slug: "hymns/helios"
lang: en
title: "Orphic Hymn to Helios"
pageCreated: "2026-04-17"
extends ../../../views/hymns/hymnsheet.pug
block navbar
ul
li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/astron") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Αστρων] #[i To the stars]
li.nav-current Ηʹ · VIII
li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-right: a(href="/hymns/selene") #[i To Selene] #[b(lang="grc") Σεληνης] #[span.dingbat ❧]
block ancient-pic
img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/helios-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient relief of Helios")
block modern-pic
img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/helios-modern.jpg" alt="Modern painting of Helios")
block greek
h1 Ἡλίου
div.offering Θυμίαμα λιβανομάνναν
p.hymn-greek
:format-hymn
Κλῦθι μάκαρ, πανδερκὲς ἔχων αἰώνιον ὄμμα,
Τιτὰν χρυσαυγής, Ὑπερίων, οὐράνιον φῶς,
αὐτοφυής, ἀκάμας, ζῴων ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,
δεξιὲ μὲν γενέτωρ ἠοῦς, εὐώνυμε νυκτός,
κρᾶσιν ἔχων ὡρῶν, τετραβάμοσι ποσσὶ χορεύων,
εὔδρομε, ῥοιζήτωρ, πυρόεις, φαιδρωπέ, διφρευτά,
ῥόμβου ἀπειρεσίου δινεύμασιν οἶμον ἐλαύνων,
εὐσεβέσιν καθοδηγὲ καλῶν, ζαμενὴς ἀσεβοῦσι,
χρησολύρη, κόσμου τὸν ἐναρμόνιον δρόμον ἕλκων,
ἔργων σημάντωρ ἀγαθῶν, ὡροτρόφε κοῦρε.
κοσμοκράτωρ, συρικτά, πυρίδρομε, κυκλοέλικτε,
φωσφόρος, αἰολόδικτε, φερέσβιε, κάρπιμε Παιάν,
ἀιθαλής, ἀμίαντε, χρόνου πάτερ, ἀθάνατε Ζεῦ,
εὔδιε, πασιφαές, κόσμου τὸ περίδρομον ὄμμα,
σβεννύμενε λάμπων τε καλαῖς ἀκτῖσι φαειναῖς,
δεῖκτα δικαιοσύνης, φιλονάματε, δέσποτα κόσμου,
πιστοφύλαξ, αἰεὶ πανυπέρτατε, πᾶσιν ἀρωγέ,
ὄμμα δικαιοσύνης, ζωῆς φῶς· ὦ ἐλάσιππε,
μάστιγι λιγυρῇ τετράορον ἅρμα διώκων·
κλῦθι λόγων, ἡδὺν δὲ βίον μύστῃσι πρόφαινε.
block english
h1 To Helios
div.offering The fumigation from frankincense and manna
p.hymn-english Hear golden Titan, whose eternal eye#[br]with broad survey, illumines all the sky.#[br]Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light,#[br]and to all eyes the mirror of delight:#[br]lord of the seasons, with Thy fiery car#[br]and leaping coursers, beaming light from far:#[br]with Thy right hand the source of morning light,#[+sn(1)] #[br]and with Thy left the father of the night.#[br]Agile and vig’rous, venerable Sun,#[br]fiery and bright around the heav’ns You run.#[br]Foe to the wicked, but the good man’s guide,#[br]o’er all his steps propitious you preside:#[br]with various sounding, golden lyre, ’tis mine#[br]to fill the world with harmony divine.#[br]Father of ages, guide of prosp’rous deeds,#[br]the world’s commander, borne by lucid steeds,#[br]immortal #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jove]#[+sn(2)], all-searching, bearing light,#[br]source of existence, pure and fiery bright#[br]bearer of fruit, almighty lord of years,#[br]agile and warm, whom ev’ry pow’r reveres.#[br]Great eye of Nature and the starry skies,#[br]doom’d with immortal flames to set and rise#[br]dispensing justice, lover of the stream,#[br]the world’s great despot, and o’er all supreme.#[br]Faithful defender#[+sn(3)], and the eye of right,#[br]of steeds the ruler, and of life the light:#[br]with founding whip four fiery steeds You guide,#[br]when in the car of day You glorious ride.#[br]Propitious on these mystic labours shine,#[br]and bless Thy suppliants with a life divine.
+sn(1)
p Proclus in #[a.cite(href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Six_Books_of_Proclus,_the_Platonic_Successor,_on_the_Theology_of_Plato/Book_VI#CHAPTER_XII." title="Theology of Plato, book six, page 380") lib. vi. Theol. Plat. p. 380], says that those who are skilled in divine concerns, attribute two hands to #[span.theonym(greek="Helios") the Sun]; denominating one the right hand, the other the left.
+sn(2)
p According to the Orphic and Platonic philosophers, #[span.theonym(greek="Helios") the Sun] is the same in the sensible, as #[span.theonym(greek="Apollon") Apollo] in the intellectual, and Good in the intelligible World. Hence Proclus in #[a.cite(href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Six_Books_of_Proclus,_the_Platonic_Successor,_on_the_Theology_of_Plato/Book_V#CHAPTER_XX." title="Theology of Plato, page 289") Theol. Plat. p. 289.] from the occult union subsisting between Good, #[span.theonym(greek="Apollon") Apollo], and #[span.theonym(greek="Helios") the Sun], calls #[span.theonym(greek="Helios") the Sun] #[i(lang="grc") βασιλεὺς τοῦ παντός], or king of the universe: and it is well known that #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter] is the demiurgus of the world, so that #[span.theonym(greek="Helios") the Sun] in perfect conformity to this Theology is called immortal #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jove].
+sn(3)
p Proclus, #[abbr.cite(title="In Platonis Timæum commentarii, book five") lib. v. in Timæum], informs us in the words of Orpheus #[i(lang="grc") ὅτι Ἥλιον μὲν ἐπέστησε τοῖς ὅλιος, ὀ δημιυργος, και φύλακα ἀυτὸν ἔτευξε, κέλευσε τε πασιν ἀναάσσειν]. “That the demiurgus placed #[span.theonym(greek="Helios") the Sun] in the universe, and fa­bri­ca­ted him as its guardian, commanding him to govern all things.”