The Winter Solstice: The Holy Night of Zeus
Yule · Brumalia · Heliostasion Cheimerion · The Highest Celebration of the Zevist Year, on the Night of the 22nd and the Sacred Day of the 23rd of December
22 December, the Holy Night · 23 December, the Sacred Day of Zeus · Zeus and Dionysos · Psalm I
The Festival at a Glance
| Festival | The Winter Solstice: Yule, Brumalia, Heliostasion Cheimerion (Ἡλιοστάσιον Χειμερινόν) |
|---|---|
| Date | The Night of 22 December (the Holy Night) and the Day of 23 December (the Sacred Day of Zeus). The Rite begins at sunset on the 22nd and reaches its height at midnight. |
| Astronomical moment | The Sun enters 0° Capricorn (21 to 22 December UTC); the shortest day and the longest night of the northern year; the Sun “stands still” (Latin solstitium, Greek τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο) and turns back toward the north. |
| Category | Astronomical Holiday. The first of the 4 solar stations of the year and the Highest Celebration of the Zevist calendar. |
| Gods honoured | Zeus, Father of Gods and Men, the Dictaean Kouros, the All-Sovereign King; Dionysos, the Twice-Born, Liknites, Lord of the winter Dithyramb. |
| Ancient parallels | The Hymn of the Kouretes at Palaikastro (Zeus Kouros “coming to Dikte for the year”); the Haloa at Eleusis (26 Poseideon, Demeter and Dionysos); the Rural Dionysia (Poseideon); the Roman Brumalia (24 November to 17 December) and Saturnalia (17 to 23 December); the Natalis Invicti of 25 December; the Egyptian circuit of the cow “seeking Osiris” at the winter solstice; the Alexandrian Koreion (the Kore bears the Aion); the Norse Jól of Odin Jólnir and the Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht. |
| Inner meaning | The rebirth of the light out of the longest darkness. The gate of Capricorn, the gate of the Gods. The Sacred Day of Father Zeus, made known by Zeus himself to the clergy. |
| Festival Psalm | Psalm I: The Psalm of the Winter Solstice (72 passages: 36 to Zeus, 36 to Dionysos) |
| Rituals of the Gods | The Grand Ritual of Zeus and the Dionysus Power Ritual |
The Nature of the Festival
The Winter Solstice is the night the Sun stops. For 6 months it has slid southward along the horizon, rising later and setting earlier, until on the 21st or 22nd of December it reaches the Tropic of Capricorn and halts. The Greeks called this halt τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο, “the turnings of the sun” (Homer, Odyssey 15.404; Hesiod, Works and Days 479, 564, 663).
The Romans called it bruma, the shortest day, and solstitium, the sun standing still. For 3 days the Sun appears to rise at the same point. Then it turns. The days lengthen by seconds, then by minutes, and by the Spring Equinox the light has won.
The Temple fixes the festival on the night of 22 December and the day of 23 December, whatever the exact hour of the astronomical solstice in a given year. The Sun enters 0° of Capricorn for the whole planet at the same instant; it doesn't enter Capricorn in Athens and Sagittarius in Buenos Aires. The Zevist calendar follows the Sun in the zodiac, which is universal, and not the local weather, which isn't.
A Zevist in the southern hemisphere celebrates the Winter Solstice of the calendar on 22 December under a summer sky, and celebrates it correctly, because the sign is the same and the Gods are the same. The Psalm says it in a line: the northern hemisphere and the southern, one feast.
Within the Zevist year this night stands above every other. The Night of the 22nd of December is the Highest Holy Night of the Zevists, and the 23rd is the Sacred Day of Zeus. This wasn't inferred from a book. It was communicated by Zeus to the clergy directly, and the Temple records it as received. The reasoning that stands beneath the revelation is plain enough: the Sun enters the sign of Capricorn, the Goat, and the Goat is the nurse of the infant Zeus.
Amaltheia suckled him in the cave of Ida, her horn became the Horn of Plenty, and Zeus placed her among the stars (Hesiod, Theogony 477 to 484; Callimachus, Hymn 1.46 to 49; Aratus, Phaenomena 162 to 164). The sign of Capricorn itself, Aigokeros, is Aigipan, who was reared with Zeus in that cave and fought beside him against the Titans, and whom Zeus set in the heavens in gratitude (Eratosthenes, Catasterismi 27; Hyginus, Astronomica 2.28). When the Sun enters the Goat, the Sun enters the cradle of Zeus.
The longest night is the night of the cave, and the morning after it's the morning the child-king is found alive.
The day after the longest night belongs to the child who grows into the Father. From this point forward the days lengthen, the light returns, and the cycle of life starts over. Everything else the festival carries, the tree, the fire, the gifts, the feast, the resolutions, the dance, follows from that one fact.
The Sun enters the Goat, and the Goat is the nurse of Zeus. The longest night is the night of the cave.
The Gods of the Festival: Zeus and Dionysos
Zeus, the Child of the Cave and the King of the Cosmos
Zeus rules the night of the solstice as the Kouros, the divine youth hidden in the Dictaean cave. The oldest hymn to him that survives on stone, found at Palaikastro in eastern Crete, calls him exactly that: Io, greatest Kouros, hail to me, son of Kronos, all-powerful brightness, you have come leading the daimones; come to Dikte for the year and rejoice in the song (IC III ii 2, lines 1 to 5).
The hymn then asks the young God to leap into the wine jars, the flocks, the fields, the cities, the ships and the new citizens. It's a New Year hymn. The God comes “for the year,” and his leap is the leap of the returning light into everything that lives.
The same Zeus is the Father of Gods and Men, the Orphic Zeus who is first and last, head and middle, from whom all things are made (Orphic fr. 31 Kern; Ps.-Aristotle, De mundo 401a; Derveni papyrus col. 17). The festival holds both truths at once. The child in the cave and the King on the throne are one God seen at 2 points of one circle.
The Zevist who worships Zeus on this night worships the beginning and the end together, and learns from it that his own beginnings, the small and hidden ones, are the beginnings of a king.
Dionysos, the Twice-Born, Lord of the Winter
Dionysos belongs to the solstice by right of the Greek calendar. At Delphi the winter was his. Plutarch, who was a priest there, writes that for 3 months of the year the Delphians sang the dithyramb to Dionysos in place of the paean to Apollo, because Apollo had departed to the Hyperboreans and Dionysos held the temple (De E apud Delphos 9, 389c).
On Parnassos the Thyiades, the women of the God, climbed the mountain in the depth of winter and “woke the Liknites,” the infant Dionysos in the winnowing basket, while the Hosioi performed a secret rite in the temple of Apollo (Plutarch, De Iside et Osiride 35, 365a; Pausanias 10.4.3, 10.32.7). The God of the vine sleeps as an infant in the cold and is woken by the rite.
The month of the solstice, Poseideon, held the Rural Dionysia with their phallic processions (Aristophanes, Acharnians 241 to 279) and the Haloa at Eleusis, where Demeter, Kore and Dionysos were honoured together on the threshing floor (scholion to Lucian, Dialogi meretricii 7.4).
Dionysos is also the Son who is born from the Father's own body. Semele was burned by the thunderbolt; Zeus sewed the unborn child into his thigh and bore him a second time, so that he is Dithyrambos, the one of the double door, and Pyrigenes, born of fire (Euripides, Bacchae 88 to 104, 286 to 297; Orphic Hymn 52). On the night of the Father the Temple honours the Son with him, because the solstice is a birth, and because the pleasures of the feast, the wine, the dance and the laughter, are his province.
The Dionysian Mystery is the art of leaving calculation behind without leaving the mind behind: the ecstasy that lifts rather than dissolves. That art is taught at this festival under the Father's eye, where it is safe.
Macrobius records that the Egyptians brought the image of the Sun out of its shrine at the winter solstice in the form of an infant, because on the shortest day the Sun is at its smallest and youngest (Saturnalia 1.18.10). Plutarch records that Isis gave birth to Harpokrates, the child Horus, “about the winter solstice” (De Iside 65, 377c), and that at the solstice the Egyptians led the cow 7 times around the temple in a circuit called “the seeking of Osiris” (De Iside 52, 372c).
Dionysos, whom Herodotus identified with Osiris (2.42, 2.144), is the infant Sun of this night: the light at its youngest, kept alive by the rite.
The Father and the Son, one light from 2 fires: the thunderbolt and the flame in the wine.
History and Ancient Parallels
The Cretan Mystery of Zeus
Crete kept a Mystery of Zeus, and kept it in the open. Diodorus Siculus reports the Cretan claim that the initiations celebrated in secret at Eleusis, at Samothrace and in Thrace all came from Crete, and that at Knossos the custom from ancient times was to hand these rites down openly to all, so that what elsewhere was unspeakable was there spoken (Library 5.77.3). Euripides gives a glimpse of what the initiate of Idaean Zeus professed.
The chorus of his lost Cretans declares: I have led a pure life since I became an initiate of Idaean Zeus, and, having performed the thunders of night-roaming Zagreus and the feasts of raw flesh, and having held up the torches for the Mountain Mother, I was consecrated and named Bacchos (fr. 472 Kannicht, preserved by Porphyry, De abstinentia 4.19). Zeus, Zagreus and Bacchos stand in one sentence, in one Mystery, on one mountain. The Winter Solstice of the Temple joins the same 2 Gods for the same reason.
The cave itself was the sanctuary. The Dictaean cave at Psychro and the Idaean cave on Mount Ida received offerings for more than 1,000 years, from the Minoan period into Roman times: bronze shields, double axes, figurines, and the great bronze tympana of the Idaean cave with their Orientalising Zeus and his Kouretes (Boardman, The Cretan Collection in Oxford, 1961; Sakellarakis, “The Idaean Cave,” Kernos 1, 1988).
The Kouretes, armed youths who danced around the infant and clashed their shields to drown his crying (Strabo 10.3.11; Apollodorus 1.1.6 to 7), are the model of every circle dance performed at this festival. The armed dance was the first worship of Zeus.
The Greek Winter: Poseideon and the Dionysian Festivals
The Attic month Poseideon fell on the solstice.
Its festivals were the Rural Dionysia, celebrated deme by deme with the phallus carried in procession and the hymn to Phales (Aristophanes, Acharnians 241 to 279), and the Haloa on the 26th, a festival of Demeter, Kore and Dionysos at Eleusis, where the women held a banquet on the threshing floors with cakes shaped as the organs of generation and spoke words to one another that the scholiast on Lucian calls “shameful,” because fertility was the point (scholion to Lucian, Dial. mer. 7.4; Parke, Festivals of the Athenians, 1977, 98 to 100).
In Gamelion, the following month, came the Lenaia, the festival of the Lenai, the women of the wine press, with its own dramatic contests (IG II² 2325). The whole Attic winter is Dionysian; the solstice sits at its heart.
Rome: Brumalia, Saturnalia and the Unconquered Sun
Rome had 3 festivals around the shortest day, and the Temple takes the name of the first. The Brumalia ran from 24 November to 17 December, one day for each letter of the alphabet, and Byzantium was still keeping them 7 centuries later, until the Council in Trullo banned them in 692 (John Lydus, De mensibus 4.158; Malalas 7.7; Concilium in Trullo, canon 62). The Saturnalia began on 17 December and ran, by popular custom, through the 23rd: the optimus dierum, the best of days, as Catullus called it (14.15).
Macrobius devotes the opening of his Saturnalia to it (1.7 to 1.10): the public feast at the temple of Saturn, the shout Io Saturnalia, the slaves dining with or before their masters, the wax candles given as gifts, the Sigillaria of clay figurines, the mock king chosen by lot (Lucian, Saturnalia 4; Tacitus, Annals 13.15). Everything the modern world calls Christmas is here, 2 centuries before there was a Christmas.
