Translated by Catherine Proppe September 22, 2015
12. Ἡρακλέος, θυμίαμα λίβανον.
To Herakles
Divine connection: libanon (frankincense)
Ἥρακλες ὀμβριμόθυμε, μεγασθενές, ἄλκιμε Τιτάν,
Herakles[1], mighty, impassioned, powerful, courageous[2] Titan[3]
καρτερόχειρ, ἀδάμαστε, βρύων ἄθλοισι κραταιοῖς,
Strong-armed, indominatable, teeming athletic power,
αἰολόμορφε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀίδιέ τε ἐύφρων,
Eternally changing father Time[4], 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[5] peace desiring, child-nurturer, gloriously honored,
αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, γαίης βλάστημα φέριστον,
Singular in nature, unbending, Gaia’s[6] offshoot born,
πρωτογόνοις στράψας βολίσιν, μεγαλώνυμε Παιών,
Protogonos twister[7], launching, mighty-realmed Savior,
ὃς περὶ κρατὶ φορεῖς ἠῶ καὶ νύκτα μέλαιναν,
All-encompassing power bearing both Eos[8] light and Night’s[9] darkness,
δώδεκ' ἀπ' ἀντολιῶν ἄχρι δυσμῶν ἆθλα διέρπων,
Twelve[10] 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.
[1] Herakles (Roman: Hercules) was a strong, athletic, courageous figure celebrated in Greece, Rome, Anatolia (Turkey), and Phoenicia (Israel/Palestine) for his feats of strength and bravery, literally “center (Ἥ) + flow (ρα) + core (κ) + release (λ)ες.”
Among other accomplishments, Herakles completed 12 labors as ordered by the oracle of Delphi. Herakles is considered by some to be originally an Egyptian God. Some fragments in the Orphica equate Herakles with Kronos, the God of Time. http://www.theoi.com/Cult/HeraklesCult.html
This hymn seems to reflect the interpretation of Herakles as Kronos/Time.
[2] The Greek Herakles is the son of Zeus, the God of lightning/spark of life, and the mortal Alkmene, whose name means courageous, mighty.
[3] While Zeus is an Olympian God, Zeus’ father, Kronos, is a Titan. Also, in some Orphic creation texts Herakles is the primordial deity Time/Kronos.
[4] Kronos is the immortal God of Time. According to some Orphica fragments, Herakles is the same as Kronos (Orphica, Theogonies Fragment 54 (from Damascius) and Orphica, Theogonies Fragment 57 (from Athenogoras)). These passages say that in the beginning water and earth formed a fantastic multi-headed creature by the name of Kronos or Herakles who acted in concert 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]).” (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 )
“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.” (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 )
[5] Eirene is the immortal Goddess of peace.
[6] Gaia is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
[7] Protogonos is Phanes, characterized as a bi-gender “first-born” egg.
“This Heracles generated an egg [Protogonos] 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]).” (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 )
[8] Eos is the immortal Goddess of dawn.
[9] Night is the immortal Goddess of night.
[10] The Twelve signs of the zodiac arise on the eastern horizon and set on the western horizon, each occupying the sky for approximately 30 days and comprising a 360 circle and accounting for the 365 days and twelve months of the year.
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