέναι ὅρμοις,
Spring meadows helpless mooring,
 
σύρουσαι ναυσὶ τρυφερὸν ὅρμον, ἠέρα κοῦφον·
Trailing, floating, delicately bound to aereal effervesence.
 
ἔλθοιτ’ εὐμενέουσαι, ἐπιπνείουσαι ἀμεμφεῖς,
Come, kindly power, upon exhalations above reproach,
 
ἠέριαι, ἀφανεῖς, κουφόπτεροι, ἀερόμορφοι.
Aerial, invisible, light-winged, air-formed.
 
 
NOTES
 
Zephyros is the immortal God of the west wind and Spring renewal, literally: “spark (Ζ) + essence of (ε) + nature (φ) + pure (ύ) + flow (ρ)ου.” The Aurai are the immortal Goddesses of the winds.
 
Zephyros has the “fertilizing breath:”[1]
 
The west is considered the realm of the deceased because it is where the sun and stars set. It is also the source of the breath of new life in Spring.
 


[1] From: Book I. Matter and Space, On the Nature of the Universe, by Lucretius, translated by R. E. Latham, Penguin Books, Middlesex, England (1951).

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 19, 2016

70. Εὐμενίδων, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
To the Eumenides, Goddesses of Guilty Torment
Divine media: aromatics
 
Κλῦτέ μου, Εὐμενίδες μεγαλώνυμοι, εὔφρονι βουλῆι,
I call the Eumenides, mighty-named, wise counselors,
 
ἁγναὶ θυγατέρες μεγάλοιο Διὸς χθονίοιο
Pure majestic daughters of terrestrial Dios and
 
Φερσεφόνης τ’, ἐρατῆς κούρης καλλιπλοκάμοιο,
Phersephone, lovely, youthful, beautifully-tressed,
 
αἳ πάντων καθορᾶτε βίον θνητῶν ἀσεβούντων,
Ever and always clearly observing the lives of irreverent mortals,
 
τῶν ἀδίκων τιμωροί, ἐφεστηκυῖαι ἀνάγκηι,
Then, injustice’s avengers, upon Hestia’s hearth by Necessity,
 
κυανόχρωτοι ἄνασσαι, ἀπαστράπτουσαι ἀπ’ ὄσσων
The cyan-tinted Queens flash forth, springing before the mind’s eye an
 
δεινὴν ἀνταυγῆ φάεος σαρκοφθόρον αἴγλην·
Extraordinarily powerful antagonizing light, flesh-destroying, radiant.
 
ἀίδιοι, φοβερῶπες, ἀπόστροφοι, αὐτοκράτειραι,
Eternally terrifying to behold, averted, absolute rulers,
 
λυσιμελεῖς οἴστρωι, βλοσυραί, νύχιαι, πολύποτμοι,
Sweetly loosen the maddening hair-raising torments of Night’s many Destinies,
 
νυκτέριαι κοῦραι, ὀφιοπλόκαμοι, φοβερῶπες·
Night’s daughters, serpent-haired, terrifying to behold,
 
ὑμᾶς κικλήσκω γνώμαις ὁσίαισι πελάζειν.
Invoked with knowledge of divine law, draw near.
 
 
NOTES
 
The Eumenides are the immortal Goddesses of the Good (Εὐ) + Powers (μενίδες). Eumeneia (εὐμένεια) means goodwill, favor. The Eumenides incessantly torment wrongdoers as punishment, including obsessive guilt and internal anguish. The Eumenides can only be pacified by completing tasks of purification and atonement. They are offered water, milk, and honey. They have the power to fulfill prayers.   
 