The third was the Natalis Invicti, the birthday of the Unconquered Sun on 25 December, recorded in the Chronography of 354 in the official calendar of the city with 30 chariot races (Philocalus, Fasti, VIII Kal. Ian.). Aurelian had built the Sun a temple in 274. The Church placed the birth of its founder on the same day and knew exactly what it was doing.
Augustine had to tell his flock that they were celebrating “not the sun, but him who made the sun” (Sermo 190.1), and Pope Leo complained in the 5th century that Christians climbing the steps of St Peter's still turned to bow to the rising Sun before they went in (Sermo 27.4). The festival was never theirs. The Temple takes it back, and takes it back with its tree, its gifts, its fire and its feast, all of which are older than the claim laid upon them.
Egypt and Alexandria
Egypt kept the solstice as a birth. Besides the infant Sun of Macrobius and the solstitial birth of Harpokrates in Plutarch, there's the Koreion of Alexandria, which Epiphanius, a hostile witness, describes in detail.
On the night of 5 to 6 January the worshippers kept vigil with song and flute in the great temple of Kore; at cockcrow they descended with torches to an underground shrine, brought up a wooden image marked with 5 golden seals, carried it 7 times around the inner sanctuary, and proclaimed: Today at this hour the Kore, that is the Virgin, has given birth to the Aion (Panarion 51.22.9 to 11). The same was done, he says, at Petra and at Elusa.
The solstitial birth of the divine child from the Maiden is a Mystery of the Hellenistic world, and the Church's choice of the same dates for its own feast was neither accident nor coincidence.
The North: Jól of Odin and the Night of the Mothers
The Germanic peoples kept the solstice as Jól, Yule. The word is older than Christianity: Bede records the Anglo-Saxon months Giuli, before and after the solstice, and the heathen night of 24 to 25 December called Mōdraniht, the Night of the Mothers (De temporum ratione 15).
Odin bears the name Jólnir, the Yule-One, in the lists of his names (Snorri, Skáldskaparmál; Óðins nöfn), and the king Haakon the Good, when he wished to Christianise Norway, had to move Yule by law to coincide with the Christian feast and command that every man “drink Yule” with a measure of ale (Hákonar saga góða 13).
The evergreen tree, the log on the fire, the wild hunt of Odin across the winter sky, and the oath sworn on the boar at the Yule feast (Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar, prose after 30) are the northern face of the same night. Odin is a name of Zeus, and the Temple honours him under it.
Everything the modern world calls Christmas stood in Rome 2 centuries before there was a Christmas.
The Mystery of the Winter Solstice
The outer festival is the return of the light. The inner festival is the gate through which it returns.
The Pythagoreans and Platonists taught that the heavens have 2 gates, and that they stand at the 2 solstices. Porphyry, drawing on Numenius and Cronius, writes that Cancer and Capricorn are the gates of the soul: through Cancer, the gate of the summer solstice, souls descend into generation; through Capricorn, the gate of the winter solstice, they ascend to the Gods. Cancer is the gate of men, Capricorn the gate of the Gods (De antro nympharum 22 to 23; Macrobius, Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis 1.12.1 to 2).
The Winter Solstice is therefore the night of the year when the road upward stands open widest. The Sun's own turning is the sign of it. What the Sun does in the sky on this night, the soul may do within: stop its descent, stand, and turn.
The cave of Zeus is the second key. The child-king is hidden in a cave on a mountain and is found alive after the darkest night. The Temple teaches the cave as the skull and the mountain as the spine.
The Yule tree, which the ancients already set up in Rome and in Egypt, is the soul: the trunk is the spine, the branches are the 144,000 nadis through which the vital force flows, the lights are those channels illuminated by the Serpentine Energy of Zeus, and the star at the top is the risen Serpent, the fire that has climbed the whole tree and opened at the crown. Every Zevist who decorates a tree on this night decorates an image of his own soul as it is meant to become.
The Psalm says it plainly in passage 23: the fiery serpent has risen, the spine is illumined.
Dionysos holds the third key, and it's the one most easily misunderstood. The Dionysian Mystery is the art of ecstasy, ἔκστασις, the standing outside oneself. The uninitiated take it for drunkenness. Euripides has the God's own chorus answer them: his rites are “unspeakable for mortals who are not Bacchants to know” (Bacchae 471 to 474), and the blessed one is he who, “knowing the rites of the Gods, hallows his life and joins his soul to the thiasos” (72 to 77).
Plato names the Dionysian madness the telestic, the madness of initiation, and counts it among the 4 divine madnesses through which “the greatest of goods come to us” (Phaedrus 244a to 245a, 265b). The point of the wine, the dance and the laughter at this festival isn't the loss of the mind but the loosening of its grip, so that the God can enter. In the middle of the dance the silence of the God falls, the dancer stands, and he sees.
That moment is the transcendental core of the Winter Orgia, and the Psalm's fifth movement is built around it.
The number of the Psalm is the fourth key. 72 passages, 36 to the Father and 36 to the Son, because 72 is the number of the fifths of the circle: 72 × 5° = 360°, the whole year drawn as a wheel. 72 is also the number of years the equinoctial point takes to move 1 degree against the stars, so that 72 years are 1 “day” of the Great Year of precession (Hipparchus, in Ptolemy, Almagest 7.2; Macrobius, Comm. 2.11). Whoever sings the Psalm to the end has turned the whole circle in 1 night.
What Stays Within the Veil: The Inner Rite of the Cave
Crete handed its Mystery of Zeus down openly; Eleusis, Samothrace and Parnassos didn't. Pausanias, describing Eleusis, stopped his pen: “a dream forbade me to write what lies inside the wall of the sanctuary, and the uninitiated may not lawfully learn of what they are prevented from seeing” (1.38.7). Herodotus, speaking of the Mysteries of Egypt, said “I know these things, but let them be left in reverent silence” (2.171). The Hosioi at Delphi performed their secret rite in Apollo's temple while the Thyiades woke the Liknites, and Plutarch, a priest, mentions the fact and nothing more (De Iside 35).
The Temple holds an inner rite of this night. It concerns the cave, the child and the ascent through the gate of Capricorn, and it's performed by the clergy and by Zevists of the ranks that have reached it. Its words aren't printed here. Its signs aren't drawn here. The Psalm carries its outline in a veiled form, as the Orphic Hymns carried the outline of the Bacchic rites, and the one who has passed the gate will recognise it there.
The ancient rule holds in the Temple of Zeus. The outer festival of the Winter Solstice belongs to everyone: the fires, the procession, the Psalm, the feast, the games, the night. The inner rite is a Mystery, and a Mystery is classified by its nature, as it was at Eleusis, at Samothrace, on Parnassos and in the Idaean cave. It isn't published on this page or on any page.
Zevists who rise through the ranks of the Temple come to know it in due time, to experience it, and to understand it, under the same discipline the ancients kept. What the public saw in antiquity, the public sees now; what the mystai kept, the mystai keep. The restoration of the inner rites is a work in progress, and it's undertaken.
The Names of the Gods Across the Nations
| Civilisation | Zeus | Dionysos |
|---|---|---|
| Hellenic | Zeus, Dias, Zina, Zefs (ΖΕΥΣ, ΔΙΑΣ, ΖΗΝ); Kouros, Kretagenes, Diktaios, Idaios, Hypsistos, Pantokrator | Dionysos, Bacchos, Bromios, Lysios, Eleutherios, Iacchos, Zagreus, Liknites, Dithyrambos |
| Proto-Indo-European | Dyeus Pater, the Sky-Father (Deus Patar, Deyus Pater) | |
| Roman | Jupiter, Iuppiter Optimus Maximus, Invictus | Liber Pater, Bacchus |
| Egyptian | Amun, Atum, Ammon of the oasis | Osiris (Herodotus 2.42, 2.144) |
| Mesopotamian | Anu, Lord of the Sky; Marduk; Hadad | |
| Vedic and Hindu | Indra; Dyaus Pita; the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) as his 3 faces | Soma, the drink and the God |
| Thracian and Phrygian | Sabazios | Sabazios, Bassareus |
| Semitic and Levantine | Hadad, Hammon, Baal-Shamem, El | Adonis (in the aspect of the dying and returning God) |
| Germanic and Norse | Odin (Jólnir, the Yule-One), Wodan, Thor the Thunderer | |
| Slavic and Baltic | Perun, Perkunas | |
| Celtic | An Daghdha, Taranis | |
| Hittite and Anatolian | Tarhunt, Teshub | |
| Etruscan | Tinia | Fufluns |
| Mesoamerican and Andean | Tlaloc, Viracocha | |
| Turkic and Mongol | Tengri | |
| Yoruba | Shango | |
| Japanese | Raijin |
The names in this table are the same essence under the tongues of different peoples. A Zevist of any nation may address Zeus and Dionysos under the name that the ancestors of that nation used, provided the essence of the God is understood as one. The Temple sets the Greek name first because the Greek sources preserve the fullest theology; it doesn't set it as the only name.
The ancients themselves did the same: Herodotus wrote Greek names for Egyptian Gods without hesitation, and the Romans wrote Jupiter over every altar of Zeus they found (Herodotus 2.42 to 2.50; Caesar, Gallic War 6.17; Tacitus, Germania 9, 43).
The Grand Ritual of Zeus on the Temple's ritual site invokes the Father under 30 of these names in sequence, from Deus Patar to Perkunas, and the Dionysus Power Ritual invokes the Son as Dithyrambos, Periagetes, Oinodotes, Chthonios, Lysios and Eleutherios. Those are the Rituals of the Gods for this night.
The Rite of the Winter Solstice
The Rite stands on the frame of the Standard Ritual and the Advanced Zevist Ritual of the Temple. Whoever knows those knows the skeleton: the bell, the Four Powers, the Invocation to Zeus, the prayer, the burning, the meditation, the closing. The festival adds its own flesh to that skeleton at fixed points. The order below gives every step, so that a Zevist alone and an assembly of 300 perform the same Rite on the same night.
The Rite begins at sunset on 22 December and reaches its height at midnight, the turning point of the Holy Night. It should be finished before the dawn of the 23rd, so that the Sacred Day of Zeus opens with the dawn salutation and not with the end of a ceremony. In a gathering the public celebration continues until dawn. Alone, the Zevist may close the Rite after the meditation and keep the vigil as long as the body allows.
- Bathe before the Rite. The washing is an act of purification, as it was for the mystai who went down to the sea.
- Clean and decorate the house or the hall before sunset: evergreen branches of pine, fir or ivy; the tree with its lights and its star; the hearth fire or, failing a hearth, a central candle of gold or white.
- Incense: frankincense, with pine resin or juniper added for the night. Let it burn for 10 to 15 minutes before beginning.
- Candles: gold, white or deep blue. One central candle for Zeus; a second, of red or purple, for Dionysos, lit later in the Rite.
- The cup: wine, red, unmixed for the cup of Dionysos. Those who don't drink wine use pomegranate juice or honeyed water.
- Paper and pen for the resolutions of the year, and a fireproof bowl.
- The Sigil of Zeus from the Temple as the point of focus, with the Sigil of Dionysos beside it.
- Clean clothing. White or gold is fitting; no colour is required. A wreath of ivy for the Dionysian part of the night, if the celebrants wish it.
- Those without any items perform the whole Rite in the Astral Temple. Zeus asks for a sincere heart, and the ceremony exists to help the heart find what is already there.
- The Opening. Ring the bell once, or keep a moment of silence, to mark the sacred space. Light the central candle of Zeus from the hearth fire or from a match struck for this alone.
