Translated by Catherine Proppe, November 3, 2016
49. Ἵππας, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
[Ipta Gr. Ἵπτα][1]
To Ippa
Divine medium: styrax, storax
Ἵππαν κικλήσκω, Βάκχου τροφόν, εὐάδα κούρην,
Ippa I call, nurse of Bacchos, benevolent Daughter,
μυστιπόλον τελεταῖσιν ἀγαλλομένην Σάβου ἁγνοῦ
Mystic axis of fulfillment, glorious power of pure Sabos,
νυκτερίοις τε χοροῖσιν ἐριβρεμέταο Ἰάκχου.
When nightly choruses roar the cry, “Iacchos!”
κλῦθί μου εὐχομένου, χθονία μήτηρ, βασίλεια,
I call to me, I profess my prayer, Mother Earth, Basileia,
εἴτε σύ γ' ἐν Φρυγίηι κατέχεις Ἴδης ὄρος ἁγνὸν
Whether you are in Phygia prevailing over Mount Ida pure,
ἢ Τμῶλος τέρπει σε, καλὸν Λυδοῖσι θόασμα·
Or in Tmolos delighting in the beautiful Lydian oasis,
ἔρχεο πρὸς τελετὰς ἱερῶι γήθουσα προσώπωι.
Come before these holy rites, with Ge’s countenance divine.
NOTES
References to the Goddess Ippa (Ἵππα) are sparse. She is called by Proclus the “soul of the universe” and the nurse of Dionysos.[2] In this hymn she is equated with the Great Mother of the Goddesses and Gods and, in particular, the mother of Dionysos, also known as Bacchos and Sabazios (Σαβάζιος) or Sabos.
Mount Ida in Phrygia (modern Turkey) is considered the home of the Great Mother, the Goddess Rhea (Ῥεία, Ῥέα, Ῥείη, or Ῥέη) or Kybele. In Phrygia “her worship was quite universal, for there is scarcely a town in Phrygia on the coins of which she does not appear.”[3]
Mount Tmolos, south of Sardis and just west of ancient Philadelphia, was the site of a major temple of the Mother of the Goddesses and Gods.[4]
“The highest ideal of Rhea in works of art was produced by Pheidias; she was seldom represented in a standing posture, but generally seated on a throne, adorned with the mural crown… Lions usually appear crouching on the right and left of her throne, and sometimes she is seen riding in a chariot drawn by lions.”[5] Smith suggests she is associated with lions because her worship originated in a region populated by lions. I suggest she is shown seated above or driving lions because the constellation Leo precedes Virgo in the Zodiac and Virgo is her constellation.
Iacchos is the torchbearer for the Eleusinian Mysteries and is equated with Bacchos/Dionysos. Pausanias describes a major Athenian temple of Demeter and Kore with Iacchos, who holds a torch.[6] Strabo says that Iacchos is both Dionysos and the name of the person who leads the mysteries.[7] Herodotus says that at an annual Athenian festival in honor of Demeter and Kore participants sing the Iacchos hymn.[8]
In Nonnos Dionysiaca 48.958 Iacchos is the twin son of Aura, an avowed virgin, who was drugged, bound, and raped by Dionysos after she mistakenly drank from a fountain of wine. She became pregnant with twins, killed one in her rage, a servant of Dionysos rescued Iacchos, and then Aura drowned herself.
Basileia means basis of rule, Queen.
Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
[1] Greek transcriptions of the Hymns of Orpheus offer an alternative spelling of Ipta (Ἵπτα), which suggests she is the Goddess of the winepress. Iptomai means (ἴπτομαι) press hard, the ipoterion (ἰπωτήριον) is the olive- or wine-press.
[2] “For Ippa who is the soul of the universe…receives Dionysius [or Bacchus]…she hastens to the mother of the Gods, and to mount Ida, from which all the series of souls is derived.”
(Proclus, Commentary on the Timaeus of Plato, p. 345, trans. Thomas Taylor https://ia800306.us.archive.org/29/items/ProcluscommentaryOnTheTimaeusOfPlato/33700322-Proclus-Commentary-on-the-Timaeus-of-Plato-all-five-books.pdf
[3] Schmitz, L. (1870). RHEA (Ῥεία, Ῥέα, Ῥείη, or Ῥέη). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 3, p. 649). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
[4] Herodotus Book V.
[5] Schmitz, L. (1870). RHEA (Ῥεία, Ῥέα, Ῥείη, or Ῥέη). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 3, p. 649). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
[6] "On entering the city (Athens)…Hard by is a temple of Demeter, with images of the [G]oddess herself and of her daughter, and of Iacchus holding a torch.” (Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 2. 4 , trans. Jones)
[7] "…they give the name ‘Iacchus’ not only to Dionysus but also to the leader-in-chief of the mysteries, who is the genius of Demeter.” (Strabo, Geography 10. 3. 10, trans. Jones)
[8] "The Athenians celebrate a festival each and every year in honor of the Mother and Kore (the Daughter), and any of the Athenians or other Hellenes who want to are initiated. The sound you hear is the Iakhos hymn they sing at this festival.” (Herodotus, Histories 8. 65. 4, trans. Purvis; ed. Strassler)
49. Ἵππας, θυμίαμα στύρακα.