The Esychides (Ἡσῠχίδες) are priestesses of the Eumenides. Their name means silence, stillness, quiet, peace.
“EUME′NIDES (Εὐμενίδες), also called Erinnyes…were originally…a personification of curses pronounced upon a guilty criminal. The name Erinnys, which is the more ancient one, was derived by the Greeks from the verb ἐρίνω or ἐρευνάω, I hunt up or persecute, or from the Arcadian word ἐρινύω, I am angry; so that the Erinnyes were either the angry goddesses, or the goddesses who hunt up or search after the criminal. (Aeschyl. Eum. 499; Pind. Ol. ii. 45; Cic. de Nat. Deor. iii. 18.) The name Eumenides, which signifies “the well-meaning,” or “soothed [G]oddesses,” is a….euphemism, because people dreaded to call these fearful [G]oddesses by their real name, and it was said to have been first given them after the acquittal of Orestes by the court of the Areiopagus, when the anger of the Erinnyes had become soothed. (Soph. Oed. Col. 128; Schol. ad Oed. Col. 42; Suid. s. v. Εὐμενίδες.)…
“According to the Homeric notion, the Erinnyes…inhabit Erebos [the dark and gloomy space under the earth], where they rest until some curse pronounced upon a criminal calls them to life and activity. (Il. ix. 571, Od. xv. 234.) The crimes which they punish are disobedience towards parents, violation of the respect due to old age, perjury, murder, violation of the law of hospitality, and improper conduct towards suppliants. (Hom. Il. ix. 454, xv. 204, xix. 259, Od. ii. 136, xvii. 475.)…As the Eumenides not only punished crimes after death, but during life on earth, they were conceived also as [G]oddesses of fate …
“…when they fear lest the criminal should escape them, they call in the assistance of Dicé [Dike, Goddess of justice], with whom they are closely connected, the maintenance of strict justice being their only object. (Aesch. Eum. 511, 786; Orph. Argon. 350; Plut. de Exil. 11.)…[1]
 
The Eumenides are the daughters of Terrestrial Dios, that is, Pluto, the immortal God of the afterlife, and Phersephone (Persephone), the immortal Goddess of the afterlife and Spring renewal. They are described as terrifying, with fiery eyes and snake-entwined hair.
 
Hestia is the immortal Goddess of the hearth and altar fire.
 
Ananke is the immortal Goddess of necessity, of what is required.
 
Anassa means Queen, Lady.
 
Night is the immortal Goddess of night and in some traditions the mother of the Eumenides.


[1] Schmitz, L. (1870). EUME′NIDES (Εὐμενίδες). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 2, p. 92). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

Translated by Catherine Proppe,  October 18, 2016

​84. Ἑστίας, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
To Hestia, Goddess of the Hearth and Altar Fire
Divine medium: aromatics
 
Ἑστία εὐδυνάτοιο Κρόνου θύγατερ βασίλεια,
Hestia, daughter of mighty Kronos, Basileia,
 
ἣ μέσον οἶκον ἔχεις πυρὸς ἀενάοιο, μεγίστου,
Central midpoint of every dwelling, fiery foundation eternal, majestic,
 
τούσδε σὺ ἐν τελεταῖς ὁσίους μύστας ἀναδείξαις,
Then from thou complete the holy initiation, mystae arise and bring to light,
 
θεῖσ’ αἰειθαλέας, πολυόλβους, εὔφρονας, ἁγνούς·
Sulphur eternally bloom with plentiful blessings, kind, pure.
 
οἶκε θεῶν μακάρων, θνητῶν στήριγμα κραταιόν,
Divinely bless dwellings, mortal-sustaining power,
 
ἀιδίη, πολύμορφε, ποθεινοτάτη, χλοόμορφε·
Eternal, many-shaped, longed for green form.
 
μειδιόωσα, μάκαιρα, τάδ’ ἱερὰ δέξο προθύμως,
Smile upon blessings here, holy one, welcome this initial offering,   
 
ὄλβον ἐπιπνείουσα καὶ ἠπιόχειρον ὑγείαν.
Bestow whole-life blessings with each breath and the easing hand of Hygeia.
 
 
NOTES
 
Hestia is the immortal Goddess of the hearth and altar fire. As a virgin Goddess, she remains independent of a male consort.
 