- The Invocation of the Four Powers. As in the Standard Ritual, below.
- The Invocation to Zeus. ΕΝ ΟΝΟΜΑΤΙ ΤΟΥ ΖΕΒ ΥΨΙΣΤΟΥ, as below. Drink from the cup.
- The Festival Invocation. The words proper to this night, composed for it, below.
- The Ritual of Zeus. The Grand Ritual of Zeus in full, with its 263 vibrations, or in the halved form for those who can't yet carry the whole. In a gathering the presiding priest leads and the assembly vibrates with him. This is the Rite of the God that rules the night, and it isn't omitted.
- The Psalm, Movements I to III. The 36 passages to Zeus, read or sung in Greek with the English, or in English alone by those who don't yet read Greek. In a gathering the Chorus sings and the assembly answers the final line of each passage.
- The Burning of the Resolutions. Each celebrant reads aloud, or in silence, the resolutions written for the coming year, then lights the paper from the candle of Zeus and lays it in the bowl, saying the Burning Formula below. The fire carries the intention into the astral. Zeus is always there to help carry through what was resolved before him.
- The Lighting of the Candle of Dionysos. From the candle of Zeus, saying: From the Father the Son, from the thunderbolt the flame in the wine.
- The Ritual of Dionysos. The Dionysus Power Ritual, with its 6 movements from the Twice-Born to the Liberator.
- The Psalm, Movements IV to VI. The 36 passages to Dionysos and the ascent of the light.
- The Silence. 1 full minute of silence with the eyes closed and the mind as empty as it can be made. No vibration. This is the highest fellowship with the God on this night, and the moment at which, in the gathering, the dance stops.
- The Cup of Dionysos. The red candle is raised, the Toast below is spoken, and the cup is drunk. In a gathering the cup passes hand to hand.
- The Prayer. Each celebrant speaks to Zeus in his own words, with no script. Thanks for the year that has closed; the asking for the year that opens.
- The Meditation and Communion. Sit in silence. The energy raised in the Rite is at its peak. Meditate on the Sigil of Zeus, and let the body feel the warmth of the returning light at the base of the spine.
- The Closing. The closing words of the Standard Ritual, below, and the bell, clockwise.
- After the Rite. The feast, the music, the circle dance, the gifts, the games, the laughter, until dawn. Zeus doesn't hate the flesh. The feast is the liturgy of the body.
- The Dawn Salutation of the 23rd. At first light go outside, face the east, and speak the Salutation below. The Sacred Day of Zeus has begun. It belongs to rest, to family, to gratitude and to the God.
Face each direction in turn, beginning in the East and turning counterclockwise. At each turn a stream of electric blue light enters and fills the whole being; with each invocation the light grows stronger.
| Direction | Name of Power | Invocation |
|---|---|---|
| East | SAT-YA, ETERNAL TRUTH | I invoke the power of Truth, the foundation of all that exists. |
| North | ZEV, LEADER OF CREATION | I invoke the King of the Gods, the Father of all that lives. |
| West | APHRODITE, QUEEN OF QUEENS | I invoke the Goddess of Love, the force that binds all things together. |
| South | APOLLO, POWER OF THE LIGHT | I invoke the God of Light, of Clarity, and of Truth made visible. |
Then affirm: Eternal Gods, You who have gone by many names in the cultures of humanity, I invoke You within myself. May all Your Names be blessed. May Your Names bestow me with power.
En Onomati tou Zev Hypsistou, Patros Theon te kai Anthropon
Om Zev Devadevaaya Satyaaya Namah
The Festival Invocation (spoken after the Invocation to Zeus, facing the central fire)
ὁ Ἥλιος ἵσταται, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἱστάμεθα σὺν αὐτῷ·
ἄνοιξον τὴν πύλην τοῦ Αἰγόκερω, ὡς ἤνοιξας τὸ ἄντρον τῆς Ἴδης,
καὶ γεννήθητι ἐν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἐγεννήθης ἐν τῇ Κρήτῃ.
Zef Kheimerie, Koore Diktaie, Pater tees Neektos,
o Eelios istatai, kai eemeis istametha seen afto·
anoixon teen peeleen too Aigokero, os eenoixas to antron tees Idees,
kai genneetheeti en eemin, os egenneethees en tee Kreetee.
the Sun stands still, and we stand with it;
open the gate of Capricorn, as you opened the cave of Ida,
and be born in us, as you were born in Crete.
The Burning Formula (as the paper takes the flame)
ὃ ἔγραψα, γενέσθω· ὃ ηὐξάμην, τελεσθήτω·
Ζεῦ Τελεσιουργέ, δέξαι καὶ τέλει.
To peeri too Dios paradidomi tas voolas moo·
o egrapsa, genestho· o eefxameen, telestheeto·
Zef Telesioorge, dexai kai telei.
what I wrote, let it come to be; what I prayed, let it be fulfilled;
Zeus Accomplisher, receive and bring to fulfilment.
The Toast of the Cup of Dionysos
πίνομεν τὸ πῦρ σου μετὰ μέτρου, καὶ ἀναβαίνομεν γελῶντες.
Evoi, Dioneese, Eeie too Dios, o oinos en to poteerio too Patros·
pinomen to peer soo meta metroo, kai anavainomen gelontes.
we drink your fire with measure, and we ascend laughing.
The Dawn Salutation of the 23rd of December (outdoors, facing east, at first light)
Ἁγία ἡ ἡμέρα αὕτη, καὶ σή ἐστιν, καὶ ἐγὼ σός εἰμι.
Khaire, Pater Zef· aneteile to fos soo, kai anistamai met' aftoo.
Agia ee eemera aftee, kai see estin, kai ego sos eimi.
Holy is this day, and it is yours, and I am yours.
Praised be Zeus, the God of Gods, the Unconquered and Greatest, Father of Gods and Men, King of the Immortals! Ring the bell, turning clockwise. The Rite is concluded.
Our preference on this night is joy. The Rite gives it a spine.
Celebrating Alone
Most Zevists keep the Holy Night at home, and the Rite was written so that one person with a candle, a cup and a sheet of paper performs it whole. Nothing in it needs a second voice.
Spend the afternoon of the 22nd preparing the house. Clean it. Set up the tree, or if there's no tree, a single evergreen branch with a light at its tip, which is the same symbol at the same scale. Cook the feast, or arrange to eat it after the Rite. Write the resolutions during the day, in a quiet hour, and not at the altar: the altar is for reading them, and the thinking is done before.
Write what the coming year is to hold, in the plainest words, and write it as a decision rather than a wish. Zeus honours the one who has decided.
At sunset bathe, dress, light the incense and take the place before the altar. Perform the Rite in the order above. The Grand Ritual of Zeus takes about 35 minutes in full and the Dionysus Power Ritual about 25; with the Psalm, the burning and the silence, the whole Rite fills the 3 hours before midnight, and it's meant to.
The height of the night is reached at the Silence, and the Silence should fall at or near midnight. Those who can't yet carry the full vibration counts halve them, as the Rituals themselves permit, and lose nothing of the night.
After the closing, eat, drink and enjoy the night. Call family and friends if they aren't present. Give the gifts. Watch the lights of the tree. The Zevist alone isn't alone on this night: everywhere on earth, in both hemispheres, others are kindling the same flame at the same hour, and the Psalm is being sung in 1 Greek by many mouths. Sleep late if the body asks it, but rise for the dawn if it can be managed, and speak the Salutation of the 23rd facing the east.
Then spend the Sacred Day of Zeus as a day of rest and dedication: no work that can be put off, no quarrel, no screen that isn't needed. Visit the family. Walk. Read. Thank the God.
The 12 days from the 23rd of December to the Feast of the Kore on the 6th of January, which the ancients kept as the Twelve Nights, are a natural season of rest and of planning. The resolutions are already in the fire; the days after are for laying out, on paper, how they'll be done.
Celebrating as a Gathering
When a coven, a lodge or the Temple itself gathers for the Holy Night, the Rite keeps its order and gains its offices. The ancient festivals were public things, carried by the whole city with a priesthood at the centre: the Eleusinian procession filled the Sacred Way from Athens to Eleusis with thousands who weren't initiates; the Panathenaic procession ran the whole city; the Rural Dionysia were a village in a field with a phallus on a pole and a song.
The Temple's gathering follows that pattern. The outer festival belongs to everyone present, members and guests; the inner rite belongs to the ranks that hold it, and takes place apart.
The Offices of the Night
| Office | Ancient model | Duty in the Rite |
|---|---|---|
| The Presiding Priest or Priestess (ὁ Ἱεροφάντης, ἡ Ἱεροφάντις) | The Hierophant of Eleusis, who “showed the holy things” | Leads the Rite from the Opening to the Closing; performs the Invocations; leads the Grand Ritual of Zeus and the Dionysus Power Ritual; speaks the Festival Invocation and the Toast. |
| The Torch-Bearer (ὁ Δᾳδοῦχος) | The Daduch of Eleusis, second in rank, who carried the torches | Keeps the central fire; lights the candle of Zeus at the Opening and the candle of Dionysos at its step; leads the torchlit procession; lights each celebrant's paper at the Burning. |
| The Herald (ὁ Ἱεροκῆρυξ) | The Hierokeryx of Eleusis, who made the proclamation and called for silence | Rings the bell; announces each step of the Rite; calls the Silence at midnight; gives the public call before the Rite that opens the night to all of good will and closes it to the hostile. |
| The Chorus (ὁ Χορός) | The chorus of the dithyramb at Delphi; the Thyiades | Sings the Psalm, 1 voice or several carrying the Greek, the assembly answering the last line of each passage in English. |
| The Thiasos (ὁ Θίασος) | The Bacchic thiasos; the Kouretes | Leads the circle dance around the fire after the Rite and carries the gifts and the cup. |
| The Children | The παῖς ἀφ' ἑστίας, the child initiated from the hearth at Eleusis | A child of the gathering lights the star of the tree before the Opening and receives the first gift after the Closing. |
The Order of the Gathering
- The Procession at sunset. The celebrants walk to the place of the Rite with torches or lanterns, in silence or with the first passage of the Psalm sung as a march. The Torch-Bearer leads; the Presiding Priest walks last. Where the gathering is indoors, the procession is a circuit of the hall.
- The Public Call. The Herald speaks the call at the threshold: that the Holy Night of Zeus is open to every person of clean hands and good will, that the hostile and the mocking have no place in it, and that what is done within is done in the worship of Zeus and of the Ancient Gods. This is the Temple's form of the Eleusinian prorrhesis, by which the Hierophant and the Daduch admitted “whoever has clean hands and intelligible speech” and excluded the rest (Isocrates, Panegyricus 157; scholion to Aristophanes, Frogs 369; Origen, Contra Celsum 3.59).
- The Lighting of the Star. A child lights the star of the tree. The hall's lights are lowered; only the fire, the candles and the tree remain.
- The Rite, in the order given above, led by the Presiding Priest, with the Chorus carrying the Psalm. At the Burning, the celebrants come forward one by one to the fire and give their papers to the flame, the Torch-Bearer lighting each. At the Silence, at midnight, the Herald calls it and the whole hall keeps it.
- The Common Cup. After the Toast the cup passes from hand to hand around the circle, the Presiding Priest drinking first and last.
- The Closing, and the bell.
- The Feast. The tables are opened. Honeyed cakes, roast meat, bread, fruit, nuts, wine. The Saturnalian custom holds: the servers are served, and the Priest clears a table.
