#🌧️ — marie’s petition & praise

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Praise to Zeus

O' mighty Zeus, divine Father of the deathless Gods and evanescent Mortals, I praise you.

Friend of Strangers and Refugees; Merciful God of the Sky. He who leads the Fates, giver of wealth and good things, and protector of our homes, I praise you.

From the fertile rain to the crackle of lightning you reign over, to the golden sword you wield, and the gentle wind you bring, I praise you, O' divine King Zeus.

Image #1: Jupiter Enthroned, Heinrich Friedrich Füger, Image #2: Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Divider by @/vibeswithrenai I don't worship or work with Zeus, so my praise might be a bit awkward. However, I've wanted to do more to honor him in my practice, and this is the first step.

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Prayer to Ἑρμης Διακτορος

O’ divine guide, Lord Hermes, giver of joy and good things; please hear my words. If life is a journey, then you are my Guide. In every risky venture I take, I find you. From the dimly lit roads of the countryside, To the realm of gentle sleep you hold, I will follow you. Hear me, O’ divine guide, Shepard of Souls and friend of Mortals, Please bless this journey with your watchful gaze; Watch as I step onto an untried path in your honor, And may your keen gaze stop me from straying away. Lord Hermes, guide me in what is soon to come.

Inspired by u/ashelone on Reddit, and @temple-of-hermes' celebration of the Fourth. Divider by @/vibeswithrenai

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O' divine One, Lady Hestia; Kind, daughter of Great Mother, Rhea; Goddess of the Home herself.

Lady Hestia—who protects our homes from the cold, who resides in the four corners of every house, who reigns over communal feasts and family blessings, over the hearth and the flames: please grace us with your everlasting warmth during this holiday season.

May your presence bring comfort to this home. May you bless us with peaceful family meals and abundant warmth and love for ourselves, our family, and each other.

O' divine One, Lady Hestia; Please join us at our dinner table during our grand meal so we may feel your warmth again. We kindly thank you for all of your blessings.

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Praise to Hera

O’ divine Mother, Queen Hera—protector of men and women; I offer my praise to you. 

Bright and fair-eyed Hera; Beloved Goddess of the skies,  She who blesses marriage and protects women in child labor,

I praise you. 

Queen Hera, guardian of the streets of Argos, of the blue clear waters of Samos, of the oldest temple of Olympia, I praise and honor you.

Image #1: Hera and Zeus (Jeff Raum, 2008), Image #2: Jupiter and Juno (Charles-Antoine) found on Britannica Divider by @/vibeswithrenai

I don't worship Hera, but I'm reading "Hera" by Jennifer Saint and feel that I need to give her some praise lmao. It's awkward since I don't know her, but I hope it's ok 🦚

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O' keen-eyed Hermes, God of Communication—divine messenger of the deathless Gods and guide of mortals. You, keen-eyed Hermes, know the truth behind the lies and deceit others have spread. I come to you with a request: please, o' gracious, watchful Hermes, bring the truth to the ears of those who need it most. Please guide us to the answers we seek. May you guide the message of truth to light.

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Hymn 24 to Hestia

Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White.

Hestia, you who tend the holy house of the lord Apollo, the Far-shooter at goodly Pytho, with soft oil dripping ever from your locks, come now into this house, come, having one mind with Zeus the all-wise -- draw near, and withal bestow grace upon my song.

Hymn 29 to Hestia

Translation by Hugh G. Evelyn-White.

Hestia, in the high dwellings of all, both deathless gods and men who walk on earth, you have gained an everlasting abode and highest honor: glorious is your portion and your right. For without you, mortals hold no banquet—where one does not duly pour sweet wine in offering to Hestia both first and last.

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Hymn 15 to Zeus

Much-honored Zeus, great God, indestructible Zeus. We lay before you in prayer, redeeming testimony. O' King, you have brought to light divine works—earth, goddess, and mother; the hills swept by the shrill winds; the sea and the host of the stars, marshaled by the Sky. Kronian Zeus, strong-spirited God, the thunderbolt is your scepter. Father of all, beginning and end of all, earth-shaker, increaser and purifier, all-shaker, God of Thunder and Lightning, Zeus, the sower. Hear me, God of many faces, grant me unblemished health. Please grant me divine peace and riches and glory without blame.

