Hymn to Leto
translated by Catherine Proppe
December 8, 2014
35. Λητοῦς, θυμίαμα σμύρναν.
To Leto
Divine connection: Myrrh
Λητὼ κυανόπεπλε, θεὰ διδυματόκε, σεμνή,
Leto[1], cyan-robed[2] Goddess of twins[3] revered
Κοιαντίς, μεγάθυμε, πολυλλίστη βασίλεια,
Koios’[4] child, greatly impasssioned, much-prayed to Basileia[5]
εὔτεκνον Ζηνὸς γονίμην ὠδῖνα λαχοῦσα,
Zeus’ offspring[6] fertile travail her lot
γειναμένη Φοῖβόν τε καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἰοχέαιραν,
Generative of Phoibe[7], too, and Artemis[8], arrow-shooting
τὴν μὲν ἐν Ὀρτυγίηι, τὸν δὲ κραναῆι ἐνὶ Δήλωι,
Then from Ortygia[9] to the rocks of Delos
κλῦθι, θεὰ δέσποινα, καὶ ἵλαον ἦτορ ἔχουσα
I call Goddess Despot[10], and give offerings heart-founded
βαῖν' ἐπὶ πάνθειον τελετὴν τέλος ἡδὺ φέρουσα.
Standing upon the pantheon, initiation complete, sweetly borne.
[1] Leto (Λητὼ) is most known for her very difficult birth travail. Her name literally means “loosen (Λ) + center (η) + stretch/extend (τ) + bring-forth (ὼ).”
[2] Cyan, also called lapis lazuli, is dark blue with silver highlights. The lapis lazuli gemstone appears frequently in ancient jewelry and art of Mesopotamia and the Mediterannean. The Sumerian Corpus refers to the holy afterbirth container made of lapis lazuli and the lapis-lazuli measuring tape.
"Aruru . . . the lady of giving birth, is to get the holy birth-bricks as her prerogative. She is to carry off the lancet for umbilical cords, the special sand and leeks. She is to get the sila-ĝara bowl of translucent lapis lazuli (in which to place the afterbirth). She is to carry off the holy consecrated ala vessel. She is to be the midwife of the land! The birthing of kings and lords is to be in her hands."
From: Enki and the world order: c.1.1.3
Note: The “holy birth-bricks” are the bricks squatted upon during birth-giving.
"My illustrious sister, holy Nisaba, is to get the measuring-reed. The lapis-lazuli measuring tape is to hang over her arm. She is to proclaim all the great powers. She is to demarcate boundaries and mark borders. She is to be the scribe of the Land."
From: Enki and the world order: c.1.1.3
(Sumerian is the first language for which we have written evidence and its literature the earliest known. The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), a project of the University of Oxford, comprises a selection of nearly 400 literary compositions recorded on sources which come from ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and date to the late third and early second millennia BCE (2300-1700 BCE.)
The corpus contains Sumerian texts in transliteration, English prose translations, and bibliographical information for each composition. The transliterations and the translations can be searched, browsed, and read online using the tools of the website.
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ )
[3] Leto is the mother of the twins Artemis, Goddess of independence, and Apollo, God of inspiration.
[4] The Titan God Koios, Leto’s father, also called Polos ("of the northern pole"), presides over the heavenly pillar of the north.
[5] Basileia means Queen.
[6] Zeus, the immortal God of lightining, is the father of Leto’s children.
[7] The Titan Goddess Phoibe, Leto’s mother, presides over the navel of the earth at Delphi and the divine inspiration derived there.
[8] Artemis is a Goddess of the hunt, emblematic of her independence from society. She is also a virgin Goddess, emblematic of her independence from males.
[9] Ortygia, “Quail Island,” is an ancient name for the island of Delos and many other islands. Some traditions hold that Artemis was born on Ortygia and Apollo on Delos.