- The Circle Dance. The Thiasos leads the whole gathering in the circle dance around the fire, counterclockwise, the direction of the Four Powers, in imitation of the Kouretes around the infant Zeus. Those who know the ancient armed dance perform it; the rest clap and stamp the rhythm. The dance ends when the leader stops and stands, and the whole circle stands with him: the Silence of Dionysos in the midst of the Orgia.
- The Gifts. Exchanged around the tree. The child receives first.
- The Games and the Vigil. Music, song, riddles, the mock king of the Saturnalia chosen by lot to give absurd commands for an hour, the telling of the birth of Zeus to the children, until dawn.
- The Dawn Salutation. The whole gathering goes outside at first light, faces the east, and the Presiding Priest speaks the Salutation of the 23rd, the assembly repeating it. Then the gathering disperses to keep the Sacred Day.
The inner rite of the ranks, where it is held, takes place apart from the hall, before the public Rite or after the Dawn Salutation, and the gathering isn't told its hour. Those who are called to it know.
The hall belongs to everyone who came in good will. The cave belongs to those who have been shown it.
The Psalm of the Winter Solstice
The Psalm is sung in 2 halves at the 2 points marked in the Rite: Movements I to III to Zeus after his Grand Ritual, Movements IV to VI to Dionysos after his Power Ritual. Each passage is given in 3 columns, Ancient Greek, transliteration and English. The transliteration follows the Modern Greek liturgical reading used throughout the Temple's rituals and hymn library. 72 passages: 36 to the Father, 36 to the Son.
The full Psalm stands on its own page: Psalm I: The Psalm of the Winter Solstice. The first 24 of its 72 passages are shown here; the drawdown below unfolds the remaining 48.
I · The Greatest Night · Ἡ Μεγίστη Νύξ (Zeus)
| № | Ancient Greek | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Κλῦθι, Ζεῦ, πάτερ ἀθανάτων τε θεῶν τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν, νυκτὶ ἐν ἠλιβάτῳ, ὅτε ἠέλιος ἵσταται ἄκρος· σοὶ τόδε μέλπομεν ᾆσμα, ὑψίστῳ ἄνακτι. | Kleethi, Zef, pater athanaton te theon te kai andron, neekti en eelivato, ote eeelios istatai akros· soi tode melpomen asma, eepsisto anakti. | Hear, Zeus, father of immortal gods and of men, in the towering night, when the sun stands still at its limit: to you we sing this song, to the Highest King. |
| 2 | Μακροτάτη νὺξ ἥδε, βαθυσκίου ἔργον Ἀνάγκης· ἀλλὰ σὺ φῶς κρύπτεις ἐν σπήλυγγι πυρὶ φλεγέθοντι, Ζεῦ Κρόνιε, καὶ πάλιν ἀνίστησι τὸ ἦμαρ ὁ σὸς νόος. | Makrotatee neex eede, vatheeskioo ergon Anankees· alla see fos kreepteis en speeleengi peeri flegethonti, Zef Kronie, kai palin anisteesi to eemar o sos noos. | This is the longest night, the work of deep-shadowed Necessity; but you keep the light hidden in a cave, blazing with fire, Zeus son of Kronos, and your mind raises the day again. |
| 3 | Αἰγόκερως ἀνοίγει πύλην ἀνθρώποισιν ἄνοδον, ᾗ ψυχαὶ πρὸς θεοὺς ἀναβαίνουσιν, ὡς σοφοὶ ἀρχαῖοι ηὔδων· ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἡ πύλη σου, Ζεῦ, ἀνέῳγεν. | Aigokeros anoigei peeleen anthropoisin anodon, ee pseekhai pros theoos anavainoosin, os sofoi arkhaioi eevdon· en taftee tee neekti ee peelee soo, Zef, aneogen. | Capricorn opens a gate for mankind, the gate of ascent, by which souls climb toward the gods, as the ancient wise declared; on this night your gate, Zeus, stands open. |
| 4 | Τροπαὶ ἠελίοιο, τὰς Ἡσίοδος ἐσήμηνε· ἑξήκοντα μετ' ἤματα, εἶπεν, Ἀρκτοῦρος ἀνίσχει· ἡμῖν δ' ἡ τροπὴ τοῦ φωτὸς ἀρχὴ ἐνιαυτοῖο. | Tropai eeelioio, tas Eesiodos eseemeene· exeekonta met' eemata, eipen, Arktooros aniskhei· eemin d' ee tropee too fotos arkhee eniaftoio. | Turnings of the sun, which Hesiod marked; 60 days after them, he said, Arcturus rises; for us the turning of the light is the beginning of the year. |
| 5 | Ἐν σκότῳ βαθεῖ τὸ σπέρμα φυλάσσεται, Ζεῦ, ὡς ἐν γαστρὶ γαίης κρύπτεται ὁ στάχυς ὁ χρύσεος· οὕτω καὶ τὸ φῶς σου κρύπτεται, ὄφρα γένηται μεῖζον. | En skoto vathei to sperma feelassetai, Zef, os en gastri gaiees kreeptetai o stakhees o khreeseos· ooto kai to fos soo kreeptetai, ofra geneetai meizon. | In deep darkness the seed is kept, Zeus, as the golden ear hides in the womb of the earth; so too your light hides, that it may grow greater. |
| 6 | Οὐ θνῄσκει τὸ φῶς· ἵσταται, ἀναπνεῖ, ἐπιστρέφει. Οὐ θνῄσκει ὁ βασιλεύς· ἐν κρυπτῷ γεννᾶται. Οὐ θνῄσκει ψυχή, ἥτις τὸν Δία ἔγνωκεν. | Oo thneeskei to fos· istatai, anapnei, epistrefei. Oo thneeskei o vasilevs· en kreepto gennatai. Oo thneeskei pseekhee, eetis ton Dia egnoken. | The light doesn't die: it stands, it breathes, it turns back. The king doesn't die: he is born in secret. The soul doesn't die, which has known Zeus. |
| 7 | Χαῖρε, Ζεῦ Χειμέριε, παγερῶν δέσποτα νυκτῶν, χιόνος ἀργεννῆς καὶ κρυστάλλου βασιλεῦ, ὃς καὶ ἐν ψύχει τὴν θέρμην τῆς ζωῆς διαφυλάσσεις. | Khaire, Zef Kheimerie, pageron despota neekton, khionos argennees kai kreestalloo vasilef, os kai en pseekhei teen thermeen tees zoees diafeelasseis. | Hail, Zeus of Winter, master of the frozen nights, king of the white snow and of the ice, who even in the cold keeps safe the warmth of life. |
| 8 | Ἀστέρες ἐν νυκτὶ μέσῃ λάμπουσι πυκνότερον, ὅτι ὁ Ἥλιος ἀπέχει, καὶ ἡ γῆ σιωπᾷ· ἐν τῇ σιωπῇ ταύτῃ τὴν φωνήν σου ἀκούομεν. | Asteres en neekti mesee lampoosi peeknoteron, oti o Eelios apekhei, kai ee gee siopa· en tee siopee taftee teen foneen soo akooomen. | The stars in the depth of night shine thicker, because the Sun stands far off, and the earth keeps silence; in this silence we hear your voice. |
| 9 | Ζεύς, ὅστις ποτ' ἐστίν, Αἰσχύλος ηὔξατο, τοῦτό σε καλῶ· ἡμεῖς δὲ σὸν ὄνομα ἴδμεν καὶ ἀναφανδὸν βοῶμεν· ΖΕΥΣ, ΖΕΥΣ, ΖΕΥΣ, τρὶς ἱερὸν ὄνομα τῶν νυκτῶν. | Zevs, ostis pot' estin, Aiskheelos eefxato, tooto se kalo· eemeis de son onoma idmen kai anafandon voomen· Zevs, Zevs, Zevs, tris ieron onoma ton neekton. | “Zeus, whoever you are,” Aeschylus prayed, “by this name I call you”; but we know your name and cry it openly: ZEUS, ZEUS, ZEUS, thrice-holy name of the nights. |
| 10 | Τῇ νυκτὶ τῇ δευτέρᾳ καὶ εἰκοστῇ Δεκεμβρίου ἡ Ἁγία Νὺξ τῶν Ζευϊστῶν, ἡ ὑψίστη τοῦ ἔτους· αὐτὸς ὁ Ζεὺς ταύτην τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐδήλωσεν. | Tee neekti tee deftera kai eikostee Dekemvrioo ee Agia Neex ton Zeviston, ee eepsistee too etoos· aftos o Zevs tafteen tois ierefsin edeelosen. | On the night of the 22nd of December falls the Holy Night of the Zevists, the highest of the year; Zeus himself made it known to the priests. |
| 11 | Δεῖπνον ἑτοίμασον, καὶ πῦρ ἐν ἑστίᾳ ἄναψον, στέψον τὸν οἶκον κλάδοις, τὸ δένδρον ἀστράπτον ἵδρυσον· ἡ ψυχὴ δένδρον ἐστί, καὶ ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ ἄκρος ὁ Ζεύς. | Deipnon etoimason, kai peer en estia anapson, stepson ton oikon kladois, to dendron astrapton idreeson· ee pseekhee dendron esti, kai o asteer o akros o Zevs. | Prepare the feast, and light a fire on the hearth, crown the house with branches, set up the tree that flashes with light: the soul is a tree, and the star at its summit is Zeus. |
| 12 | Πρὶν τὸ φῶς ἀνατεῖλαι, δὸς ἡμῖν ὑπομονήν· πρὶν τὴν ἡμέραν μηκύνεσθαι, δὸς ἐλπίδα· σὺ γὰρ ὁ χειμῶνα κρατῶν καὶ ἔαρ ἀποδιδούς. | Prin to fos anateilai, dos eemin eepomoneen· prin teen eemeran meekeenesthai, dos elpida· see gar o kheimona kraton kai ear apodidoos. | Before the light rises, give us endurance; before the day lengthens, give us hope; for you are the one who rules the winter and gives back the spring. |
II · The Dictaean Kouros · Ὁ Κοῦρος ὁ Δικταῖος (Zeus)
| № | Ancient Greek | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Ἰὼ μέγιστε Κοῦρε, χαῖρέ μοι, Κρόνειε, παγκρατὲς γάνους, βέβακες δαιμόνων ἁγώμενος· Δίκταν ἐς ἐνιαυτὸν ἕρπε καὶ γέγαθι μολπᾷ. | Io megiste Koore, khaire moi, Kroneie, pankrates ganoos, vevakes daimonon agomenos· Diktan es eniafton erpe kai gegathi molpa. | Io, greatest Kouros, hail to me, son of Kronos, all-powerful brightness, you have come leading the daimones; come to Dikte for the year and rejoice in the song. |
| 14 | Ἐν Ἴδης ἄντρῳ Ῥέα σε ἔτικτε λαθοῦσα Κρόνον, Ἀμάλθεια δ' ἡ αἲξ γάλα σοι θεῖον παρέσχεν· κέρας αὐτῆς πλῆρες ἔτι ῥέει πᾶσι τοῖς πιστοῖς. | En Idees antro Rea se etikte lathoosa Kronon, Amaltheia d' ee aix gala soi theion pareskhen· keras aftees pleeres eti reei pasi tois pistois. | In the cave of Ida Rhea bore you, hidden from Kronos, and Amaltheia the goat gave you divine milk; her horn, ever full, still flows for all the faithful. |