“…as the [G]oddess of the sacred fire of the altar, she had a share in the sacrifices in all the temples of the [Goddesses and G]ods. (Hom. Hymn. in Ven. 31.) Hence when sacrifices were offered, she was invoked first, and the first part of the sacrifice was offered to her. (Hom. Hymn. xxxii. 5; Pind. Nem. xi. 5; Plat. Cratyl. p. 401, d.; Paus. v. 14. § 5; Schol. ad Aristoph. Vesp. 842; Hesych. s. v. ἀφʼ ἑστίας ἀρχόμενος.) Solemn oaths were sworn by the [G]oddess of the hearth, and the hearth itself was the sacred asylum where suppliants implored the protection of the inhabitants of the house. (Hom. Od. xiv. 159; Eustath. ad Hom. p. 1579.) A town or city…had likewise its sacred hearth, the symbol of an harmonious community of citizens and of a common worship. This public hearth usually existed in the prytaneium of a town, where the [G]oddess had her especial sanctuary (θάλαμος), under the name of Πρυτανῖτις, with a statue and the sacred hearth. There the prytanes offered sacrifices to her, on entering upon their office, and there, as at a private hearth, Hestia protected the suppliants. As this public hearth was the sacred asylum in every town, the state usually received its guests and foreign ambassadors there, and the prytanes had to act the part of hosts. When a colony was sent out, the emigrants took the fire which was to burn on the hearth of their new home from that of the mother town. (Pind. Nem. xi. 1, &c., with the Scholiast; Parthen. Erot. 18; Dion. Hal. ii. 65.) If ever the fire of her hearth became extinct, it was not allowed to be lighted again with ordinary fire, but either by fire produced by friction, or by burning glasses drawing fire from the sun. The mystical speculations of later times…assumed a sacred hearth not only in the centre of the earth, but even in that of the universe, and confounded Hestia in various ways with other divinities, such as Cybele, Gaea, Demeter, Persephone, and Artemis. (Orph. Hymn. 83; Plut. de Plac. Philos. 3, 11, Numa, 11.) There were but few special temples of Hestia in Greece, as in reality every prytaneum was a sanctuary of the [G]oddess, and as a portion of the sacrifices, to whatever divinity they were offered, belonged to her. There was, however, a separate temple of Hestia at Hermione, though it contained no image of her, but only an altar. (Paus. ii. 35. § 2.)[1]
  
Hestia is the first and last deity to receive libations and sacrifices at meals and public occasions. Socrates discusses Hestia’s name and honored status by explaining that (H)Estia means essence:
 
       “Socrates: ‘Shall we, then, begin with Hestia, according to custom?’
 
       “Hermogenes: ‘That is the proper thing.’
 
       “Socrates: ‘ . . . those who called the essence of things essia (έσσία) would naturally sacrifice to Hestia first of all the [Goddesses and G]ods.”[2]
 
 
Kronos, the God of time, is the immortal God of the Golden Age of peace, prosperity, and justice. Kronos is the son of Ouranos (God of the Sky) and the father of Zeus (God of the spark of fire/spark of life).
 
Basileia means Queen, the basis of rule.
 
Mystae are initiates into divine mysteries.
 
Sulphur is what match heads were made of.[3] The flame is the bloom of sulphur.
 
Some chemicals, such as chloroform, boron, and copper, can produce green flame when burned. “… if thrown upon hot coals, it [chloroform] immediately ignites, diffusing much smoke, and producing a very beautiful green flame.”[4]
 
Hygeia is the immortal Goddess of health.


[1]  William Smith. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. London. John Murray: printed by Spottiswoode and Co., New-Street Square and Parliament Street, 1873.

[2] Plato (circa 350 BCE),“Cratylus 401b – 401d,” in Plato in Twelve Volumes, vol. 12, trans. Harold N. Fowler (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, 1921).
 

