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The Orphic Hymns
the Orphic tradition · Hymn 66, lines 8–9 · In every house and every body
66.8
The Orphic Hymns 66.8 · In every house and every body
Fire is everywhere people live: in every house and city, and inside the human body.
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δὲ1
dè
And
ἔχεις2
écheis
you hold
πάντα3
pánta
every
οἶκον4
oîkon
house
, πᾶσαν5
pâsan
every
πόλιν6
pólin
city
, πάντα7
pánta
all
ἔθνεα8
éthnea
nationspeoples
, τε9
te
and
οἰκεῖς10
oikeîs
you dwell in
σώματά11
sṓmatá
the bodies
θνητῶν12
thnētôn
of mortals
, πολύολβε13
polýolbe
rich in blessings
, κραταιέ14
krataié
mighty one
. And you hold every house, every city, all nations, and you dwell in the bodies of mortals, rich in blessings, mighty one.
And you hold every house, every city, all nations, and you dwell in the bodies of mortals, rich in blessings, mighty one.
Interpretation
You hold every house, every city, all nations, and you dwell in the bodies of mortals, rich in blessings, mighty one.
Every Greek house had its hearth and every city its common hearth, where a fire was kept burning, so fire really was in every home and every town. The second line goes inside the body. Greek doctors and philosophers held that life depends on an inborn heat, and the hymn gives that heat to Hephaestus. It prepares the request in the hymn's last lines.
66.10
The Orphic Hymns 66.10 · Come gentle
The prayer begins: the singer calls Hephaestus to the libations and asks him to come in a gentle mood.
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Hear, blessed one, I call you to the holy libations, so that you may always come gentle to those who delight in their work.