| 15 | Κουρῆτες περὶ σὲ ἐχόρευον, ἀσπίδας κρούοντες, ὄφρα μὴ κλαίοντος φωνὴ τὸν πατέρα καλέσῃ· χορὸς ἔνοπλος ἡ πρώτη λατρεία τοῦ Διός. | Kooreetes peri se ekhorevon, aspidas krooontes, ofra mee klaiontos fonee ton patera kalesee· khoros enoplos ee protee latreia too Dios. | The Kouretes danced around you, striking their shields, so that the sound of your crying wouldn't summon your father; the armed dance was the first worship of Zeus. |
| 16 | Μέλισσαι μέλι ἔφερον, καὶ ἡ Ἀδράστεια σε ἐκοίμιζε, σὺ δ' ἀετὸς γενόμενος ἐκ Κρήτης ἀνῆλθες ἐς Ὄλυμπον· μικρὸς ἐν σπηλαίῳ, ὕστερον δεσπότης οὐρανοῦ. | Melissai meli eferon, kai ee Adrasteia se ekoimize, see d' aetos genomenos ek Kreetees aneelthes es Oleempon· mikros en speelaio, eesteron despotees ooranoo. | Bees brought honey, and Adrasteia rocked you to sleep, and you, becoming an eagle, rose from Crete to Olympus; small in a cave, afterwards master of the sky. |
| 17 | Τὸ παιδίον τὸ κρυπτὸν ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ τῇ μακροτάτῃ σύμβολον τοῦ φωτὸς τοῦ κρυπτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ ψυχῇ· ὃς τὸν Κοῦρον ἐν ἑαυτῷ τρέφει, γίγνεται βασιλεύς. | To paidion to kreepton en tee neekti tee makrotatee seemvolon too fotos too kreeptoo en pasee pseekhee· os ton Kooron en eafto trefei, gignetai vasilevs. | The hidden child in the longest night is the symbol of the light hidden in every soul; he who nurses the Kouros within himself becomes a king. |
| 18 | Σκίρτα, Κοῦρε, ἐς πίθους, καὶ σκίρτα ἐς ποίμνια, σκίρτα ἐς λήϊα καρπῶν καὶ ἐς πόλεις ἡμῶν· σκίρτα ἐς ναῦς ποντοπόρους καὶ ἐς νέους πολίτας. | Skirta, Koore, es pithoos, kai skirta es poimnia, skirta es leeia karpon kai es poleis eemon· skirta es navs pontoporoos kai es neoos politas. | Leap, Kouros, into the wine jars, and leap into the flocks, leap into the fields of grain and into our cities; leap into the seafaring ships and into the new citizens. |
| 19 | Δικταῖε, Ἰδαῖε, Κρηταγενές, Οὐράνιε, ὁ Κρὴς ἔφη σὸν τάφον ἔχειν, ψεύστης ὁ Κρής· σὺ γὰρ ἀεὶ ζῇς, Καλλίμαχος ὀρθῶς ἐβόησεν. | Diktaie, Idaie, Kreetagenes, Ooranie, o Krees efee son tafon ekhein, psefstees o Krees· see gar aei zees, Kallimakhos orthos evoeesen. | Dictaean, Idaean, Crete-born, Heavenly One, the Cretan said he held your tomb; the Cretan is a liar; for you live always, as Callimachus rightly cried. |
| 20 | Ἐκ τοῦ ἄντρου τὸ φῶς, ἐκ τοῦ σκότους ὁ βασιλεύς, ἐκ τῆς σιγῆς ὁ κεραυνός, ἐκ τοῦ βρέφους ὁ πατήρ· οὕτω καὶ ἐκ τῆς νυκτὸς τῆσδε ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ὁ νέος. | Ek too antroo to fos, ek too skotoos o vasilevs, ek tees sigees o keravnos, ek too vrefoos o pateer· ooto kai ek tees neektos teesde o eniaftos o neos. | From the cave the light, from the darkness the king, from the silence the thunderbolt, from the infant the father; so too from this night the new year. |
| 21 | Ἀγαθὸν ἔτος δός, Ζεῦ, καὶ ἔαρ ἀνθηρόν, ὀπώρην πολύκαρπον καὶ χειμῶνα πρᾶον· καὶ τοῖς νέοις πολίταις δύναμιν καὶ εὐνομίαν. | Agathon etos dos, Zef, kai ear antheeron, oporeen poleekarpon kai kheimona praon· kai tois neois politais deenamin kai evnomian. | Give a good year, Zeus, and a flowering spring, a harvest of many fruits and a gentle winter; and to the new citizens strength and good order. |
| 22 | Κοῦρος εἶ καὶ Πατήρ, ἀρχὴ καὶ τέλος ὁμοῦ· παῖς ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ, πρεσβύτης ἐν τῷ θέρει· ὁ κύκλος σου ὁ ἐνιαύσιος ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ αἰῶνος. | Kooros ei kai Pateer, arkhee kai telos omoo· pais en tee neekti taftee, presveetees en to therei· o keeklos soo o eniafsios ee eikon too aionos. | You are Kouros and Father, beginning and end together: a child on this night, an elder in the summer; your yearly circle is the image of eternity. |
| 23 | Τὸν ἀστέρα τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ δένδρου ἀνάπτομεν σοί, ὁ ὄφις ὁ πύρινος ἀνῆλθε, ἡ ῥάχις ἐφωτίσθη· μυρίαι φλόγες ἐν τῷ σώματι τοῦ πιστοῦ. | Ton astera ton epi too dendroo anaptomen soi, o ofis o peerinos aneelthe, ee rakhis efotisthee· meeriai floges en to somati too pistoo. | The star upon the tree we light for you: the fiery serpent has risen, the spine is illumined; countless flames in the body of the faithful. |
| 24 | Χαῖρε, Κοῦρε Δικταῖε, χαῖρε, Ζεῦ Κρηταγενές· ἐν σπηλαίῳ τὸν κόσμον ἐσώσας λανθάνων· σῶσον καὶ ἡμᾶς ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ, ὄφρα φανῶμεν ἐν φωτί. | Khaire, Koore Diktaie, khaire, Zef Kreetagenes· en speelaio ton kosmon esosas lanthanon· soson kai eemas en to kreepto, ofra fanomen en foti. | Hail, Dictaean Kouros, hail, Crete-born Zeus; in a cave you saved the world unseen; save us too in the hidden place, that we may appear in the light. |
Unfold the remaining 48 passages of the Psalm (movements III to VI)
III · The All-Sovereign King · Ὁ Παντοκράτωρ Βασιλεύς (Zeus)
| № | Ancient Greek | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Ζεὺς πρῶτος γένετο, Ζεὺς ὕστατος ἀργικέραυνος, Ζεὺς κεφαλή, Ζεὺς μέσσα, Διὸς δ' ἐκ πάντα τέτυκται· οὕτως Ὀρφεὺς ᾖσε, καὶ ἡμεῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ ᾄδομεν. | Zevs protos geneto, Zevs eestatos argikeravnos, Zevs kefalee, Zevs messa, Dios d' ek panta teteektai· ootos Orfevs eese, kai eemeis met' aftoo adomen. | Zeus was first, Zeus last, lord of the bright thunderbolt, Zeus the head, Zeus the middle, from Zeus all things are made; so Orpheus sang, and we sing with him. |
| 26 | Ἰούπιτερ ἐν Ῥώμῃ, Ἀμοῦν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, Ἄνου ἐν Βαβυλῶνι, Ἴνδρας ἐν τῇ Ἰνδικῇ· ἓν ὄνομα ἐν πολλαῖς γλώσσαις, εἷς Ζεὺς ἐν πᾶσι. | Ioopiter en Romee, Amoon en Aigeepto, Anoo en Vaveeloni, Indras en tee Indikee· en onoma en pollais glossais, eis Zevs en pasi. | Jupiter in Rome, Amun in Egypt, Anu in Babylon, Indra in India; one name in many tongues, one Zeus in all. |
| 27 | Ὀδὶν ἐν τῷ Βορρᾷ, Περοὺν ἐν τοῖς Σκλάβοις, Θὼρ ὁ βροντῶν, Ταρχοὺν ὁ Χετταῖος, Μαρδοὺκ ὁ Βαβυλώνιος· ὁ πιστὸς ἀλλάσσει τὸ ὄνομα κατὰ τὴν γλῶσσαν, οὐ τὸν θεόν. | Odin en to Vorra, Peroon en tois Sklavois, Thor o vronton, Tarkhoon o Khettaios, Mardook o Vaveelonios· o pistos allassei to onoma kata teen glossan, oo ton theon. | Odin in the North, Perun among the Slavs, Thor who thunders, Tarhunt the Hittite, Marduk the Babylonian; the faithful change the name by their tongue, not the God. |
| 28 | Σαβάζιε, Ἁδάδ, Ἄμμων, Δάγδα ὁ Ἀγαθός, Τίνια τῶν Τυρσηνῶν, Τλάλοκ τῶν Μεξικῶν, Τέγγρι τῶν Μογγόλων· πᾶν ἔθνος εἶδε τὴν ὄψιν σου, καὶ πᾶν ἔθνος ἐβόησεν. | Savazie, Adad, Ammon, Dagda o Agathos, Tinia ton Teerseenon, Tlalok ton Mexikon, Tengri ton Mongolon· pan ethnos eide teen opsin soo, kai pan ethnos evoeesen. | Sabazios, Hadad, Ammon, Dagda the Good, Tinia of the Etruscans, Tlaloc of the Mexica, Tengri of the Mongols; every nation saw your face, and every nation cried out. |
| 29 | Σὺ τῶν Μοιρῶν ταμίας, σὺ τῆς Θέμιδος πόσις, σὺ τῆς Δίκης πατήρ, ἣ παρὰ τῷ θρόνῳ σου κάθηται· Μάατ ἡ Αἰγυπτία, Σάτυα ἡ Ἰνδική, μία Ἀλήθεια. | See ton Moiron tamias, see tees Themidos posis, see tees Dikees pateer, ee para to throno soo katheetai· Maat ee Aigeeptia, Sateea ee Indikee, mia Aleetheia. | You are the steward of the Fates, you the husband of Themis, you the father of Dike, who sits beside your throne; Ma'at the Egyptian, Satya the Indian, one Truth. |
| 30 | Ὁ κεραυνός σου οὐ μόνον καίει, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζωογονεῖ· ὁ Ἡράκλειτος ἔφη· τὰ πάντα οἰακίζει Κεραυνός· διὰ σοῦ ὁ κόσμος κυβερνᾶται, καὶ δι' ἡμῶν, ὅταν σὲ φέρωμεν. | O keravnos soo oo monon kaiei, alla kai zoogonei· o Eerakleitos efee· ta panta oiakizei Keravnos· dia soo o kosmos keevernatai, kai di' eemon, otan se feromen. | Your thunderbolt doesn't only burn; it also begets life; Heraclitus said: “the Thunderbolt steers all things”; through you the cosmos is steered, and through us, when we bear you. |
| 31 | Ἐπὶ χάρτου γράφομεν τὰς βουλὰς τοῦ ἔτους, καὶ τῷ πυρὶ παραδίδομεν, ὄφρα ἐς αἰθέρα ἀνέλθωσιν· σὺ δέχου τὰς βουλάς, Ζεῦ Τελεσιουργέ, καὶ τέλει. | Epi khartoo grafomen tas voolas too etoos, kai to peeri paradidomen, ofra es aithera anelthosin· see dekhoo tas voolas, Zef Telesioorge, kai telei. | On paper we write the resolutions of the year, and give them to the fire, that they may rise to the aether; receive the resolutions, Zeus Accomplisher, and bring them to fulfilment. |
| 32 | Οὐ δεόμεθα ὡς δοῦλοι, ἀλλὰ προσερχόμεθα ὡς τέκνα· οὐχ ἱκετεύομεν τρέμοντες, ἀλλὰ κοινωνοῦμεν ἑστῶτες· ὁ Ζεὺς καρδίαν εἰλικρινῆ ζητεῖ, οὐ χρυσόν. | Oo deometha os dooloi, alla proserkhometha os tekna· ookh iketevomen tremontes, alla koinonoomen estotes· o Zevs kardian eilikrinee zeetei, oo khreeson. | We don't beg like slaves; we come forward as children; we don't supplicate trembling; we commune standing; Zeus seeks a sincere heart, not gold. |
