Αἰθέρος, θυμίαμα κρόκον.
To Aitheros[1]
Divine-connection: saffron[2]
Ὦ Διὸς ὑψιμέλαθρον ἔχων κράτος αἰὲν ἀτειρές,
O Heaven’s o’er arching[3]-firmament: mighty, eternal, indestructible,
ἄστρων ἠελίου τε σεληναίης τε μέρισμα,
To the Stars[4], Sun[5], and Moon[6] assigned,
πανδαμάτωρ, πυρίπνου, πᾶσι ζωοῖσιν ἔναυσμα,
All-Dominator, Fiery Breath, all life bearing kindling,
ὑψιφανὴς Αἰθήρ, κόσμου στοιχεῖον ἄριστον,
Above Phanes,[7] Aither! The Cosmos’ element supreme,
ἀγλαὸν ὦ βλάστημα, σελασφόρον, ἀστεροφεγγές,
Gloriously bringing-forth offspring[8], light-bearing, astral-flame,
κικλήσκων λίτομαί σε κεκραμένον εὔδιον εἶναι.
I call with this prayer, the combination of the Heaven’s Nine[9].
[1] Aitheros is the protogenos (primeval) God of the firmament of the heavens, literally: Arising above (Α) + divine-power (ἰ) + divine (θ) + essence (έ) + flow (ρ) + entity (ος).
[2] Saffron is an herb and yellow dye.derived from the stigma of the crocus, Crocus sativus.
[3] A ridgepole (μέλαθρον) is the highest horizontal timber in a roof against which the upper ends of the rafters are fixed.
[4] Astro- (ἄστρω-) means the stars, as in “astronomy, astrology.”
[5] Helios is the immortal God of the Sun.
[6] Selene is the immortal Goddess of the Moon.
[7] Phanes is the immortal God/dess of the first principle of life. The Derveni Papyrus describes Phanes as a bisexual entity who emerged from an egg.
Guthrie, in Orpheus and the Greek Religion, describes how Time (Chronos) placed within Sky (Aither) an egg, from which emerged Phanes:
“Chronos fashions in Aither an egg. The egg splits in two and Phanes, the first-born of the [G]ods [and Goddesses] (Protogonos), springs forth.”
“. . . in the Orpheus of Athenagoras, the two halves of the egg from which Phanes sprang go to make Heaven and Earth.”
(W. K. C. Guthrie. Orpheus and the Greek Religion (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1952 by Methuen & Co., copyright 1993 by Princeton University Press) 80, 85.)
The Derveni Papyrus describes Phanes as a male/female 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 illustrated as hatched from the world egg & circled 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] Blasteema means offspring, offshoot, sprout, young shoot, bud, blossom.
[9] The “nine” realms of the sky include the seven planets, zodiac, and aither:
1. Moon (Selene)
2. Mercury (Hermes)
3. Venus (Aphrodite)
4. Sun (Helios)
5. Mars (Ares)
6. Jupiter (Zeus)
7. Saturn (Kronos)
8. Zodiac
9. Aither.
See http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/science+society/lectures/illustrations/lecture11/ptolemaic.html for an illustration of the Ptolemaic realms of the sky.
[1] Aitheros is the protogenos (primeval) God of the firmament of the heavens, literally: Arising above (Α) + divine-power (ἰ) + divine (θ) + essence (έ) + flow (ρ) + entity (ος).
[2] Saffron is an herb and yellow dye.derived from the stigma of the crocus, Crocus sativus.
[3] A ridgepole (μέλαθρον) is the highest horizontal timber in a roof against which the upper ends of the rafters are fixed.
[4] Astro- (ἄστρω-) means the stars, as in “astronomy, astrology.”
[5] Helios is the immortal God of the Sun.
[6] Selene is the immortal Goddess of the Moon.
[7] Blasteema means offspring, offshoot, sprout, young shoot, bud, blossom.
[8] The “nine” realms of the sky include the seven planets, zodiac, and aither:
1. Moon (Selene)
2. Mercury (Hermes)
3. Venus (Aphrodite)
4. Sun (Helios)
5. Mars (Ares)
6. Jupiter (Zeus)
7. Saturn (Kronos)
8. Zodiac
9. Aither.
See http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/science+society/lectures/illustrations/lecture11/ptolemaic.html for an illustration of the 10 Ptolemaic realms of the sky.
