Mousa, sing of Artemis, sister of Hekatos (the far-shooter), Parthenos Iokheaira (the virgin who delights in arrows), who was fostered with Apollon. She waters her horses from Meles [a river in Lydia] deep in reeds, and swifty drives her all-golden chariot through Smyrna to vine-clad Klaros where Apollon Argyrotoxos (god of the silver bow), sits waiting for Hekatebolon Iokheaira (far-shooting delighter in arrows).Have a joyous Mounukhia!
And so hail to you, Artemis, in my song and to all goddesses as well. Of you first I sing and with you I begin; now that I have begun with you, I will turn to another song.
~Homeric Hymn 9 to Artemis (trans. Evelyn-White)
"I begin to sing of Asklepios, son of Apollon and healer of sicknesses. In the Dotian plain fair Koronis, daughter of King Phlegyas, bare him, a great joy to men, a soother of cruel pangs. and so hail to you, lord: in my song I make my prayer to thee!"
Anthesteria, one of the four Athenian festivals in honour of Dionysus (collectively the Dionysia), was held annually for three days, the eleventh to thirteenth of the month of Anthesterion (the January/February full moon);[1] it was preceded by the Lenaia.[2] At the centre of this wine-drinking festival was the celebration of the maturing of the wine stored at the previous vintage, whose pithoi were now ceremoniously opened, and the beginning of spring. Athenians of the Classical age were aware that the festival was of great antiquity; Walter Burkert points out that the mythic reflection of this is the Attic founder-king Theseus' release of Ariadne to Dionysus,[3] but this is no longer considered a dependable sign that the festival had been celebrated in the Minoan period. Since the festival was celebrated by Athens and all the Ionian cities, it is assumed that it must have preceded the Ionian migration of the late eleventh or early tenth century BC.
The three days of the feast were called Pithoigia (after πίθοι "storage jars"), Choës (χοαί "libations"; Modern Greek: χοές) and Chytroi (χύτροι "pots").
During the feast, social order was interrupted or inverted, the slaves being allowed to participate, uniting the household in ancient fashion. The Anthesteria also have aspects of a festival of the dead who freely roamed the city, comparable to the Roman Feast of the Lemures, the expulsion of ancestral ghosts: compare All Souls' Night and carnival. Either the Keres (Κῆρες) or the Carians (Κᾶρες) were entertained, and expelled from the city after the festival, symbolizing either the souls of the dead or the aboriginal inhabitants of Attica. A Greek proverb, employed of those who pestered for continued favours, ran "Out of doors, Keres! It is no longer Anthesteria". [4}]
Eis Athênan
To Athena
Pallad' Athênaiên, kudrên theon, archom' aeidein
I begin to sing of Pallas Athena, the glorious goddess,
glaukôpin, polumêtin, ameilichon êtor echousan,
bright-eyed, inventive, unbending of heart,
parthenon aidoiên, erusiptolin, alkêessan,
pure virgin, saviour of cities, courageous,
Tritogenê, tên autos egeinato mêtieta Zeus
Tritogeneia. From his awful head wise Zeus
semnês ek kephalês, polemêia teuche' echousan,
himself bare her arrayed in warlike arms
chrusea, pamphanoônta: sebas d' eche pantas horôntas
of flashing gold, and awe seized all the gods as they gazed.
athanatous: hê de prosthen Dios aigiochoio
But Athena sprang quickly from the immortal head and stood before Zeus who holds the aegis,
essumenôs ôrousen ap' athanatoio karênou,
shaking a sharp spear:
seisas' oxun akonta: megas d' elelizet' Olumpos
great Olympos began to reel horribly
deinon hupo brimês glaukôpidos: amphi de gaia
at the might of the grey-eyed goddess, and earth round about
smerdaleon iachêsen: ekinêthê d' ara pontos,
cried fearfully, and the sea was moved and tossed with dark waves,
kumasi porphureoisi kukômenos: ekchuto d' halmê
while foam burst forth suddenly:
exapinês: stêsen d' Huperionos aglaos huios
the bright Son of Hyperion stopped
hippous ôkupodas dêron chronon, eisote kourê
his swift-footed horses a long while, until the maiden
heilet' ap' athanatôn ômôn theoeikela teuchê
stripped the heavenly armour from her immortal shoulders,
Pallas Athênaiê: gêthêse de mêtieta Zeus.
Pallas Athena. And wise Zeus was glad.
kai su men houtô chaire, Dios tekos aigiochoio:
Hail to you, daughter of Zeus who holds the aigis!
autar egô kai seio kai allês mnêsom' aoidês.
Now I will remember you and another song as well.
"How should I cultivate a relationship with a God who is so alien to my own spirit?"I put this question out to the multiverse, and it gave me a clear answer. Almost 12 hours exactly from when I wrote the entry, a young man posted the Homeric Hymn to Ares on the same forum I was doling out advice on earlier. Allow me to quote a portion of it.
"Restrain also the keen fury of my heart which provokes me to tread the ways of blood-curdling strife. Rather, O blessed one, give you me boldness to abide within the harmless laws of peace, avoiding strife and hatred and the violent fiends of death."Ares, then, is not just the Lord of War. He is also the giver of restraint. That shows wisdom that any lover of Athena can appreciate. I believe I'll go light a stick of incense for Ares and attempt to make my peace with him.
