⸻ · ⸻
The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 36, lines 10–12 · Lady of the mountain woods
36.10
The Orphic Hymns 36.10 · Lady of the mountain woods
She haunts the mountain forests with her hounds, a girl who never grows old.
· · ·
ἣ1
hḕ
you who
κατέχεις2
katécheis
haunt
δρυμούς3
drymoús
the woodsoak-coppices
ὀρέων4
oréōn
of the mountains
, ἐλαφηβόλε5
elaphēbóle
deer-shooter
, σεμνή6
semnḗ
revered
, πότνια7
pótnia
lady
, παμβασίλεια8
pambasíleia
queen of all
, αἰὲν9
aièn
always
ἐοῦσα10
eoûsa
being
καλὸν11
kalòn
a lovely
θάλος12
thálos
young shoot
, δρυμονίη13
drymoníē
of the woods
, σκυλακῖτι14
skylakîti
lady of the houndsprotector of dogs
, Κυδωνιάς15
Kydōniás
Kydonianof Kydonia
, αἰολόμορφε16
aiolómorphe
shimmering in form
; you who haunt the woods of the mountains, deer-shooter, revered, lady, queen of all, always being a lovely young shoot, of the woods, lady of the hounds, Kydonian, shimmering in form;
you who haunt the woods of the mountains, deer-shooter, revered, lady, queen of all, always being a lovely young shoot, of the woods, lady of the hounds, Kydonian, shimmering in form;
Interpretation
you who haunt the forests of the mountains, deer-shooter, revered, mistress, queen of all, forever a lovely young shoot, goddess of the woods, lady of the hounds, Kydonian, shimmering in form;
Artemis lives in the mountain woods with her hounds, and she is "always a lovely young shoot," a girl who never grows old. Two of her titles come from Crete. Kydonia was a city on the island's north coast, and Herodotus mentions a temple of Diktynna there, the Cretan goddess named in the hymn's third line. "Lady of the hounds," skylakitis, is the title Hymn 1 gives to Hekate, and the two goddesses share their dogs and their wild places.
36.13
The Orphic Hymns 36.13 · Send sickness to the mountain tops
The prayer: come with good harvests, peace and health, and send sickness and pain away to the mountain peaks.
· · ·
Come, savior goddess, dear one, gracious to all the initiates, bringing fine fruits from the earth, and lovely peace and fair-haired health; and may you send diseases and pains to the peaks of the mountains.