slug: "hymns/protogonos"
lang: en
title: "Orphic Hymn to Protogonos"
pageCreated: "2026-04-17"
extends ../../../views/hymns/hymnsheet.pug
block navbar
ul
li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/aether") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Αιθερος] #[i To Æther]
li.nav-current Ϝʹ · VI
li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-right: a(href="/hymns/astron") #[i To the stars] #[b(lang="grc") Αστρων] #[span.dingbat ❧]
block ancient-pic
img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/protogonos-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient relief of Protogonos")
block modern-pic
img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/protogonos-modern.jpg" alt="Modern painting of Protogonos")
block greek
h1 Πρωτογόνου
div.offering Θυμίαμα σμύρναν
p.hymn-greek
:format-hymn
Πρωτόγονον καλέω διφυῆ, μέγαν, αἰθερόπλαγκτον,
ᾠογενῆ, χρυσέῃσιν ἀγαλλόμενον πτερύγεσσι,
ταυροβόαν, γένεσιν μακάρων θνητῶν τ’ ἀνθρώπων,
σπέρμα πολύμνηστον, πολυόργιον, Ἠρικεπαῖον,
ἄρρητον, κρύφιον, ῥοιζήτορα, παμφαὲς ἔρνος,
ὄσσων ὃς σκοτόεσσαν ἀπημαύρωσας ὁμίχλην
πάντῃ δινηθεὶς πτερύγων ῥιπαῖς κατὰ κόσμον
λαμπρὸν ἄγων φάος ἁγνόν, ἀφ’ οὗ Σε Φάνητα κικλήσκω
ἠδὲ Πρίηπον ἄνακτα καὶ Ἀνταύγην ἑλίκωπον.
ἀλλά, μάκαρ, πολύμητι, πολύσπορε, βαῖνε γεγηθὼς
ἐς τελετὴν ἁγίην πολυποίκιλον ὀργιοφάνταις.
block english
h1 To Protogonos
div.offering The fumigation from myrrh
p.hymn-english O mighty first-begotten#[+sn(1)], hear my pray’r,#[br]two-fold, egg-born, and wand’ring thro’ the air,#[br]bull-roarer#[+sn(2)], glorying in Thy golden wings,#[br]from whom the race of Gods and mortals springs.#[br]Ericapæus, celebrated pow’r,#[br]ineffable, occult, all shining flow’r.#[br]From eyes obscure Thou wip’st the gloom of night,#[br]all-spreading splendour, pure and holy light#[br]hence Phanes call’d, the glory of the sky,#[br]on waving pinions thro’ the world You fly.#[br]#[span.theonym(greek="Priapos") Priapus], dark-ey’d splendour, Thee i sing,#[br]genial, all-prudent, ever-blessed King,#[br]with joyful aspect on our rights divine#[br]and holy sacrifice propitious shine.
+sn(1)
p According to Orpheus, as related by Syrianus #[a.cite(title="On Aristotle’s Metaphysics, page 144") in Metaph. Aristot. p. 114], the first principle; of all things is Unity or the Good itself, and after this the Duad, or Æther and Chaos, subsists, according to Pythagoras. The first of these, or Æther, approaches to a similitude of the one itself, and is the representative of bound; the other, Chaos, comprehends in its essence multitude and infinity. Afterwards (says Syrianus) the first and secret genera of the Gods subsists, among which the first apparent is the king and father of the universe, whom on this account they call Phanes.
p Now this first and secret genera of the Gods, is no other than all the demiurgical and intellectual ideas, considered as proceeding to the production of the sensible World, from their occult subsistence in Æther and Chaos, whose mutual connection Orpheus represents under the symbol of an egg: upon the exclusion of which egg, by night considered as a principle, the God Phanes came forth, who is hence denominated #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus]. #[i(lang="grc") Διὸ καὶ παρ’ Ορφεῖ ἢ Φάνης περικαλλέος Αἰθέρος ἤϊος ὀνομάζεται, καὶ ἃβρὸς Ἕρως], says Proclus #[abbr.cite(title="In Platonis Timæum commentarii, book two, page 132") in Tim. ii. p. 132], #[i i.e.] “on this account Phanes is called by Orpheus, the son of beautiful Æther, and tender #[span.theonym(greek="Eros") Love].”
