Translated by Catherine Proppe, November 20, 2017 from the Hymns of Orpheus in ancient Greek.
2. (AA=15, TT=14). Διός, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
To Dios, God of the Spark of Fire, Spark of Life
Divine medium: styrax, storax
Zeus much-honored, invincible Zeus,
Here witness these deliverance prayers profuse,
Basileu, with your crown, light these deities:
Goddess Mother Gaia’s mountain cliffs resounding,
And Pontos’ seas, and all-seeing Ouranos, in order,
Kronian Zeus, scepter-bearer, thundering rain power,
All-parent, source of all, all-perfecting maker,
Seismic earth-raiser, cathartic all-shaker,
Thundering astral father, horned Zeus, orchard-seeding,
I call your forms eternally flashing and fleeting,
Grant blessings of faultless Hygieia’s health,
Eirene’s peace, and blameless Plouto’s wealth.
15. Διός, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
Ζεῦ πολυτίμητε, Ζεῦ ἄφθιτε, τήνδε τοι ἡμεῖς
μαρτυρίαν τιθέμεσθα λυτήριον ἠδὲ πρόσευξιν.
ὦ βασιλεῦ, διὰ σὴν κεφαλὴν ἐφάνη τάδε θεῖα,
γαῖα θεὰ μήτηρ ὀρέων θ' ὑψηχέες ὄχθοι,
καὶ πόντος καὶ πάνθ', ὁπόσ' οὐρανὸς ἐντὸς ἔταξε
Ζεῦ Κρόνιε, σκηπτοῦχε, καταιβάτα, ὀμβριμόθυμε,
παντογένεθλ', ἀρχὴ πάντων, πάντων τε τελευτή,
σεισίχθων, αὐξητά, καθάρσιε, παντοτινάκτα,
ἀστραπαῖε, βρονταῖε, κεραύνιε, φυτάλιε Ζεῦ·
κλῦθί μευ, αἰολόμορφε, δίδου δ' ὑγίειαν ἀμεμφῆ
εἰρήνην τε θεὰν καὶ πλούτου δόξαν ἄμεμπτον.
Dios (Διός), a generic term for Deity, here refers to Zeus (Ζεύς), the immortal God of lightning storms, the spark of fire/spark of life, and the male fertility principle.
As the spark of fire/spark of life, Zeus is credited with fertilizing the earth’s plants in rainstorms. As the male fertility principle, Zeus is the fertilizing agent that puts the process of new life in motion. He is named as the father of numerous deities and humans.
Zeus is the son of Kronos (Κρόνος), God of time, by Rhea (Ῥέᾱ, Ῥείη), Goddess of flow.
Basileu means king, the basis of rule. The titles Basileu and Basileia are used to refer to many of the male and female deities honored in the Hymns.
While Zeus is commonly portrayed as the highest, most sovereign, most powerful “ruling” deity in the Greek pantheon, he is, in fact, one of many sovereign deities. The ancient Greek deities were variously worshiped in the farflung Hellenic world: in some instances Demeter was the chief deity, in others, Hera, in others, Apollo, in Athens, Athena’s temple crowned the acropolis in the city named for her. Dionysos took the central role for many, while Artemis ruled in the eastern Mediterranean. Zeus, a sky deity, is literally and physically “above” deities who dwell on and in the earth, but it is inaccurate to contend that he was universally regarded as the supreme deity in the ancient world.
Gaia (Γαῖα) is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
Pontos (Πόντος) is the immortal God of the sea.
2. (AA=15, TT=14). Διός, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
To Dios, God of the Spark of Fire, Spark of Life
Divine medium: styrax, storax
Zeus much-honored, invincible Zeus,
Here witness these deliverance prayers profuse,
Basileu, with your crown, light these deities:
Goddess Mother Gaia’s mountain cliffs resounding,
And Pontos’ seas, and all-seeing Ouranos, in order,
Kronian Zeus, scepter-bearer, thundering rain power,
All-parent, source of all, all-perfecting maker,
Seismic earth-raiser, cathartic all-shaker,
Thundering astral father, horned Zeus, orchard-seeding,
I call your forms eternally flashing and fleeting,
Grant blessings of faultless Hygieia’s health,
Eirene’s peace, and blameless Plouto’s wealth.
15. Διός, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
Ζεῦ πολυτίμητε, Ζεῦ ἄφθιτε, τήνδε τοι ἡμεῖς
μαρτυρίαν τιθέμεσθα λυτήριον ἠδὲ πρόσευξιν.
ὦ βασιλεῦ, διὰ σὴν κεφαλὴν ἐφάνη τάδε θεῖα,
γαῖα θεὰ μήτηρ ὀρέων θ' ὑψηχέες ὄχθοι,
καὶ πόντος καὶ πάνθ', ὁπόσ' οὐρανὸς ἐντὸς ἔταξε
Ζεῦ Κρόνιε, σκηπτοῦχε, καταιβάτα, ὀμβριμόθυμε,
παντογένεθλ', ἀρχὴ πάντων, πάντων τε τελευτή,
σεισίχθων, αὐξητά, καθάρσιε, παντοτινάκτα,
ἀστραπαῖε, βρονταῖε, κεραύνιε, φυτάλιε Ζεῦ·
κλῦθί μευ, αἰολόμορφε, δίδου δ' ὑγίειαν ἀμεμφῆ
εἰρήνην τε θεὰν καὶ πλούτου δόξαν ἄμεμπτον.
Dios (Διός), a generic term for Deity, here refers to Zeus (Ζεύς), the immortal God of lightning storms, the spark of fire/spark of life, and the male fertility principle.
As the spark of fire/spark of life, Zeus is credited with fertilizing the earth’s plants in rainstorms. As the male fertility principle, Zeus is the fertilizing agent that puts the process of new life in motion. He is named as the father of numerous deities and humans.
Zeus is the son of Kronos (Κρόνος), God of time, by Rhea (Ῥέᾱ, Ῥείη), Goddess of flow.
Basileu means king, the basis of rule. The titles Basileu and Basileia are used to refer to many of the male and female deities honored in the Hymns.
While Zeus is commonly portrayed as the highest, most sovereign, most powerful “ruling” deity in the Greek pantheon, he is, in fact, one of many sovereign deities. The ancient Greek deities were variously worshiped in the farflung Hellenic world: in some instances Demeter was the chief deity, in others, Hera, in others, Apollo, in Athens, Athena’s temple crowned the acropolis in the city named for her. Dionysos took the central role for many, while Artemis ruled in the eastern Mediterranean. Zeus, a sky deity, is literally and physically “above” deities who dwell on and in the earth, but it is inaccurate to contend that he was universally regarded as the supreme deity in the ancient world.
Gaia (Γαῖα) is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
Pontos (Πόντος) is the immortal God of the sea.
RSS Feed