Glorious Zeus, king of the starry heavens, master
of the thunderstorm, swift-striking hurler
of firebolt and hailstone, we know your might well,
in torrents of rain, in winds that tear a man
from mother Gaia’s embrace. The summer showers
are yours, O Zeus, that bring the earth to life each year;
yours too is the windstorm, the cyclone, the typhoon.
Each season’s storms, O Zeus, that bear the names
of women and men, are yours to guide; your hand
it is that brings winged death to one house
while its neighbor stands untouched. I pray to you,
O god of the lightning, god of the wild winds,
grant to us your blessing, grant to us your favor,
grant to us your good will. O kind-hearted Zeus,
I pray to you, keep from us the terror of the storm.
Archive | September 2011
Prayer to Poseidon that the Earth be Calm
Poseidon, earth-shaker, master of all
the waters of the world, your hand we see
in the trembling earth and the roiling seas;
by your will does the land beneath our feet
convulse and split open, by your might do waves
crest and crash on the shore, breaking the works
of men beneath. Many are the names
we give to your rage–tremor, tsunami,
landslide, surge–yet all are within your power
to compel or to conclude. Poseidon,
I pray to you, have mercy on the children
of men, still and subdue the wrathful earth.
Prayer to Demeter for a Good Harvest
Demeter, gracious goddess who grants to mankind
the gift of grain, whose might it is that brings the trees
to fruit, whose hand we see as buds become blossoms,
who taught to men the art of the seed, whose blessing
we beg, whose wrath we dread, goddess, I pray to you.
The green shoot is yours, Demeter, and the root
that clings to the black soil. In one fair arm you hold
a sheaf of golden wheat, in the other a poppy,
blood-red and fragrant; by your good will we are fed
in body and in soul. Essential Demeter,
friend of the farmer, by whose power do we survive,
I pray to you, show to us a fruitful season,
bless us with an abundant harvest, food enough
to bring us through the long winter. For your goodness
and your kindness we thank you, Demeter; for your
favor we pray to you, O bountiful goddess!
Prayer to Zeus, Gaia and Helios for the Witnessing of an Oath
I call to Zeus, great lord of Olympos,
upholder of order, upholder of truth,
to hear the words I speak on this day,
to witness the oath I make before you.
I call to broad-bosomed Gaia, mother
of all that is, who knows of all her children,
to hear the words I speak on this day,
to witness the oath I make before you.
I call to all-seeing Helios, driver
of the chariot of the sun, bright-haired god,
to hear the words I speak on this day,
to witness the oath I make before you.
Hear me, O deathless ones; mark my words
on this day, in this place. Hold me to my vow,
I pray to you, for I bind myself
freely and willingly with this pledge.
Prayer to Dike that Justice Be Done
Wise and watchful Dike, daughter of thundering Zeus
and Themis in whom order resides, goddess
never forgotten, we know you now as Justice,
sword and scales in hand. Before the court you stand
in silence, keeper of truth, champion of the right,
upholder of integrity; you reward the honest man
and punish the wrong-doer, the wicked and the false.
Blessed Dike, the court is your temple
and to you do I offer my prayers for justice.
Grant to all concerned your honorable spirit,
O goddess; may all words spoken under oath
be whole and true. May all those who hold mastery
and might be of good intent, may they be fair-minded,
may they deem reason and righteousness to be
most grave and weighty matters. Dike who knows
the guiltless from the errant, I pray to you.
Prayer to Apollo in Time of Plague
Fair Apollo, son of thundering Zeus who holds
in his hands the order of the world, golden god
who parcels health and illness to all as is fit,
who holds the door against disease or lets it in,
all at your will. Apollo, we thank you for health,
we thank you for the gifts of modern medicine
and the gifts of traditional cures and healing.
We thank you a world in which plague and pandemic
are uncommon. Yet what is rare still exists,
O Paean, and is as deadly as ever it was.
Great Apollo, kind-hearted god, I pray to you,
protect us from all ill. Keep from our gates infirmity
and affliction, turn away the epidemic and the blight.
Apollo, mighty one in whose power it lies
to bless us with relief from all maladies,
to end a pestilence, I pray for your favor.
Prayer to Epione for the Soothing of Pain
Tender-hearted Epione, fair-haired bride
of wise Asklepios, mother of clever
Hygeia, gentle one who gives comfort and ease
to those whose hurt has passed the point of bearing,
kindly goddess whose soft hands soothe all agonies,
learned one who knows all remedies, all reliefs.
Epione, grant to this wo/man your gift of rest
and respite, keep at bay the torment and the pain.
Prayer to Eileithuia for a Woman in Childbirth
I pray to Eileithuia, gracious granter
of relief to those who lie in childbed,
daughter of mighty Hera within whose realm
you wield your gift, O ancient one who sits
at the feet of the Fates. Eileithuia, easer
of the travail of women, gentle-handed
one who gives us strength to bear the racking pains
of childbirth, leader to life of all who ever
trod upon the fair-faced earth. O Eileithuia,
kind-hearted one, deliverer from pain,
I pray to you for the health of mother and child.
I ask of you, comfort this woman in the throes
of birth, aid her in her labor, safeguard her
and her child as it enters the bright-lit world.
To the Four Winds
Boreas, god of the North Wind, god of the cold,
bitter breath of winter, purple-winged herald
of snow and black ice, your beard tipped with frost,
we know you in the unmatched beauty of your realm.
Most needful one, in your season we honor you.
Zephyros, god of the West Wind, god of the seedtime,
husband of the greening fields, father of the fruited
trees, mild one, kind one, fortunate one, companion
of Eros, within your domain does love unfold.
Most needful one, in your season we honor you.
Notos, god of the South Wind, god of summer storms,
god of the soul-searing heat, of the drenching rains
and the pale, parched soil. Foe of the farmer, taker
of the wealth of the earth, destroyer of crops:
most needful one, in your season we honor you.
Euros, god of the East Wind, god of the blood-red
leaves, the golden blades of grass, by the palace
of the sun you dwell. Change is in you, O Euros;
change in the world is yours, O capricious one.
Most needful one, in your season we honor you.
Apollo
Shining Apollo, bright-haired son of Zeus
and tender-hearted Leto who bore you on the shores
of free-floating Delos, brother of Artemis
of the silver shafts, lover of truth who knows
what will be, who grants the gift of foreknowledge
to those who seek, patron of the wise Pythia
who sits at the center of the world. Apollo,
friend of the lovely Muses, player of sweet songs
upon the lyre, healer of plagues, defender
against all evil, ever-youthful one whose hands
are deft, whose arm is strong, whose bow-string taut and thick
looses a rain of arrows, enough to dim the sun.
Fairest of gods, long of lock and smooth of cheek,
laurel-crowned one, I thank you for your blessings.
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