[3] Seneca, Medea 824 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st CE.):
"… fires which subtly lurk in sulphur."
Theocritus, Idyll XXIII. (100) “…for the cleansing of your house, first burn ye therein sulphur pure…” http://www.theoi.com/Text/TheocritusIdylls4.html
 

[4] “Chloroform,” Chemistry, Theoretical, Practical, and Analytical Vol. 1 by Sheridan Muspratt, Eben Norton Horsford, p. 470. https://books.google.com/books?id=DS4OAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA470&lpg=PA470&dq=chloroform+green+flame&source=bl&ots=OWK0ruvplb&sig=XZAb1S90e6a_FMwmcpJysnjrMfg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCsQ6AEwBGoVChMIhM_z0vHLxwIVgtSACh1yQwGV#v=snippet&q=chloroform&f=false
 
When powdered zinc is mixed with sulphur “the mixture burns with a yellowish-green flame.” http://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/demos/zinc_sulfur/zinc_sulfur.htm
 

Translated by Catherine Proppe, October 18, 2016​

58. Ἔρωτος, θυμίαμα ἀρώματα.
To Eros, God of Love
Divine media: aromatics
 
Κικλήσκω μέγαν, ἁγνόν, ἐράσμιον, ἡδὺν Ἔρωτα,
I call great, pure, beloved, sweet Love,
 
τοξαλκῆ, πτερόεντα, πυρίδρομον, εὔδρομον ὁρμῆι,
Mighty-archer, whose flying, flaming, swift-coursed assault
 
συμπαίζοντα θεοῖς ἠδὲ θνητοῖς ἀνθρώποις,
Plays with deities and mortal humans,
 
εὐπάλαμον, διφυῆ, πάντων κληῖδας ἔχοντα,
Ingenious, dual-natured key to all foundations:
 
αἰθέρος οὐρανίου, πόντου, χθονός, ἠδ' ὅσα θνητοῖς
To the etherial sky, sea, earth, and so many mortals.
 
πνεύματα παντογένεθλα θεὰ βόσκει χλοόκαρπος,
Breath of life, all-generative Goddess, nourisher of tender green fruits, 
 
ἠδ' ὅσα Τάρταρος εὐρὺς ἔχει πόντος θ' ἁλίδουπος·
Dear one of broad Tartaros, foundation of the resounding sea,
 
μοῦνος γὰρ τούτων πάντων οἴηκα κρατύνεις.
You alone bring forth all, then, guiding power.
 
ἀλλά, μάκαρ, καθαραῖς γνώμαις μύσταισι συνέρχου,
Yet, with blessings, let pure knowledge join the mystai,
 
Φαύλους δ' ἐκτοπίους θὁρμὰς ἀπὸ τῶνδ' ἀπόπεμπε.
Accept a paltry drink of semen from thence send forth.
 
 
NOTES
 
According to Hesiod’s Theogony (116-124), at the very beginning of time existed Chaos. From Chaos emerged foundational Gaia (earth), then Tartaros (beneath the earth), and then Eros (love).
 
Eros is the two-natured, that is, bi-sexual deity who sprang from the world’s egg at the beginning of creation.[1]
 
“Eros was one of the fundamental causes in the formation of the world, inasmuch as [s]he was the uniting power of love, which brought order and harmony among the conflicting elements of which Chaos consisted.[2]”
 
Eros is the immortal deity of the force that brings things together, in contrast to Eris/Strife, the immortal force that pulls things apart:
 
Empedocles quotes Hippolytus as saying, “For when the things which come to be by strife’s agency die, love receives them and draws them towards, puts them with, and assimilates them to the universe, so that the universe might remain one, always being organized by love in one manner and form.”[3]
 
In later characterizations, Eros is a winged deity with a bow and arrow who pierces mortals and immortals with the arrow of love, leading to obsessive, inexplicable longing.
 
The Greek word “phaulous (Φαύλους)” which means paltry, is a homonym of “phallus.”
 
Without the apostrophe, δ' ἐκτοπίους reads, “receive a drink.”


[1] Aristophanes, Birds 695.

[2] Schmitz, L. (1870). EROS (Ἔρως). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 2, p. 50). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.

[3] Empedocles (circa 450 BCE). The Poem of Empedocles, translated by Brad Inwood (University of Toronto Press, 2001.) 31-32.