[10] A despot is a ruler who has absolute power.
translated by Catherine Proppe
December 8, 2014
35. Λητοῦς, θυμίαμα σμύρναν.
To Leto
Divine connection: Myrrh
Λητὼ κυανόπεπλε, θεὰ διδυματόκε, σεμνή,
Leto[1], cyan-robed[2] Goddess of twins[3] revered
Κοιαντίς, μεγάθυμε, πολυλλίστη βασίλεια,
Koios’[4] child, greatly impasssioned, much-prayed to Basileia[5]
εὔτεκνον Ζηνὸς γονίμην ὠδῖνα λαχοῦσα,
Zeus’ offspring[6] fertile travail her lot
γειναμένη Φοῖβόν τε καὶ Ἄρτεμιν ἰοχέαιραν,
Generative of Phoibe[7], too, and Artemis[8], arrow-shooting
τὴν μὲν ἐν Ὀρτυγίηι, τὸν δὲ κραναῆι ἐνὶ Δήλωι,
Then from Ortygia[9] to the rocks of Delos
κλῦθι, θεὰ δέσποινα, καὶ ἵλαον ἦτορ ἔχουσα
I call Goddess Despot[10], and give offerings heart-founded
βαῖν' ἐπὶ πάνθειον τελετὴν τέλος ἡδὺ φέρουσα.
Standing upon the pantheon, initiation complete, sweetly borne.
[1] Leto (Λητὼ) is most known for her very difficult birth travail. Her name literally means “loosen (Λ) + center (η) + stretch/extend (τ) + bring-forth (ὼ).”
[2] Cyan, also called lapis lazuli, is dark blue with silver highlights. The lapis lazuli gemstone appears frequently in ancient jewelry and art of Mesopotamia and the Mediterannean. The Sumerian Corpus refers to the holy afterbirth container made of lapis lazuli and the lapis-lazuli measuring tape.
"Aruru . . . the lady of giving birth, is to get the holy birth-bricks as her prerogative. She is to carry off the lancet for umbilical cords, the special sand and leeks. She is to get the sila-ĝara bowl of translucent lapis lazuli (in which to place the afterbirth). She is to carry off the holy consecrated ala vessel. She is to be the midwife of the land! The birthing of kings and lords is to be in her hands."
From: Enki and the world order: c.1.1.3
Note: The “holy birth-bricks” are the bricks squatted upon during birth-giving.
"My illustrious sister, holy Nisaba, is to get the measuring-reed. The lapis-lazuli measuring tape is to hang over her arm. She is to proclaim all the great powers. She is to demarcate boundaries and mark borders. She is to be the scribe of the Land."
From: Enki and the world order: c.1.1.3
(Sumerian is the first language for which we have written evidence and its literature the earliest known. The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL), a project of the University of Oxford, comprises a selection of nearly 400 literary compositions recorded on sources which come from ancient Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and date to the late third and early second millennia BCE (2300-1700 BCE.)
The corpus contains Sumerian texts in transliteration, English prose translations, and bibliographical information for each composition. The transliterations and the translations can be searched, browsed, and read online using the tools of the website.
The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature
http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/ )
[3] Leto is the mother of the twins Artemis, Goddess of independence, and Apollo, God of inspiration.
[4] The Titan God Koios, Leto’s father, also called Polos ("of the northern pole"), presides over the heavenly pillar of the north.
[5] Basileia means Queen.
[6] Zeus, the immortal God of lightining, is the father of Leto’s children.
[7] The Titan Goddess Phoibe, Leto’s mother, presides over the navel of the earth at Delphi and the divine inspiration derived there.
[8] Artemis is a Goddess of the hunt, emblematic of her independence from society. She is also a virgin Goddess, emblematic of her independence from males.
[9] Ortygia, “Quail Island,” is an ancient name for the island of Delos and many other islands. Some traditions hold that Artemis was born on Ortygia and Apollo on Delos.
[10] A despot is a ruler who has absolute power.
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