⸻ · ⸻
The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 49, lines 4–7 · On the holy mountain of Ida, or on Tmolus
49.4
The Orphic Hymns 49.4 · On the holy mountain of Ida, or on Tmolus
The prayer to Hippa as mother of the earth: whether she is on Mount Ida in Phrygia or on Tmolus in Lydia, let her come to the rites.
· · ·
κλῦθί1
klŷthí
Hear
μευ2
meu
me
εὐχομένου3
euchoménou
as I pray
, μῆτερ4
mêter
mother
χθονίη5
chthoníē
of the earth
βασίλεια6
basíleia
queen
, εἴτε7
eíte
whether
σύ8
sý
you
γʼ9
g’
—
κατέχεις10
katécheis
hold
ἁγνὸν11
hagnòn
the holy
ὄρος12
óros
mountain
Ἴδης13
Ídēs
of Ida
ἐν14
en
in
Φρυγίῃ15
Phrygíēi
Phrygia
, ἢ16
ḕ
or
Τμῶλος17
Tmôlos
Tmolus
τέρπει18
térpei
delights
σε19
se
you
, καλὸν20
kalòn
a fair
θόασμα21
thóasma
dancing place
Λυδοῖσι22
Lydoîsi
for the Lydians
; ἔρχεο23
ércheo
come
πρὸς24
pròs
to
τελετὰς25
teletàs
the rites
γήθουσα26
gḗthousa
rejoicing
ἱερῷ27
hierôi
with a holy
προσώπῳ28
prosṓpōi
face
. Hear me as I pray, mother of the earth, queen, whether you hold the holy mountain of Ida in Phrygia, or Tmolus delights you, a fair dancing place for the Lydians; come to the rites rejoicing with a holy face.
Hear me as I pray, mother of the earth, queen, whether you hold the holy mountain of Ida in Phrygia, or Tmolus delights you, a fair dancing place for the Lydians; come to the rites rejoicing with a holy face.
Interpretation
Hear me as I pray, mother of the earth, queen, whether you dwell on the holy mountain of Ida in Phrygia, or Tmolus delights you, a fair dancing place for the Lydians: come to the rites rejoicing, with a holy face.
The two mountains place the goddess where the hymns were probably sung. Ida in Phrygia was a mountain of the Mother of the Gods, and Tmolus, above Sardis, was the mountain of the Lydian Bacchants: at the start of Euripides' Bacchae Dionysus calls his band of women "you who left Tmolus, the bulwark of Lydia". The hymn calls Tmolus a thoasma, a place for dancing, and asks the goddess to come to the rites with a joyful face.
50.1
The Orphic Hymns 50.1 · The god who sets free
Dionysus as Lysios, "the one who sets free", and Lenaios, the god of the wine-press, in a hymn whose heading names no incense.
· · ·
Of Lysios Lenaios. Hear, blessed one, son of Zeus, Bacchus of the wine-press, twice-born, much-remembered seed, many-named, god who sets free, secretly born, holy offshoot of the blessed, Euios Bacchus,