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

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

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

block navbar
	ul
		li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/hecate") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Εις Εκατην] #[i To Hecate]
		li.nav-current Βʹ · II
		li: a(href="/hymns/nyx") #[i To Nyx] #[b(lang="grc") Νυκτος] #[span.dingbat ❧]

block ancient-pic
	img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/prothyraea-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient relief of Prothyræa")

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

block greek
	h1 Προθυραίας
	div.offering Θυμίαμα στύρακα
	p.hymn-greek
		:format-hymn
			Κλῦθί μοι, ὦ πολύσεμνε Θεά, πολυώνυμε Δαῖμον,
			ὠδίνων ἐπαρωγέ, λεχῶν ἡδεῖα πρόσοψι,
			θηλειῶν σώτειρα, μόνη φιλόπαις, ἀγανόφρον,
			ὠκυλόχεια, παροῦσα νέαις θνητῶν, Προθυραία,
			κλειδοῦχ’, εὐάντητε, φιλοτρόφε, πᾶσι προσηνές,
			ἣ κατέχεις οἴκους πάντων θαλίαις τε γέγηθας,
			λυσίζων’, ἀφανής, ἔργοισι δὲ φαίνῃ ἅπασι,
			συμπάσχεις ὠδῖσι καὶ εὐτοκίῃσι γέγηθας,
			Εἰλείθυια, λύουσα πόνους δειναῖς ἐν ἀνάγκαις∙
			μούνην γὰρ σὲ καλοῦσι λεχοί, ψυχῆς ἀνάπαυμα∙
			ἐν γὰρ σοὶ τοκετῶν λαθικηδέες εἰσιν ἀνῖαι.
			Ἄρτεμις Εἰλείθυια, καὶ ἡ σεμνὴ Προθυραία.
			κλῦθι μάκαιρα, δίδου δὲ γονὰς ἐπαρωγὸς ἐοῦσα
			καὶ σῶζ’, ὥσπερ ἔφυς αἰεὶ σώτειρα προπάντων.

block english
	h1 To Prothyræa#[+sn(1)]
	div.offering The fumigation from storax
	p.hymn-english O venerable Goddess, hear my pray’r,#[br]for labour pains are Thy peculiar care;#[br]in Thee, when stretch’d upon the bed of grief,#[br]the sex as in a mirror view relief.#[br]Guard of the race, endued with gentle mind,#[br]to helpless youth, benevolent and kind;#[br]benignant nourisher; great Nature’s key#[br]belongs to no divinity but Thee.#[br]Thou dwell’st with all immanifest to sight,#[br]and solemn festivals are Thy delight.#[br]Thine is the talk to loose the virgin’s zone,#[br]and Thou in ev’ry work art seen and known.#[br]With births You sympathize, tho’ pleas’d to see#[br]the numerous offspring of fertility;#[br]when rack’d with nature’s pangs and sore distress’d,#[br]the sex invoke Thee, as the soul’s sure rest;#[br]for Thou alone canst give relief to pain,#[br]which art attempts to ease, but tries in vain;#[br]assisting Goddess, venerable pow’r,#[br]who bring’st relief in labour’s dreadful hour;#[br]hear, blessed #[span.theonym(greek="Artemis") Dian], and accept my pray’r,#[br]and make the infant race Thy constant care.
	+sn(1)
		p An epithet of #[span.theonym(greek="Artemis’") Diana’s], alluding to Her presiding over gates, and being as it were the gate-keeper of life. It is remarkable that the first of these Hymns should be addressed to the Goddess who ushers in our existence, and the last to Death. This certainly proves the collection is complete.