To Aitheros[1]
Divine-connection: saffron[2]
Ὦ Διὸς ὑψιμέλαθρον ἔχων κράτος αἰὲν ἀτειρές,
O Heaven’s o’er arching[3]-firmament: mighty, eternal, indestructible,
ἄστρων ἠελίου τε σεληναίης τε μέρισμα,
To the Stars[4], Sun[5], and Moon[6] assigned,
πανδαμάτωρ, πυρίπνου, πᾶσι ζωοῖσιν ἔναυσμα,
All-Dominator, Fiery Breath, all life bearing kindling,
ὑψιφανὴς Αἰθήρ, κόσμου στοιχεῖον ἄριστον,
Above Phanes,[7] Aither! The Cosmos’ element supreme,
ἀγλαὸν ὦ βλάστημα, σελασφόρον, ἀστεροφεγγές,
Gloriously bringing-forth offspring[8], light-bearing, astral-flame,
κικλήσκων λίτομαί σε κεκραμένον εὔδιον εἶναι.
I call with this prayer, the combination of the Heaven’s Nine[9].
[1] Aitheros is the protogenos (primeval) God of the firmament of the heavens, literally: Arising above (Α) + divine-power (ἰ) + divine (θ) + essence (έ) + flow (ρ) + entity (ος).
[2] Saffron is an herb and yellow dye.derived from the stigma of the crocus, Crocus sativus.
[3] A ridgepole (μέλαθρον) is the highest horizontal timber in a roof against which the upper ends of the rafters are fixed.
[4] Astro- (ἄστρω-) means the stars, as in “astronomy, astrology.”
[5] Helios is the immortal God of the Sun.
[6] Selene is the immortal Goddess of the Moon.
[7] Phanes is the immortal God/dess of the first principle of life. The Derveni Papyrus describes Phanes as a bisexual entity who emerged from an egg.
Guthrie, in Orpheus and the Greek Religion, describes how Time (Chronos) placed within Sky (Aither) an egg, from which emerged Phanes:
“Chronos fashions in Aither an egg. The egg splits in two and Phanes, the first-born of the [G]ods [and Goddesses] (Protogonos), springs forth.”
“. . . in the Orpheus of Athenagoras, the two halves of the egg from which Phanes sprang go to make Heaven and Earth.”
(W. K. C. Guthrie. Orpheus and the Greek Religion (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1952 by Methuen & Co., copyright 1993 by Princeton University Press) 80, 85.)
The Derveni Papyrus describes Phanes as a male/female 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 illustrated as hatched from the world egg & circled 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] Blasteema means offspring, offshoot, sprout, young shoot, bud, blossom.
[9] The “nine” realms of the sky include the seven planets, zodiac, and aither:
1. Moon (Selene)
2. Mercury (Hermes)
3. Venus (Aphrodite)
4. Sun (Helios)
5. Mars (Ares)
6. Jupiter (Zeus)
7. Saturn (Kronos)
8. Zodiac
9. Aither.
See http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/science+society/lectures/illustrations/lecture11/ptolemaic.html for an illustration of the Ptolemaic realms of the sky.
[1] Aitheros is the protogenos (primeval) God of the firmament of the heavens, literally: Arising above (Α) + divine-power (ἰ) + divine (θ) + essence (έ) + flow (ρ) + entity (ος).
[2] Saffron is an herb and yellow dye.derived from the stigma of the crocus, Crocus sativus.
[3] A ridgepole (μέλαθρον) is the highest horizontal timber in a roof against which the upper ends of the rafters are fixed.
[4] Astro- (ἄστρω-) means the stars, as in “astronomy, astrology.”
[5] Helios is the immortal God of the Sun.
[6] Selene is the immortal Goddess of the Moon.
[7] Blasteema means offspring, offshoot, sprout, young shoot, bud, blossom.
[8] The “nine” realms of the sky include the seven planets, zodiac, and aither:
1. Moon (Selene)
2. Mercury (Hermes)
3. Venus (Aphrodite)
4. Sun (Helios)
5. Mars (Ares)
6. Jupiter (Zeus)
7. Saturn (Kronos)
8. Zodiac
9. Aither.
See http://www.es.flinders.edu.au/~mattom/science+society/lectures/illustrations/lecture11/ptolemaic.html for an illustration of the 10 Ptolemaic realms of the sky.
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