slug: "hymns/rhea"
lang: en
title: "Orphic Hymn to Rhea"
pageCreated: "2026-04-18"
extends ../../../views/hymns/hymnsheet.pug
block navbar
ul
li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-left: a(href="/hymns/cronos") #[span.dingbat ☙] #[b(lang="grc") Κρονου] #[i To Cronos]
li.nav-current ΙΔʹ · XIV
li.nav-arrow.nav-arrow-right: a(href="/hymns/zeus") #[i To Zeus] #[b(lang="grc") Διος] #[span.dingbat ❧]
block ancient-pic
img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/rhea-ancient.jpg" alt="Ancient relief of Rhea")
block modern-pic
img(src="/hymns/thumbnails/rhea-modern.jpg" alt="Modern painting of Rhea")
block greek
h1 Ῥέας
div.offering Θυμίαμα ἀρώματα
p.hymn-greek
:format-hymn
Πότνια Ῥέα, θύγατερ πολυμόρφου Πρωτογόνοιο,
ᾗ λῖς ταυροφόνος ἱερότροχον ἅρμα τιταίνει,
τυμπανόδουπε, φιλοιστρομανές, χαλκόκροτε κούρη,
μῆτερ Ζηνὸς ἄνακτος Ὀλυμπίου, αἰγιόχοιο,
πάντιμ’, ἀγλαόμορφε, Κρόνου σύλλεκτρε μάκαιρα·
οὔρεσιν ἣ χαίρεις θνητῶν τ’ ὀλολύγμασι φρικτοῖς,
παμβασίλεια Ῥέα, πολεμόκλονος, ὀμβριμόθυμε,
ψευδομένη σώτειρα, λυτηριάς, ἀρχιγένεθλε·
μήτηρ μέν τε Θεῶν ἠδὲ θνητῶν ἀνθρώπων·
ἐκ Σοῦ γὰρ καὶ γαῖα καὶ οὐρανὸς εὐρὺς ὕπερθε
καὶ πόντος πνοαί τε· φιλόδρομος, ἠερόμορφε·
ἐλθέ, μάκαιρα Θεά, σωτήριος εὔφρονι βουλῇ
εἰρήνην κατάγουσα σὺν εὐόλβοις κτεάτεσσι,
λύματα καὶ κῆρας πέμπουσ’ ἐπὶ τέρματα γαίης.
block english
h1 To Rhea#[+sn(1)]
div.offering The fumigation from aromatics
p.hymn-english Daughter of great #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus]#[+sn(2)], divine,#[br]illustrious Rhea, to my pray’r incline,#[br]who driv’st Thy holy car with speed along,#[br]drawn by fierce lions, terrible and strong.#[+sn(3)]#[br]Mother of #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jove], whose mighty arm can wield#[br]th’ avenging bolt, and shake the dreadful shield.#[br]Drum-beating#[+sn(4)], frantic, of a splendid mien,#[br]brass-sounding, honor’d, #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos’") Saturn’s] blessed queen.#[br]Thou joy’st in mountains and tumultuous fight,#[br]and mankind’s horrid howlings, Thee delight.#[br]War’s parent, mighty, of majestic frame,#[br]deceitful saviour#[+sn(5)], liberating dame.#[br]Mother of Gods and men, from whom the earth#[br]and lofty heav’ns derive their glorious birth;#[br]th’ ætherial gales, the deeply spreading sea#[br]Goddess aerial form’d, proceed from Thee.#[br]Come, pleas’d with wand’rings, blessed and divine,#[br]with peace attended on our labours shine;#[br]bring rich abundance, and wherever found#[br]drive dire disease, to earth’s remotest bound.
+sn(1)
p Rhea, according to the Orphic and Platonic theology, is one of the zoögonic or vivific principles of the universe; having a maternal rank among the universal paternal orders, #[i i.e.] between #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] and #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter]. Hence She calls forth the causes latent in #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] to the procreation of the universe; and definitely unfolds all the genera of the Gods. So that She is filled from #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn], with an intelligible and prolific power, which She imparts to #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter] the demiurgus of the universe; filling His essence with a vivific abundance. Since this Goddess then is a medium between the two intellectual parents of the universe, #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] and #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter], the former of which collects intellectual multitude into one, but the other scatters and divides it. Hence says Proclus, in #[abbr.cite(title="Theology of Plato, page 266") Theol. Plat. p. 266] this Goddess produces in Herself the demiurgic causes of the universe; but imparts her diffusive power abundantly to secondary natures. On this account Plato assimilates Her prolific abundance to the flowing of waters; signifying nothing more by the word #[i flowing], than that fontal power, by which She singularly contains the divine rivers of life. And #[i p. 267] Proclus informs us, that this Goddess, according to Orpheus, when considered as united to #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] by the most exalted part of Her essence, is called Rhea: but considered as producing #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter], and, together with #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jove], unfolding the universal and particular orders of the Gods, She is called #[span.theonym(greek="Demeter") Ceres].
+sn(2)
p In the note to Hercules it appears that Rhea is one of the progeny of the intellectual earth, resident in Phanes; and from the note to #[a(href="/hymns/protogonos") Hymn #[+sc("VI")], to #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus]], we learn from Proclus, that Phanes is to be considered in the intelligible as well as in the intellectual orders. Hence Rhea is, with perfect agreement to the Orphic theology, the daughter of #[span.theonym(greek="Protogonos") Protogonus], considered as subsisting among the intelligible Gods.
+sn(3)
p I have here followed the correction of Pierson, who reads #[i(lang="grc") ταυροφόνων] for #[i(lang="grc") ταυροφόρον]: for Rhea is the same with the Mother of the Gods, who is celebrated in the Hymn to Her, as seated in a car drawn by lions.
+sn(4)
p Rhea, in the Orphic theology, is among the mundane divinities, the earth. Hence, according to Varro, She is represented with a drum; because that instrument is a symbol of the earth. #[a.cite(href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nicene_and_Post-Nicene_Fathers:_Series_I/Volume_II/City_of_God/Book_VII" title="Augustine of Hippo, De civitate Dei, book seven") August. de Civitat. lib. vii.]
+sn(5)
p When #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter] was born (says the fable) His mother Rhea in order to deceive #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn], gave Him a stone wrapped in swaddling bands, in the place of #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jove]; informing Him that was Her offspring. #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] immediately devoured the stone; and #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter] who was privately educated, at length obtained the government of the world. With great propriety, therefore, is She called by the poet a deceitful saviour. This fable, according to Phurnutus, signifies the creation of the world. For at that time Nature (which among elementary essences is the same with #[span.theonym(greek="Zeus") Jupiter]) was then nourished in the world, and at length prevailed. The stone devoured by #[span.theonym(greek="Cronos") Saturn] is the earth, alluding to its firmly occupying the middle place: for says Phurnutus, beings could not abide without such a foundation for their support. From this all things are produced, and derive their proper aliment. #[a.cite(href="https://archive.org/details/b30325067_0002" title="Opuscula mythologica, page 147") Opusc. Mythol. p. 147.]