p There is likewise another valuable passage on this subject from Proclus #[abbr.cite(title="In Platonis Timæum commentarii, page 291") in Tim. p. 291] as follows. "Orpheus delivers the kings of the Gods, who preside over the universe according to a perfect number; Phanes, #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night], #[span.theonym(greek="Ouranos") Heaven], #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn], #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter], #[span.theonym(greek="Dionysos") Bacchus]. For Phanes is first adorned with a scepter, is the first king, and the celebrated Ericapæus. But the second king is #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night], who receives the sceptre from the father Phanes. The third is #[span.theonym(greek="Ouranos") Heaven], invested with government from #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night]. The fourth #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn], the oppressor as they say of His father. The fifth is #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter], the ruler of His father. And the sixth of these is #[span.theonym(greek="Dionysos") Bacchus].
p “But all these kings having a supernal origin from the intelligible and intellectual Gods, are received into the middle orders, and in the world, both which They adorn. For Phanes is not only among the intelligible Gods, but also among the intellectual ones; in the demiurgic order, and among the super-mundane and mundane Gods. And #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night] and #[span.theonym(greek="Ouranos") Heaven] in a similar manner: for the peculiarities of these are received through all the middle orders.
p “But with respect to the great #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] himself, has He not an order prior to that of #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter], and likewise posterior to the jovial king, distributing the Dionysiacal administration (#[i(lang="grc") δημι­ουρ­γία]) together with the other Titans? and this indeed in a different manner in the heavens and in things above the moon. And differently in the inerratic stars and in the planets; and in a similar manner #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter] and #[span.theonym(greek="Dionysos") Bacchus].”
p Now on comparing the present hymn, and the hymns to #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night], #[span.theonym(greek="Ouranos") Heaven], #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] and #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter] together, we shall find Them celebrated as the sources of all things; and #[span.theonym(greek="Dionysos") Bacchus] is expressly called #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus].
+sn(2)
p Phanes, who, according to the preceding account, is the author of the sensible world, is represented by Orpheus (for the purpose of shadowing forth the causal, not the temporal production of the universe) as adorned with the heads of a ram, a bull, a serpent, and a lion.
p Now Mithras, according to the Persian theology as related by Porphyry #[a.cite(title="On the Cave of the Nymphs in the Odyssey" href="https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/porphyry_cave_of_nymphs_02_translation.htm") de antro Nymph], is the father and creator of all things, and he informs us that the ancient priests of #[span.theonym(greek="Demeter") Ceres] called #[span.theonym(greek="Selene") the Moon] who is the queen of generation #[i(lang="grc") ταῦρος] or a Bull (#[i p. 262]) and #[i p. 265] #[i(lang="grc") ὡς καὶ ὁ ταῦρος δημιουργός ὣν ὁ Μίθρας, καὶ γενεσέως δεσπότης]. #[i i.e.] “Mithras as well as the Bull is the demiurgus of the universe, and the lord of generation.” The reason therefore is obvious why Phanes is called Bull-roarer.
p Hence too from the account of Phanes given by Proclus, it follows that what that divinity is in the intelligible, that Thetis must be in the sensible world. For Thetis according to Proclus #[abbr.cite(title="In Platonis Timæum commentarii, book five") lib. v. in Timæum] is #[i(lang="grc") Πρεσβυτάτη Θεῶν], or the most ancient and progenitor of the Gods: and Thetis is the mother of #[span.theonym(greek="Aphrodite") Venus], and #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus] the father of #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night]. #[span.theonym(greek="Aphrodite") Venus] therefore in the sensible world is the same as #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night] in the intelligible; and the reason is evident why #[span.theonym(greek="Nyx") Night] in these Hymns is called #[span.theonym(greek="Aphrodite") Venus].
p I cannot conclude this note without observing how much it is to be lamented that the Platonical writers are so little known and understood in the present age. for surely if these valuable works had been consulted, it would have appeared that #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus] and Noah resembled each other as much as the ancient and modern philosophy; or as much as an ancient commentator on Plato, and a modern Mythology.