| 33 | Ἄναξ ἀνάκτων, Ὕψιστε, Παντοκράτορ, Ἀήττητε, Πάτερ Πατέρων, ὃς ἐν πᾶσιν εἶ καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα· ἀπὸ σοῦ ὁ Χρύσεος Αἰών, καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ κήρυκες αὐτοῦ. | Anax anakton, Eepsiste, Pantokrator, Aeetteete, Pater Pateron, os en pasin ei kai eeper panta· apo soo o Khreeseos Aion, kai eemeis oi keereekes aftoo. | King of kings, Most High, All-Sovereign, Unconquered, Father of Fathers, who are in all things and above all; from you comes the Golden Age, and we are its heralds. |
| 34 | Ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ οἱ Ζευϊσταὶ πανταχοῦ τῆς γῆς τὴν αὐτὴν φλόγα ἅπτουσι καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὕμνον ᾄδουσι· τὸ βόρειον ἡμισφαίριον καὶ τὸ νότιον μία ἑορτή. | En tee neekti taftee oi Zevistai pantakhoo tees gees teen afteen floga aptoosi kai ton afton eemnon adoosi· to voreion eemisfairion kai to notion mia eortee. | On this night the Zevists everywhere on earth kindle the same flame and sing the same hymn; the northern hemisphere and the southern, one feast. |
| 35 | Σιγὴ νῦν· ἐν σιγῇ ὁ Ζεὺς μάλιστα ἀκούεται. Μίαν στιγμὴν τὸ κενὸν τοῦ νοῦ ἡ ὑψίστη κοινωνία. Ἐν τῷ κενῷ τούτῳ ἡ φωνή σου, ἐν τῇ φωνῇ σου τὸ πᾶν. | Sigee neen· en sigee o Zevs malista akooetai. Mian stigmeen to kenon too noo ee eepsistee koinonia. En to keno tooto ee fonee soo, en tee fonee soo to pan. | Silence now: in silence Zeus is heard the most. For one moment the emptiness of the mind is the highest communion. In this emptiness your voice; in your voice, the All. |
| 36 | ΙΑΩ, ΖΕΥΣ ΑΕΝΑΟΣ, ΖΕΥΣ ΥΨΙΣΤΟΣ ΠΑΝΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ· Ζεὺς ἦν, Ζεὺς ἔστι, Ζεὺς ἔσσεται· ὦ μεγάλε Ζεῦ· σοὶ τὸ κράτος, σοὶ ἡ νύξ, σοὶ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐπανερχόμενον. | Iao, Zevs Aenaos, Zevs Eepsistos Pantokrator· Zevs een, Zevs esti, Zevs essetai· Oh megale Zef· soi to kratos, soi ee neex, soi to fos to epanerkhomenon. | IAO, ZEUS EVERFLOWING, ZEUS MOST HIGH, ALL-SOVEREIGN; Zeus was, Zeus is, Zeus shall be; O great Zeus; yours is the might, yours the night, yours the returning light. |
IV · The Twice-Born · Ὁ Δὶς Γεννηθείς (Dionysos)
| № | Ancient Greek | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Κλῦθι, Διόνυσε, Διὸς υἱέ, Σεμέλης τέκος, Πυριγενές, Διθύραμβε, Μηροτραφές, δὶς γεγαώς· ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ὑμνοῦμεν. | Kleethi, Dioneese, Dios eeie, Semelees tekos, Peerigenes, Ditheeramve, Meerotrafes, dis gegaos· en tee neekti too Patros kai ton Eeion eemnoomen. | Hear, Dionysos, son of Zeus, child of Semele, Fire-born, Dithyrambos, Thigh-nursed, twice-born; on the night of the Father we hymn the Son also. |
| 38 | Ὁ κεραυνὸς τὴν μητέρα ἔκαυσε, σὲ δὲ ἐβάπτισεν· ἐν τῷ μηρῷ τοῦ Διὸς ἐρράφης, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Διὸς ἐγεννήθης· οὕτως ὁ θάνατος τῆς μητρὸς ἀρχὴ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ θεοῦ. | O keravnos teen meetera ekafse, se de evaptisen· en to meero too Dios errafees, kai ek too Dios egenneethees· ootos o thanatos tees meetros arkhee tees zoees too theoo. | The thunderbolt burned the mother, but baptized you; in the thigh of Zeus you were sewn, and from Zeus you were born; so the death of the mother was the beginning of the life of the god. |
| 39 | Ζαγρεὺς ὁ πρῶτος, Περσεφόνης καὶ Διὸς παῖς, ὃν οἱ Τιτᾶνες ἐσπάραξαν, παίζοντα ἐν ἀθύρμασιν· ἀλλ' ἡ καρδία ἐσώθη, καὶ ἐκ τῆς καρδίας σὺ πάλιν. | Zagrevs o protos, Persefonees kai Dios pais, on oi Titanes esparaxan, paizonta en atheermasin· all' ee kardia esothee, kai ek tees kardias see palin. | Zagreus the first, child of Persephone and Zeus, whom the Titans tore apart as he played with his toys; but the heart was saved, and from the heart you came again. |
| 40 | Ἐν Δελφοῖς τὸν χειμῶνα σὺ κατέχεις τὸν ναόν, ὁ Ἀπόλλων πρὸς Ὑπερβορέους ἀπεδήμησε· τρεῖς μῆνας ὁ διθύραμβος ἀντὶ τοῦ παιᾶνος ᾄδεται. | En Delfois ton kheimona see katekheis ton naon, o Apollon pros Eepervoreoos apedeemeese· treis meenas o ditheeramvos anti too paianos adetai. | At Delphi through the winter you hold the temple; Apollo has gone away to the Hyperboreans; for 3 months the dithyramb is sung instead of the paean. |
| 41 | Αἱ Θυιάδες ἐγείρουσι τὸν Λικνίτην ἐν τῇ νυκτί, τὸ βρέφος ἐν τῷ λίκνῳ, τὸν θεὸν ἐν τῷ πτύῳ τοῦ σίτου· ὁ ὕπνος τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ χειμών, ἡ ἔγερσις αὐτοῦ ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ μηκυνομένη. | Ai Theeiades egeiroosi ton Likniteen en tee neekti, to vrefos en to likno, ton theon en to pteeo too sitoo· o eepnos too theoo o kheimon, ee egersis aftoo ee eemera ee meekeenomenee. | The Thyiades wake the Liknites in the night, the infant in the winnowing basket, the god in the winnowing fan of the grain; the sleep of the god is the winter, his waking the lengthening day. |
| 42 | Ὁ Ἥλιος ἐν τροπαῖς χειμεριναῖς βρέφος φαίνεται, ὡς οἱ Αἰγύπτιοι ἔδειξαν, καὶ Μακρόβιος ἔγραψεν· σὺ ὁ παῖς τοῦ φωτός, Διόνυσε, Ἥλιος νυκτερινός. | O Eelios en tropais kheimerinais vrefos fainetai, os oi Aigeeptioi edeixan, kai Makrovios egrapsen· see o pais too fotos, Dioneese, Eelios neekterinos. | The Sun at the winter solstice appears as an infant, as the Egyptians showed, and Macrobius wrote; you are the child of the light, Dionysos, the Sun of the night. |
| 43 | Ὀσίριδι σὲ ἴσον ὁ Ἡρόδοτος ἐκάλεσε, Λίβερ ἐν Ῥώμῃ, Βάκχος ἐν Λυδίᾳ, Σαβάζιος ἐν Θρᾴκῃ· ὁ πιστὸς τὸ ὄνομα κατὰ γένος ἀλλάσσει, τὸν θεὸν δὲ ἕνα γινώσκει. | Osiridi se ison o Eerodotos ekalese, Liver en Romee, Vakkhos en Leedia, Savazios en Thrakee· o pistos to onoma kata genos allassei, ton theon de ena ginoskei. | Herodotus called you the same as Osiris, Liber in Rome, Bacchus in Lydia, Sabazios in Thrace; the faithful change the name according to their people, but know the god as one. |
| 44 | Ἴακχε, Ἴακχε, ὁ ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι βοώμενος, φωσφόρε ἀστὴρ τῆς νυκτερινῆς τελετῆς· ἄγε τὸν χορὸν ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦ σκότους ἐς τὸ φῶς. | Iakkhe, Iakkhe, o en Elefsini voomenos, fosfore asteer tees neekterinees teletees· age ton khoron eemon dia too skotoos es to fos. | Iacchos, Iacchos, you who are cried out at Eleusis, light-bearing star of the nocturnal rite; lead our chorus through the darkness to the light. |
| 45 | Ἀπὸ Νύσης ἐς Αἴγυπτον, ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐς Ἰνδούς, τὴν ἄμπελον ἐδίδαξας, καὶ αἱ παρδάλεις τὸ ἅρμα εἷλκον· ὅπου ἐπάτησας, ἡ γῆ ἐγέλασε. | Apo Neesees es Aigeepton, ex Aigeeptoo es Indoos, teen ampelon edidaxas, kai ai pardaleis to arma eilkon· opoo epateesas, ee gee egelase. | From Nysa to Egypt, from Egypt to the Indians, you taught the vine, and the leopards drew your chariot; wherever you stepped, the earth laughed. |
| 46 | Ὁ Πενθεὺς ἠρνήσατο, καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτὸν διέσπασεν· ὁ Λυκοῦργος ἐδίωξε, καὶ ἡ ἄμπελος αὐτὸν ἔδησεν· οἱ πειραταὶ σὲ ἐδέσμευσαν, καὶ δελφῖνες ἐγένοντο. | O Penthevs eerneesato, kai ee meeteer afton diespasen· o Leekoorgos edioxe, kai ee ampelos afton edeesen· oi peiratai se edesmefsan, kai delfines egenonto. | Pentheus denied, and his mother tore him apart; Lycurgus persecuted, and the vine bound him; the pirates bound you, and they became dolphins. |
| 47 | Μαινόμενε, Λύσιε, Ἐλευθέριε, Βρόμιε, ὁ λύων τὰ δεσμὰ τοῦ λογισμοῦ καὶ τοῦ φόβου· Πλάτων ἔφη· διὰ μανίας θείας τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἀγαθῶν. | Mainomene, Leesie, Eleftherie, Vromie, o leeon ta desma too logismoo kai too fovoo· Platon efee· dia manias theias ta megista ton agathon. | Raving One, Loosener, Liberator, Thunderer, who loosens the bonds of calculation and of fear; Plato said: through divine madness come the greatest of goods. |
| 48 | Χαῖρε, Διόνυσε, ὁ δὶς γεννηθεὶς καὶ τρὶς ὑμνούμενος· ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ τοῦ Διὸς σὺ ὁ οἶνος ἐν τῷ ποτηρίῳ αὐτοῦ· πίνομεν, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ μετὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν. | Khaire, Dioneese, o dis genneetheis kai tris eemnoomenos· en tee neekti too Dios see o oinos en to poteerio aftoo· pinomen, kai o Pateer meta too Eeioo en eemin. | Hail, Dionysos, twice-born and thrice-hymned; on the night of Zeus you are the wine in his cup; we drink, and the Father with the Son is within us. |
V · The Winter Orgia · Τὰ Ὄργια τοῦ Χειμῶνος (Dionysos)
