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

//- meta
	slug: "hymns/gaea"
	lang: en
	title: "Orphic Hymn to Gæa"
	pageCreated: "2026-04-17"

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

block navbar
	ul
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/proteus") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Πρωτεως] #[i To Proteus]
		li.nav-current ΚϜʹ · XXVI
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-right: a(href="/hymns/cybele") #[i To the Mother of the Gods] #[b(lang="grc") Μητρος Θεων] #[span.dingbat ❧]

block ancient-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/gaea-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient mosaic of Gæa")

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

block greek
	h1 Γῆς
	div.offering Θυμίαμα πᾶν σπέρμα πλὴν κυάμων καὶ ἀρωμάτων
	p.hymn-greek
		:format-hymn
			Γαῖα Θεά, μῆτερ μακάρων θνητῶν τ’ ἀνθρώπων,
			πάντροφε, πανδώτειρα, τελεσφόρε, παντολέτειρα,
			αὐξιθαλές, φερέκαρπε, καλαῖς ὥρῃσι βρύουσα·
			ἕδρανον ἀθανάτου κόσμου, πολυποίκιλε κούρη,
			ἣ λοχίαις ὠδῖσι κύεις καρπὸν πολυειδῆ,
			ἀιδίη, πολύσεπτε, βαθύστερν’, ὀλβιόμοιρε,
			ἡδυπνόοις χαίρουσα χλόαις, πολυάνθεμε Δαῖμον,
			ὀμβροχαρές, περὶ τὴν κόσμος πολυδαίδαλος ἄστρων
			εἱλεῖται φύσει ἀενάῳ καὶ ῥεύμασι δεινοῖς.
			ἀλλά, μάκαιρα Θεά, καρποὺς αὔξοις πολυγηθεῖς
			εὐμενὲς ἦτορ ἔχουσα, σὺν εὐόλβοισιν ἐν ὥραις.

block english
	h1 To Gæa#[+sn(1)]
	div.offering The fumigation from every kind of seed, except beans and aromatics
	p.hymn-english O Goddess, Earth, of Gods and men the source,#[br]endowed with fertile, all destroying force;#[br]all-parent, bounding, whose prolific pow’rs,#[br]produce a store of beauteous fruits and flow’rs,#[br]all-various maid, th’ eternal world’s strong base#[br]immortal, blessed, crown’d with ev’ry grace;#[br]from whose wide womb, as from an endless root,#[br]fruits, many-form’d, mature and grateful shoot.#[br]Deep-bosom’d, blessed, pleas’d with grassy plains,#[br]sweet to the smell, and with prolific rains.#[br]All flow’ry dæmon, centre of the world,#[br]around Thy orb, the beauteous stars are hurl’d#[br]with rapid whirl, eternal and divine,#[br]whose frames with matchless skill and wisdom shine.#[br]Come, blessed Goddess, listen to my pray’r,#[br]and make increase of fruits Thy constant care;#[br]with fertile Seasons in Thy train, draw near,#[br]and with propitious mind Thy suppliant hear.
	+sn(1)
		p According to Orpheus, as related by Proclus #[abbr.cite(title="In Platonis Timæum commentarii, page 292") in Tim. p. 292] #[span.theonym(greek="Gæa") Earth] is the mother of every thing, of which #[span.theonym(greek="Ouranos") Heaven] is the father. And the reader will please to observe, that, in the Orphic theology, Rhea, the Mother of the Gods, #[span.theonym(greek="Gæa") the Earth], and #[span.theonym(greek="Hestia") Vesta], are all one and the same Divinity, considered according to Her essential peculiarities.