[Ipta Gr. Ἵπτα][1]
To Ippa
Divine medium: styrax, storax
Ἵππαν κικλήσκω, Βάκχου τροφόν, εὐάδα κούρην,
Ippa I call, nurse of Bacchos, benevolent Daughter,
μυστιπόλον τελεταῖσιν ἀγαλλομένην Σάβου ἁγνοῦ
Mystic axis of fulfillment, glorious power of pure Sabos,
νυκτερίοις τε χοροῖσιν ἐριβρεμέταο Ἰάκχου.
When nightly choruses roar the cry, “Iacchos!”
κλῦθί μου εὐχομένου, χθονία μήτηρ, βασίλεια,
I call to me, I profess my prayer, Mother Earth, Basileia,
εἴτε σύ γ' ἐν Φρυγίηι κατέχεις Ἴδης ὄρος ἁγνὸν
Whether you are in Phygia prevailing over Mount Ida pure,
ἢ Τμῶλος τέρπει σε, καλὸν Λυδοῖσι θόασμα·
Or in Tmolos delighting in the beautiful Lydian oasis,
ἔρχεο πρὸς τελετὰς ἱερῶι γήθουσα προσώπωι.
Come before these holy rites, with Ge’s countenance divine.
NOTES
References to the Goddess Ippa (Ἵππα) are sparse. She is called by Proclus the “soul of the universe” and the nurse of Dionysos.[2] In this hymn she is equated with the Great Mother of the Goddesses and Gods and, in particular, the mother of Dionysos, also known as Bacchos and Sabazios (Σαβάζιος) or Sabos.
Mount Ida in Phrygia (modern Turkey) is considered the home of the Great Mother, the Goddess Rhea (Ῥεία, Ῥέα, Ῥείη, or Ῥέη) or Kybele. In Phrygia “her worship was quite universal, for there is scarcely a town in Phrygia on the coins of which she does not appear.”[3]
Mount Tmolos, south of Sardis and just west of ancient Philadelphia, was the site of a major temple of the Mother of the Goddesses and Gods.[4]
“The highest ideal of Rhea in works of art was produced by Pheidias; she was seldom represented in a standing posture, but generally seated on a throne, adorned with the mural crown… Lions usually appear crouching on the right and left of her throne, and sometimes she is seen riding in a chariot drawn by lions.”[5] Smith suggests she is associated with lions because her worship originated in a region populated by lions. I suggest she is shown seated above or driving lions because the constellation Leo precedes Virgo in the Zodiac and Virgo is her constellation.
Iacchos is the torchbearer for the Eleusinian Mysteries and is equated with Bacchos/Dionysos. Pausanias describes a major Athenian temple of Demeter and Kore with Iacchos, who holds a torch.[6] Strabo says that Iacchos is both Dionysos and the name of the person who leads the mysteries.[7] Herodotus says that at an annual Athenian festival in honor of Demeter and Kore participants sing the Iacchos hymn.[8]
In Nonnos Dionysiaca 48.958 Iacchos is the twin son of Aura, an avowed virgin, who was drugged, bound, and raped by Dionysos after she mistakenly drank from a fountain of wine. She became pregnant with twins, killed one in her rage, a servant of Dionysos rescued Iacchos, and then Aura drowned herself.
Basileia means basis of rule, Queen.
Ge is the immortal Goddess of generative earth.
[1] Greek transcriptions of the Hymns of Orpheus offer an alternative spelling of Ipta (Ἵπτα), which suggests she is the Goddess of the winepress. Iptomai means (ἴπτομαι) press hard, the ipoterion (ἰπωτήριον) is the olive- or wine-press.
[2] “For Ippa who is the soul of the universe…receives Dionysius [or Bacchus]…she hastens to the mother of the Gods, and to mount Ida, from which all the series of souls is derived.”
(Proclus, Commentary on the Timaeus of Plato, p. 345, trans. Thomas Taylor https://ia800306.us.archive.org/29/items/ProcluscommentaryOnTheTimaeusOfPlato/33700322-Proclus-Commentary-on-the-Timaeus-of-Plato-all-five-books.pdf
[3] Schmitz, L. (1870). RHEA (Ῥεία, Ῥέα, Ῥείη, or Ῥέη). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 3, p. 649). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
[4] Herodotus Book V.
[5] Schmitz, L. (1870). RHEA (Ῥεία, Ῥέα, Ῥείη, or Ῥέη). In W. Smith (Ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (Vol. 3, p. 649). Boston: Little, Brown, and Company.
[6] "On entering the city (Athens)…Hard by is a temple of Demeter, with images of the [G]oddess herself and of her daughter, and of Iacchus holding a torch.” (Pausanias, Description of Greece 1. 2. 4 , trans. Jones)
[7] "…they give the name ‘Iacchus’ not only to Dionysus but also to the leader-in-chief of the mysteries, who is the genius of Demeter.” (Strabo, Geography 10. 3. 10, trans. Jones)
[8] "The Athenians celebrate a festival each and every year in honor of the Mother and Kore (the Daughter), and any of the Athenians or other Hellenes who want to are initiated. The sound you hear is the Iakhos hymn they sing at this festival.” (Herodotus, Histories 8. 65. 4, trans. Purvis; ed. Strassler)
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