Hestia, gracious goddess who sits at the heart
of each home, who lives in the heart of each one
who reveres you, each one who holds you dear, each one
who turns to you for strength and harmony. Hestia,
goddess most needful, goddess most serene, goddess
most esteemed, the heart of the city is yours
as well, great goddess; within your realm are those
who serve the state, who work for the good of all–
your blessings fall on the honest, goddess, your wrath
on the corrupt, on those who betray their trust
for gain. Defender of the householder, guardian
of the hearthfire, Hestia, I praise and honor you.
Poseidon
Poseidon, lord of the darkest sea-depths,
lord of the crashing surf, your hair wet with brine,
your eyes cold and blue, keen as winter waters,
you hold in your hands the life of the sailor,
through fair weather or foul you guide ships to safety
or ravage them with waves. Within your domain
we live only by your goodness and forbearance;
with ease do you lay waste to great cities, do you
shake the earth till the works of men crumble.
You raise the four great winds, you hone the rain
to a cutting edge, you turn the waters of your realm
to cruel ice. By your might do floods destroy us,
Poseidon; yours too is the deadly drought,
the hard cracked dirt that signals famine and fear.
Our lives depend on your balance, Poseidon,
on your generous heart and open hand. God of oceans,
god of the salt of life, I praise and honor you.
Hera
Deep-eyed Hera, beloved bride of mighty Zeus,
mighty goddess, fair of face and silent of step,
noble your manner, stately and poised your form,
a queenly presence is ever yours, godly
in glory, womanly in grace and beauty.
Beloved Hera, patroness of kings and princes,
friend of women, of mothers, upholder of marriage,
of the right of lovers to join hearts and hands;
lavish your gifts, liberal your hand, limitless
the blessings you bestow on those you favor.
Hera, the broad sky is yours, and the sweet air
we breathe; to you we turn to for harmony
and wedded bliss; to you we turn to for strength
in the passion and turmoil and hard work of marriage;
to you we offer our thanks for a life of love.
Well-crowned Hera, beautiful one, revered one,
greatest of goddesses, I praise and honor you.
Hephaistos
Resourceful Hephaistos, wise in the ways of metal
and stone, deviser of gadgets and useful machines,
inventor of contraptions and contrivances,
your talent is unequaled among the great gods,
your dextrous hands capable of any work.
With ease you take each creation from thought into
substance; effortlessly your ideas become real.
Clever you are, Hephaistos, greatest of engineers,
and yet an artist’s eye is yours as well. Beauty
comes from your sturdy hands; the deathless gods themselves
exclaim at your mastery, the shining jewels
and delicate metalcraft, gold and silver
worked as fine as spiderwebs, gems cut to glitter
like the eyes of a cat. Hephaistos, craftsman
who excels at all manner of good work, patron
of smiths and wrights and artisans, I honor you.
Helios
I praise bright Helios, great god who sees all things,
who hears each oath, who acknowledges each deed;
in all the world there is no spot hidden from your eye,
no escape from your certain witness. Son of Titans,
of fiery Hyperion and blue-eyed Theia,
brother of white-browed Selene, each day your firm hand
guides the chariot of the sun, four flaming steeds
of might and spirit, who cross the breadth of the sky.
Beautiful Helios, fair-haired god, clad in purple,
the sun’s rays bathe you in light, O glorious one,
as splendor crowns you, wraps you in brilliance.
Helios, whose face we see each day of our lives,
who warms the soil that crops may grow, whose radiance
nourishes our children, whose might pierces the dark
of night, O Helios, I honor you, I praise your name.
Hades
Great-hearted Hades, lord of the afterworld,
noble husband of gracious Persephone,
daughter of the earth who shares your golden throne;
advocate of the dead whose wrath falls on those
who deny them due burial, or whose dishonor
endures beyond the grave. Relentless Hades,
agent of vengeance, friend of the Furies, long is
your arm, long your memory. Lord of riches,
lord of wealth, yours is the abundance of the depths,
the cold, unyielding treasure of metal and stone;
yours is the black dirt turned by the plow each spring,
the sun-warmed soil that hides the seed. Hades, dark-haired
son of Kronos, ruler of the world beyond us,
inevitable host of men and women,
I thank you for your care of those who have passed;
I praise you, I honor you, I revere your name.
Eros
Eros, bright-winged god, I open my heart to you.
Born of chaos, first out of the void, you entered
the world and all became yours. Child of love and strife,
fairest among the deathless gods, dear companion
of golden Aphrodite, your power touches us all.
Eros, beautiful one, compelling one, your charm
and grace are surpassed by none; your hand is in our lives,
so subtle, so plain, so devious and demanding.
The course of love is never smooth, this we all know;
creation is a noisy, disorderly thing
and harmony is a long, slow process; love too,
O Eros, shifts and wavers, balance is fleeting,
and two hearts meet, for mere moments only, and yet
that is enough. Eros, raging inspiration
of lovers and poets, swift-shooting one whose aim
is without flaw, whose prey is forever changed;
Eros, who sets alight the desires of men,
who overwhelms reason, who conquers all wisdom,
whose might renders weak the strong and the steadfast,
I praise your name, I thank you for your many gifts.
Dionysos
I praise Dionysos, lord of the vine, lord of
the far reaches of the mind; in the thick of the woods,
along darkened paths, in the shadows of dusk
and of dawn, you roam the world, the satyrs
and the pretty nymphs dancing in your wake. Son of
Zeus and fair-haired Semele, bold-hearted Semele
who dared to look into the face of glory,
beautiful Semele who you carried into life
again, Semele reborn who men called Thyone;
beloved of clever Ariadne, quick-witted one
so dear to your heart, your bright-eyed bride and consort;
Dionysos, friend of women, friend of the blissful,
wild-eyed maenads, pilgrims and pioneers, those who seek
your cheer and inspiration, those who seek your release
from sorrow and despair, those who are lost in joy
and those who have found themselves in you. Dionysos,
god of the darkest dark and the deepest deep,
boundless one, endless one, fathomless one,
in you we see the edges of ourselves, in you
we find our life’s journey, in you we find our home.
Demeter
Fair-haired Demeter, daughter of nimble-footed Rhea,
grandchild of deep-hearted Gaia, mother of
bright-eyed Persephone: in you, as in them all,
is the soul of the earth. The golden grain is yours,
O Demeter, and the heavy-fruited trees,
the dark rich soil and the seeds that hide within.
Friend of the farmer, friend of all who rely
on your goodness and kindness, your gift of growth,
your gift of bread, your gift of all our lives. Demeter,
bountiful lady, with each spring’s greening of the land
you give us hope; with each rich harvest that hope
is answered. Demeter, good mother, I praise you.
Athena
Glorious Athena, whose spirit stands so tall
and strong in shining cities, whose comfort is sought
by great heroes and by those who aspire to greatness,
whose courage and cleverness are without equal,
gracious Athena, I honor and revere you.
Athena, advisor of kings and queens, granter
of wisdom to those with wit to seek it, goddess
whose eye is ever fixed on the horizon,
goddess who is open to all possibilities,
goddess who is aware of all options, goddess
who in every game thinks ahead to its every
ending. Athena, mistress of the long view,
I call to you to show me what will be, I call
to you to guide me through the world’s intricacies.
Athena, steel-eyed goddess, I sing of your might,
I praise your name, I thank you for your many gifts.
Underflow 