source ⟩ hypertext ⟩ public ⟩ hymns ⟩ cybele ⟩ en.pug

//- meta
	slug: "hymns/cybele"
	lang: en
	title: "Orphic Hymn to the Mother of the Gods"
	pageCreated: "2026-04-21"

extends ../../../views/hymns/hymnsheet.pug

block navbar
	ul
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/gaea") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Γης] #[i To Gæa]
		li.nav-current ΚΖʹ · XXVII
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-right: a(href="/hymns/hermes") #[i To Hermes] #[b(lang="grc") Ερμου] #[span.dingbat ❧]

block ancient-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/cybele-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient statue of Cybele")

block modern-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/cybele-modern.jpg" alt="Modern painting of Cybele")

block greek
	h1 Μητρὸς Θεῶν
	div.offering Θυμίαμα ποικίλα
	p.hymn-greek
		:format-hymn
			Ἀθανάτων θεότιμε Θεῶν Μῆτερ, τροφὲ πάντων,
			τῇδε μόλοις, κράντειρα Θεά, Σέο, πότνι’, ἐπ’ εὐχαῖς,
			ταυροφόνων ζεύξασα ταχύδρομον ἅρμα λεόντων,
			σκηπτοῦχε κλεινοῖο πόλου, πολυώνυμε, σεμνή,
			ἣ κατέχεις κόσμοιο μέσον θρόνον, οὕνεκεν αὐτὴ
			γαῖαν ἔχεις, θνητοῖσι τροφὰς παρέχουσα προσηνεῖς.
			ἐκ Σέο δ’ ἀθανάτων τε γένος θνητῶν τ’ ἐλοχεύθη,
			Σοὶ ποταμοὶ κρατέονται ἀεὶ καὶ πᾶσα θάλασσα,
			Ἰστίη αὐδαχθεῖσα· Σὲ δ’ ὀλβοδότιν καλέουσι,
			παντοίων ἀγαθῶν θνητοῖς ὅτι δῶρα χαρίζῃ.
			ἔρχεο πρὸς τελετήν, ὦ πότνια, τυμπανοτερπές,
			πανδαμάτωρ, Φρυγίης, σώτειρα, Κρόνου συνόμευνε,
			Οὐρανόπαι, πρέσβειρα, βιοθρέπτειρα, φίλοιστρε·
			ἔρχεο γηθόσυνος, κεχαρημένη εὐσεβίῃσιν.

block english
	h1 To the Mother of the Gods
	div.offering The fumigation from a variety of odoriferous substances
	p.hymn-english Mother of Gods, great nurse of all, draw near,#[br]divinely honor’d, and regard my pray’r:#[br]thron’d on a car, by lions drawn along,#[br]by bull-destroying lions, swift and strong,#[br]thou sway’st the sceptre of the pole divine,#[+sn(1)]#[br]and the world’s middle seat, much-fam’d, is Thine.#[br]Hence earth is Thine, and needy mortals share#[br]their constant food, from Thy protecting care:#[br]from Thee at first both Gods and men arose;#[br]from Thee, the sea and ev’ry river flows.#[br]#[span.theonym(greek="Hestia") Vesta], and source of good, Thy name we find#[br]to mortal men rejoicing to be kind;#[br]for ev’ry good to give, Thy soul delights;#[br]come, mighty pow’r, propitious to our rites,#[br]all-taming, blessed, Phrygian saviour, come,#[br]#[span.theonym(greek="Cronos’") Saturn’s] great queen, rejoicing in the drum.#[br]Celestial, ancient, life-supporting maid,#[br]fanatic Goddess, give Thy suppliant aid;#[br]with joyful aspect on our incense shine,#[br]and, pleas’d, accept the sacrifice divine.
	+sn(1)
		p We have already observed, that the Mother of the Gods is the same with Rhea; and Proclus, in the second book of his #[i Commentary on Euclid], informs us, that the pole of the world is called by the Pythagoreans the seal of Rhea.