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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 12, lines 14–16 · Drive out ruin, send away the dooms
12.14
The Orphic Hymns 12.14 · Drive out ruin, send away the dooms
The prayer: come with every charm against disease, drive away ruin with your club, and shoot the spirits of death away with your arrows.
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ἐλθέ1
elthé
Come
μάκαρ2
mákar
blessed one
, κομίζων3
komízōn
bringing
πάντα4
pánta
all
θελκτήρια5
thelktḗria
charms
νούσων6
noúsōn
against diseases
, δὲ7
dè
and
ἐξέλασον8
exélason
drive out
κακὰς9
kakàs
the evil
ἄτας10
átas
ruinblindness sent by the gods
, πάλλων11
pállōn
brandishing
κλάδον12
kládon
the branch
ἐν13
en
in
your
χερὶ14
cherì
hand
, τʼ15
t’
and
πτηνοῖς16
ptēnoîs
with winged
ἰοβόλοις17
iobólois
venomousarrow-shooting
arrows
ἀπόπεμπε18
apópempe
send away
χαλεπὰς19
chalepàs
the harsh
κῆρας20
kêras
doomsspirits of death
. Come, blessed one, bringing all charms against diseases, and drive out the evil ruin, brandishing the branch in your hand, and with winged, venomous arrows send away the harsh dooms.
Come, blessed one, bringing all charms against diseases, and drive out the evil ruin, brandishing the branch in your hand, and with winged, venomous arrows send away the harsh dooms.
Interpretation
Come, blessed one, bringing every charm against disease, and drive out evil ruin, brandishing the branch in your hand, and with your winged, venomous arrows send the harsh dooms away.
Heracles was worshipped as a warder-off of evil, and the prayer asks him to turn his weapons against sickness and death. The "branch" is his club, which was said to be cut from a wild olive. Iobolos can mean "shooting arrows" or "shooting venom," since the word ios means both an arrow and a poison, and both fit Heracles, whose arrows were tipped with the poison of the Hydra. The kēres are spirits of death, and he is asked to shoot them away.
13.1
The Orphic Hymns 13.1 · Father of gods and men
Kronos, the Titan who ruled before Zeus, is called the father of gods and men. He eats up all things and makes them grow again.
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Of Kronos. Incense: storax. Ever-flourishing, father of the blessed gods and of men too, wily, undefiled, mighty in strength, brave Titan, you who consume all things and yourself increase them in turn, you who hold unbreakable bonds throughout the boundless world,