Prayers and Hymns for Hellenic Polytheists
This page is meant to be a collection of prayers, hymns and poetry to various greek deities. I want to mainly focus on ancient texts that people might not be aware of. For modern prayers, I recommend checking Hellenion's Hymnodia, Temple Hyacinthus' page on Prayers and Hymns and Underflow by Hearthstone.
But I pray to Mnamosyna (Mnemosyne, Memory), the fair-robed child of Ouranos (Uranus, Heaven), and to her daughters [the Mousai (Muses)], to grant me ready resource; for the minds of men are blind, whosoever, without the maids of Helikon (Helicon), seeketh the steep path of them that walked it by their wisdom.
Gentle-eyed mother Mousa (Muse) \[Mnemosyne], keep company with the pure family of your children : we bring out a complex song, newly flowering with fresh-built skill.
Lady, most revered lady, daughter of Zeus, welcome, Artemis, welcome, daughter of Leto and Zeus, you who are the most beautiful by far among the virgins, and in mighty heaven you dwell in the richly-gilded palace of Zeus. Welcome most beautiful, most beautiful throughout Olympus!
Listen, Moirai, who sit nearest of the gods
to the throne of Zeus
and weave on adamantine shuttles countless and inescapable
devices
of counsels of all kinds.
Aisa, Klotho and Lakhesis,.
fair-armed daughters of Nyx,.
hear our prayers,.
you all-terrible deities of heaven and the lower world:.
send us rose-bloomed Eunomia (Order).
and her bright-throned sisters Dike (Justice).
and garland-wearing Eirana (Peace),.
and make this city forget its heavy-hearted misfortunes.
[Prayer of an insomniac to Somnus the god of Sleep :]
O youthful Hypnos, gentlest of the gods, by what crime or error of
mine have I deserved that I alone should lack thy bounty? Silent
are all the cattle, and the wild beasts and the birds, and the
curved mountain summits have the semblance of weary slumber, nor
do the raging torrents roar as they were wont; the ruffled waves
have sunk to rest, and the sea leans against earth's bosom and is
still. Seven times now hath the returning moon beheld my fixed and
ailing eyes; so often have the lights of the morning & evening
star revisited me, so oft hath Eos, the Dawn passed by my groans,
and pitying sprinkled me with her cool whip [the whip with which
she chases away the stars].
Ah! how may I endure? Not if I had the thousand eyes of sacred
Argus, which he kept but in alternate watchfulness, nor even waked
in all his frame at once. But now--ah, me!--if some lover through
the long hours of night is clasping a girl's entwining arms, and
of his own will drives thee from him, come thence, O Hypnos! Nor
do I bid thee shower all the influence of thy wings upon my eyes--
that be the prayer of happier folk! --touch me but with thy wand's
extremest tip-- 'tis enough--or pass over me with lightly hovering
step.