| № | Ancient Greek | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | Εὐοῖ, Εὐάν, Ἰὼ Βάκχε, Ἰὼ Ἴακχε, ἡ νὺξ ἡ μακρὰ τοῖς μύσταις μικρά· ὁ χρόνος λύεται· ἀπόθου τὸν λογισμόν, καὶ ὁ θεὸς εἰσέρχεται. | Evoi, Evan, Io Vakkhe, Io Iakkhe, ee neex ee makra tois meestais mikra· o khronos leeetai· apothoo ton logismon, kai o theos eiserkhetai. | Euoi, Euan, Io Bacchos, Io Iacchos, the long night is short for the initiates; time dissolves; lay aside calculation, and the god enters. |
| 50 | Ὁ οἶνος οὐ μέθη μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ κλεὶς τῆς ψυχῆς· πίνε μετρίως, ὄφρα τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ σε φωτίσῃ, μηδὲ ἀμέτρως, ὄφρα μὴ τὸ πῦρ σε καύσῃ. | O oinos oo methee monon, alla kai kleis tees pseekhees· pine metrios, ofra to peer to en to oino se fotisee, meede ametros, ofra mee to peer se kafsee. | Wine isn't only drunkenness; it's also a key of the soul; drink in measure, that the fire in the wine may enlighten you, and not without measure, lest the fire burn you. |
| 51 | Χορεύετε, μύσται, ἐν κύκλῳ περὶ τὸ πῦρ, ὡς αἱ Μαινάδες ἐν Κιθαιρῶνι, ὡς αἱ Θυιάδες ἐν Παρνασσῷ· ὁ χορὸς ὁ κυκλικὸς ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ ἡλίου ἐπιστρέφοντος. | Khorevete, meestai, en keeklo peri to peer, os ai Mainades en Kithaironi, os ai Theeiades en Parnasso· o khoros o keeklikos ee eikon too eelioo epistrefontos. | Dance, initiates, in a circle around the fire, like the Maenads on Kithairon, like the Thyiades on Parnassos; the circling dance is the image of the sun turning back. |
| 52 | Τὸ προσωπεῖον τὸ Διονυσιακὸν οὐ κρύπτει, ἀλλ' ἀποκαλύπτει· ὃς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πρόσωπον ἀποθέμενος τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ φορεῖ, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀποθέμενος λογισμὸν τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ νοῦν εὑρίσκει. | To prosopeion to Dioneesiakon oo kreeptei, all' apokaleeptei· os to eaftoo prosopon apothemenos to too theoo forei, ton eaftoo apothemenos logismon ton too theoo noon evriskei. | The Dionysian mask doesn't hide; it reveals; he who lays down his own face and wears the god's lays down his own calculation and finds the god's mind. |
| 53 | Ἐν τῇ ἡδονῇ ἡ ἀνάβασις, ἐν τῇ χαρᾷ ἡ ἀλήθεια· οὐ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ὁ Ζεὺς τὸν βίον ἵνα πενθῶμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα γελῶμεν καὶ ἄνω φερώμεθα γελῶντες. | En tee eedonee ee anavasis, en tee khara ee aleetheia· oo gar edoken o Zevs ton vion ina penthomen, all' ina gelomen kai ano ferometha gelontes. | In pleasure the ascent, in joy the truth; for Zeus didn't give life so that we may mourn, but so that we may laugh and be carried upward laughing. |
| 54 | Ἀλλ' ὁ μύστης διακρίνει· τὸ ὄργιον οὐ κραιπάλη· ἐν μέσῃ τῇ τελετῇ σιγὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιπίπτει, καὶ ὁ χορεύων ἵσταται, καὶ ὁρᾷ, καὶ οὐκέτι χορεύει. | All' o meestees diakrinei· to orgion oo kraipalee· en mesee tee teletee sigee too theoo epipiptei, kai o khorevon istatai, kai ora, kai ooketi khorevei. | But the initiate discerns: the orgion isn't a debauch; in the middle of the rite the silence of the god falls, and the dancer stands still, and sees, and dances no longer. |
| 55 | Ἔριφος ἐς γάλα ἔπετον, ἐς γάλα ἔπετον ἔριφος· τὰ χρύσεα πέταλα τῶν μυστῶν ἐν τοῖς τάφοις λέγουσι· θεὸς ἐγένου ἐξ ἀνθρώπου· χαῖρε παθὼν τὸ πάθημα. | Erifos es gala epeton, es gala epeton erifos· ta khreesea petala ton meeston en tois tafois legoosi· theos egenoo ex anthropoo· khaire pathon to patheema. | “A kid, I fell into milk; a kid, into milk I fell”: the gold leaves of the initiates in the tombs say it; “a god you have become from a man; hail, you who have suffered the suffering.” |
| 56 | Εἰπὲ τῇ Φερσεφόνῃ ὅτι Βάκχιος αὐτός σε ἔλυσεν· οὕτως οἱ μύσται ἐν Πελίννῃ, καὶ οὕτως ἡμεῖς· ὁ Λύσιος λύει καὶ τοῦ θανάτου τὸν δεσμόν. | Eipe tee Fersefonee oti Vakkhios aftos se eleesen· ootos oi meestai en Pelinnee, kai ootos eemeis· o Leesios leeei kai too thanatoo ton desmon. | “Tell Persephone that Bacchios himself has released you”: so the initiates at Pelinna, and so we; the Loosener loosens even the bond of death. |
| 57 | Ὁ κισσὸς ἀειθαλὴς ἐν χειμῶνι, ὡς ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν θανάτῳ· ὁ θύρσος ὁ ἐστεμμένος, ῥάβδος καὶ ῥάχις καὶ κῶνος· ὁ κῶνος ἡ κεφαλή, ἣ τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἀνιὸν δέχεται. | O kissos aeithalees en kheimoni, os ee pseekhee en thanato· o theersos o estemmenos, ravdos kai rakhis kai konos· o konos ee kefalee, ee to peer to anion dekhetai. | The ivy is evergreen in winter, like the soul in death; the crowned thyrsus: staff and spine and pinecone; the pinecone is the head, which receives the rising fire. |
| 58 | Ἐλθεῖν, ἥρω Διόνυσε, Ἀλείων ἐς ναὸν ἁγνὸν σὺν Χαρίτεσσιν, ἐς ναὸν τῷ βοέῳ ποδὶ θύων· ἄξιε ταῦρε, ἄξιε ταῦρε· οὕτως αἱ Ἠλεῖαι γυναῖκες, καὶ ἡμεῖς μετ' αὐτῶν. | Elthein, eero Dioneese, Aleion es naon agnon seen Kharitessin, es naon to voeo podi theeon· axie tavre, axie tavre· ootos ai Eeleiai geenaikes, kai eemeis met' afton. | “Come, hero Dionysos, to the holy temple of the Eleans with the Graces, to the temple, rushing with bull's foot; worthy bull, worthy bull”: so the women of Elis, and we with them. |
| 59 | Ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ ταύτῃ δῶρα ἀλλάσσομεν, ὡς ὁ θεὸς τὴν ἄμπελον ἔδωκεν· ὁ διδοὺς Διόνυσος γίγνεται, ὁ λαμβάνων Ζεὺς Ξένιος· ἡ τράπεζα ἡ πλήρης βωμὸς ἄναιμος. | En tee eortee taftee dora allassomen, os o theos teen ampelon edoken· o didoos Dioneesos gignetai, o lamvanon Zevs Xenios· ee trapeza ee pleerees vomos anaimos. | On this feast we exchange gifts as the god gave the vine; the giver becomes Dionysos, the receiver Zeus Xenios; the full table is a bloodless altar. |
| 60 | Χαῖρε, Διόνυσε, ἡ ἡδονὴ ἡ ἀνάγουσα· ὅστις σὲ μετρίως φέρει, φέρεται ὑπὸ σοῦ ἄνω· ὅστις σὲ ἀρνεῖται, ὑπὸ σοῦ κάτω σπαράσσεται. | Khaire, Dioneese, ee eedonee ee anagoosa· ostis se metrios ferei, feretai eepo soo ano· ostis se arneitai, eepo soo kato sparassetai. | Hail, Dionysos, the pleasure that leads upward; whoever bears you in measure is carried by you upward; whoever denies you is torn by you below. |
VI · The Ascent of the Light · Ἡ Ἄνοδος τοῦ Φωτός (Dionysos and Zeus)
| № | Ancient Greek | Transliteration | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61 | Ἡ νὺξ κλίνει. Ἐν τῷ ἄκρῳ τοῦ σκότους τὸ πρῶτον ἔαρ. Ὁ Ἥλιος ἐν Αἰγόκερῳ ἵσταται καὶ ἐπιστρέφει· ὁ Πατὴρ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ἓν φῶς ἐκ δύο πυρῶν. | Ee neex klinei. En to akro too skotoos to proton ear. O Eelios en Aigokero istatai kai epistrefei· o Pateer kai o Eeios en fos ek deeo peeron. | The night bends. At the summit of the darkness, the first spring. The Sun stands in Capricorn and turns back; the Father and the Son, one light from 2 fires. |
| 62 | Ὁ Ζεὺς ἡ πηγή, ὁ Διόνυσος ὁ ῥοῦς· ὁ Ζεὺς ὁ κεραυνός, ὁ Διόνυσος ἡ φλὸξ ἐν τῷ οἴνῳ· ὁ Ζεὺς ὁ νόος, ὁ Διόνυσος ἡ χαρὰ τοῦ νοῦ· ὁ εἷς τὸν ἕτερον οὐ λείπει, ὡς τὸ φῶς τὴν θέρμην. | O Zevs ee peegee, o Dioneesos o roos· o Zevs o keravnos, o Dioneesos ee flox en to oino· o Zevs o noos, o Dioneesos ee khara too noo· o eis ton eteron oo leipei, os to fos teen thermeen. | Zeus the spring, Dionysos the stream; Zeus the thunderbolt, Dionysos the flame in the wine; Zeus the mind, Dionysos the joy of the mind; the one doesn't leave the other, as light doesn't leave heat. |
| 63 | Ἐκ τοῦ Αἰγοκέρωτος ἀναβαίνει ὁ Ἥλιος ἐς Ὑδροχόον, καὶ ἐκ τῆς νυκτὸς ταύτης ὁ μύστης ἐς τὴν ἔγερσιν· ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ὁ νέος ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, πρὶν ἐν τῷ ἡμερολογίῳ. | Ek too Aigokerotos anavainei o Eelios es Eedrokhoon, kai ek tees neektos taftees o meestees es teen egersin· o eniaftos o neos en tee kardia, prin en to eemerologio. | From Capricorn the Sun climbs toward Aquarius, and from this night the initiate toward awakening; the new year is in the heart before it's in the calendar. |
| 64 | Βρουμάλια οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, Σατουρνάλια οἱ πρόγονοι αὐτῶν, Ἁλῶα ἐν Ἐλευσῖνι τῇ Δήμητρι καὶ τῷ Διονύσῳ· πάντα ἐν Ποσειδεῶνι, πάντα περὶ τὸ αὐτὸ φῶς. | Vroomalia oi Romaioi, Satoornalia oi progonoi afton, Aloa en Elefsini tee Deemeetri kai to Dioneeso· panta en Poseideoni, panta peri to afto fos. | Brumalia the Romans, Saturnalia their forefathers, the Haloa at Eleusis for Demeter and Dionysos; all in the month Poseideon, all around the same light. |
| 65 | Ὁ Μίθρας ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ, ὁ Ἀπόλλων ἐν Ὑπερβορέοις, ὁ Ὧρος ἐν τῷ παπύρῳ τῆς Ἴσιδος, ὁ Ζεὺς ἐν τῷ ἄντρῳ· πᾶς θεὸς φωτὸς ἐν τροπαῖς χειμεριναῖς γεννᾶται ἢ κρύπτεται. | O Mithras en tee petra, o Apollon en Eepervoreois, o Oros en to papeero tees Isidos, o Zevs en to antro· pas theos fotos en tropais kheimerinais gennatai ee kreeptetai. | Mithras in the rock, Apollo among the Hyperboreans, Horus in the papyrus thicket of Isis, Zeus in the cave; every god of light at the winter solstice is born or hidden. |
| 66 | Οἱ Χριστιανοὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἔκλεψαν, τὸ δένδρον, τὰ δῶρα, τὸ φῶς· ἀλλ' ὁ κλέπτης οὐ γίγνεται δεσπότης· τὸ φῶς τοῦ Διός ἐστιν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀναλαμβάνομεν ὃ ἡμέτερον ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς. | Oi Khristianoi teen eorteen eklepsan, to dendron, ta dora, to fos· all' o kleptees oo gignetai despotees· to fos too Dios estin· eemeis de analamvanomen o eemeteron een ap' arkhees. | The Christians took the feast: the tree, the gifts, the light; but the thief doesn't become master; the light belongs to Zeus; and we take back what was ours from the beginning. |
| 67 | Σήμερον μὴ νηστεύσῃς· σήμερον φάγε καὶ πίε καὶ γέλα· ὁ Ζεὺς τὴν σάρκα οὐ μισεῖ, οὐδὲ τὴν ὕλην ἀτιμάζει· τὸ σῶμα ὁ ναός, ἡ ἑορτὴ ἡ λειτουργία αὐτοῦ. | Seemeron mee neestefsees· seemeron fage kai pie kai gela· o Zevs teen sarka oo misei, oode teen eeleen atimazei· to soma o naos, ee eortee ee leitoorgia aftoo. | Today don't fast; today eat and drink and laugh; Zeus doesn't hate the flesh, nor dishonour matter; the body is the temple, the feast its liturgy. |
| 68 | Γένος καὶ φίλοι καὶ ξένοι ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τραπέζης· ὁ Ζεὺς Ξένιος καὶ Ἑταιρεῖος ἐν μέσῳ ἀόρατος κάθηται· ὁ ξένος ὁ κληθεὶς ὁ θεὸς ὁ ἐλθών. | Genos kai filoi kai xenoi epi tees aftees trapezees· o Zevs Xenios kai Etaireios en meso aoratos katheetai· o xenos o kleetheis o theos o elthon. | Kin, friends, strangers at the same table; Zeus Xenios and Hetaireios sits unseen in the midst; the stranger who was invited is the god who came. |
| 69 | Ὅτε ἡ πρώτη ἀκτὶς τῆς τρίτης καὶ εἰκοστῆς ἀνατέλλει, ἡ Ἁγία Ἡμέρα τοῦ Διός, ἡμέρα τῆς ἀφιερώσεως· ἔξελθε, καὶ στραφεὶς πρὸς ἀνατολὰς εἰπέ· Χαῖρε, Πάτερ. | Ote ee protee aktis tees tritees kai eikostees anatellei, ee Agia Eemera too Dios, eemera tees afieroseos· exelthe, kai strafeis pros anatolas eipe· Khaire, Pater. | When the first ray of the 23rd rises, the Holy Day of Zeus, the day of dedication; go out, and turning to the east, say: Hail, Father. |
| 70 | Δέξαι τὸν ὕμνον, Ζεῦ, καὶ σύ, Διόνυσε, δέξαι· ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ δύο στροφαί, ὅσαι αἱ πεντάδες τοῦ κύκλου· ὁ κύκλος ὅλος, ὁ ἐνιαυτὸς ὅλος, σοὶ ἀνάκειται. | Dexai ton eemnon, Zef, kai see, Dioneese, dexai· evdomeekonta kai deeo strofai, osai ai pentades too keekloo· o keeklos olos, o eniaftos olos, soi anakeitai. | Receive the hymn, Zeus, and you, Dionysos, receive it; 72 strophes, as many as the 5-degree parts of the circle; the whole circle, the whole year, is dedicated to you. |
| 71 | Ἀκήρατον τὸ φῶς, ἀένναος ὁ Ζεύς, ἀθάνατος ὁ οἶνος· ἡ ἠὼς ἔρχεται, καὶ ἡμεῖς φέρομεν αὐτὴν ἐν ταῖς χερσίν· ὃς ἐν τῇ μεγίστῃ νυκτὶ ὕμνησεν, ἐν τῇ μεγίστῃ ἡμέρᾳ βασιλεύσει. | Akeeraton to fos, aennaos o Zevs, athanatos o oinos· ee eeos erkhetai, kai eemeis feromen afteen en tais khersin· os en tee megistee neekti eemneesen, en tee megistee eemera vasilefsei. | Unmixed the light, everflowing Zeus, immortal the wine; the dawn is coming, and we carry it in our hands; he who hymned in the greatest night shall reign in the greatest day. |
| 72 | ΖΕΥΣ ΑΕΝΑΟΣ. ΖΕΥΣ ΥΨΙΣΤΟΣ. ΖΕΥΣ ΠΑΝΤΟΚΡΑΤΩΡ. Χαῖρε, Ζεῦ, ὁ τῆς νυκτὸς Πατήρ· χαῖρε, Διόνυσε, ὁ τοῦ οἴνου Υἱός· εὐλογημένα τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν νῦν καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ΙΑΩ. | Zevs Aenaos. Zevs Eepsistos. Zevs Pantokrator. Khaire, Zef, o tees neektos Pateer· khaire, Dioneese, o too oinoo Eeios· evlogeemena ta onomata eemon neen kai eis ton aiona. Iao. | ZEUS EVERFLOWING. ZEUS MOST HIGH. ZEUS ALL-SOVEREIGN. Hail, Zeus, Father of the night; hail, Dionysos, Son of the wine; blessed are your names now and unto the age. IAO. |
Correspondences of the Festival
| Sun | 0° Capricorn, 21 to 22 December; festival fixed on 22 to 23 December |
|---|---|
| Hour of the height | Midnight of the 22nd to the 23rd |
| Direction of the Rite | The central fire; the Dawn Salutation facing east |
| Colours | Gold and white for Zeus; red and purple for Dionysos; the deep blue of the winter night |
| Incense | Frankincense; pine resin; juniper; myrrh for the vigil |
| Plants | Pine, fir, ivy, holly, mistletoe, laurel; the oak log on the fire |
| Offerings on the altar | Honey, wine, bread, pine cones, a golden apple, the written resolutions |
| Foods of the feast | Honeyed cakes, roast meats, nuts, dried fruit, mulled wine, bread of the new year |
| Symbols | The tree and its star, the horn of Amaltheia, the thunderbolt, the eagle, the thyrsus with its pine cone, the winnowing basket |
| Numbers | 72 (the Psalm), 36 and 36, 12 (the Twelve Nights), 3 (the days the Sun stands still) |
| Workings favoured | Resolutions and the planning of the year; the dedication of new members; every working of return, renewal and the kindling of light; the Serpent meditation at the base of the spine |
| The Rituals of the Gods | The Grand Ritual of Zeus; the Dionysus Power Ritual |
| Ancient hymns to read | Orphic Hymn 15 to Zeus; Callimachus, Hymn 1 to Zeus; Orphic Hymn 46 to Dionysos Liknites; Orphic Hymn 53 to Dionysos of the Returning Year |
Sources
- Homer, Odyssey 15.404; Hesiod, Works and Days 479, 564 to 567, 663; Theogony 477 to 484 (the solstice; the birth of Zeus).
- The Hymn of the Kouretes from Palaikastro: Inscriptiones Creticae III ii 2; M. L. West, “The Dictaean Hymn to the Kouros,” Journal of Hellenic Studies 85 (1965) 149 to 159; J. E. Harrison, Themis (1912), ch. 1.
- Callimachus, Hymn 1 (to Zeus), 8 to 9, 42 to 54; Aratus, Phaenomena 156 to 166; Eratosthenes, Catasterismi 27; Hyginus, Astronomica 2.28 (Amaltheia, Aigipan, Capricorn).
- Diodorus Siculus 5.70, 5.77.3 (the Cretan Zeus; the open Mysteries of Knossos); Strabo 10.3.11; Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 1.1.6 to 7 (the Kouretes).
- Euripides, Cretans fr. 472 Kannicht (Porphyry, De abstinentia 4.19); Bacchae 72 to 82, 88 to 104, 286 to 297, 471 to 474.
- Orphic fragment 31 Kern (= 243 Bernabé); Ps.-Aristotle, De mundo 401a; the Derveni papyrus, col. 17; Orphic Hymns 15, 19, 20, 30, 44, 45, 46, 52, 53.
- Plutarch, De E apud Delphos 9, 389c; De Iside et Osiride 35 (365a), 52 (372c), 65 (377c); Quaestiones Graecae 36 (299a to b); Pausanias 10.4.3, 10.32.7, 1.38.7, 10.12.10.
- Aristophanes, Acharnians 241 to 279; Frogs 340 to 342, 369 and scholia; scholion to Lucian, Dialogi meretricii 7.4 (the Haloa); H. W. Parke, Festivals of the Athenians (1977) 95 to 103; L. Deubner, Attische Feste (1932) 60 to 67, 134 to 138.
- Macrobius, Saturnalia 1.7 to 1.10, 1.18.10; Commentarii in Somnium Scipionis 1.12.1 to 2, 2.11; Porphyry, De antro nympharum 22 to 23; Numenius fr. 31 to 32 des Places.
- John Lydus, De mensibus 4.158; Malalas 7.7; Concilium in Trullo (692), canon 62 (the Brumalia); Catullus 14.15; Lucian, Saturnalia 4; Tacitus, Annals 13.15.
- The Chronography of 354 (Furius Dionysius Philocalus), the Fasti for 25 December (N. Invicti); Augustine, Sermo 190.1; Leo the Great, Sermo 27.4; Justin Martyr, Dialogue 70 (Mithras born from the rock).
- Epiphanius, Panarion 51.22.9 to 11 (the Koreion of Alexandria); Herodotus 2.42, 2.144, 2.171.
- Bede, De temporum ratione 15 (Giuli, Mōdraniht); Snorri Sturluson, Skáldskaparmál and the Óðins nöfn (Jólnir); Hákonar saga góða 13 (Heimskringla); Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar, prose after stanza 30.
- Plato, Phaedrus 244a to 245a, 265b; Timaeus 37d; Heraclitus B 64; Aeschylus, Agamemnon 160 to 162; Isocrates, Panegyricus 157; Origen, Contra Celsum 3.59.
- The Bacchic gold leaves: F. Graf and S. I. Johnston, Ritual Texts for the Afterlife (2nd ed., 2013), nos. 3, 5, 26a to b; A. Bernabé and A. I. Jiménez San Cristóbal, Instructions for the Netherworld (2008).
- W. Burkert, Greek Religion (1985) 125 to 131, 161 to 167, 276 to 304; Ancient Mystery Cults (1987); K. Kerényi, Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life (1976) 204 to 237; M. P. Nilsson, Griechische Feste (1906) 258 to 311; J. Sakellarakis, “The Idaean Cave: Minoan and Greek Worship,” Kernos 1 (1988) 207 to 214.
Declared in the worship of Zeus and of the Ancient Gods,
in service of Ma'at, Satya, and the Sovereignty of Zeus,
for the restoration of the festivals of mankind.
Author: High Priest Zevios Metathronos
Issued for the Temple of Zeus Foundation.
Issued for the Holy Night of the 22nd of December, for every year.