Hymn 19 to Zeus

Father Zeus, sublime is the course of the blazing cosmos you drive on, ethereal and lofty the flash of your lightning as you shake the seat of the gods with a god's thunderbolt. The fire of your lightning emblazons the rain clouds; you bring storms and hurricanes; you bring mighty gales; you hurl roaring thunder, a shower of arrows. Horrific might and strength set all aflame; dreadful missile makes heart pounds and hair bristle. Holy and invincible, it comes with a sudden crash, an endless spiral of noise, omnivorous in its drive, unbreakable and threatening, ineluctable, too, the gale's sharp and smoke-filled shafts swoop down with a flash dread by land and sea. Wild beasts cringe when they hear the noise; faces reflect the brilliance of thunder roaring in the celestial hollows. You tear the robe that cloaks heaven, and you hurl the fiery thunderbolt. O blessed one, The anger of the sea waves, the anger of the mountain peaks—we all know your power. Enjoy this libation and give all things pleasing to the heart: a life of prosperity, queenly health, divine peace that nurtures youths, crowned with honors, a life-ever blooming with cheerful thoughts.

Hymn 20 to Astrapaios Zeus

I call upon great and pure, upon resounding and illustrious, upon ethereal and blazing Zeus, whose racing fire shines through the air. Your light flashes through the clouds with an ear-splitting clap. O horrid, O wrathful and pure, O invincible God, lord of lightning, I call upon you. O begetter of all, O great King, to be kind and to bring a sweet end to my life.

thunderstorm divider by @/thecutestgrotto The Full Orphic Hymns

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Daughter of lovely-haired Rhea, Hestia—Goddess of the Hearth, bringer of warmth, and protector of domestic bliss—I welcome you with offerings, of which you'll be the first and last to receive a share. Please grace us with your everlasting warmth during this incredibly dark yet auspicious day.

And you too, son of Hyperion, He Who Goes Above—the bright-eyed Titan, Helios—the one who drives the golden chariot that guides the Sun from east to west and brings us the seasons. May you join us for a deserved rest and enjoy the offerings this household has to give you.

And you too, daughter of Hyperion, All-Shining Titan, who personifies the Moon—Selene. On this day, the Moon will shine as the biggest and brightest celestial in the sky for the longest. While Helios rests, you will watch proudly and guide us with your light. I welcome you, too, with offerings. May the Moon shine exceptionally bright today.

And you too, son of Cronus, Hades—King of the Underworld, God of Hidden Wealth and Funeral Rites. In the darkness, I find you. And I welcome you with open arms and offerings. Please join us on this day of introspection and reflection as the moonlight guides us through the dark and unknown. May you enjoy some of our offerings, too.

Dividers by @/sister-lucifer

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Beloved Lady Psyche—Lover of Love himself, a friend of flowers, and a bringer of clarity and hope; I offer my praise to you. You, who has been there despite everything—every trial and tribulation, mistake, and moment of weakness. You, lovely-haired, lone Psyche, are truly divine, and so I offer my praise to you.

divider by @/huramuna

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Part of Hymn 18 to Plouton

[...] O' Plouton, holder of the keys to the whole Earth. To mankind, you give the wealth of the year's fruits; yours is the third portion. Earth, Queen of all, seat of the Gods, mighty lap of mortals.

Your throne rests on a dark realm, the realm of distant, of untiring, of windless, and of impassive Hades; [...] Holiest and illustrious ruler of all, frenzied god, you delight in the respect and in the reverence of your worshippers.

I summon you, come with favor, come with joy to the initiates.

Divider by @/v6que

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Hymn 73 to Daimon

Translation by Apostolos N. Athanassakis

I call upon Daimon, the grand and the dreaded leader, gentle Zeus, who gives birth to all, who gives livelihood to mortals.

Great Zeus, wide-roving avenger, King of all, giver of wealth. When you enter the house in the abundance of your powers, you refresh the life of mortals worn out with toil; you possess the keys to joy and sorrow as well.

So, O' pure and blessed one, drive painful cares away, cares that dispatch ruin to all that lives throughout the whole earth, and bring a glorious end to my life, a sweet and noble one.

By calling upon "gentle Zeus," the author invokes Zeus Meilichios, the euphemistic aspect of Zeus Maimaktes or "he who rages eager, panting, and thirsting for blood." Zeus Meilichios was often praised as the divinity of purification in the aftermath of war and the guilt of killing¹ (and miasma). He was strong enough to keep the unruly and restless dead (those who died violent deaths) at bay. So, by honoring and offering sacrifices to Zeus Meilichios, they cleanse themselves of bloodlust—Maimaktes. Benjamin Wolkow noted, "Under this name, he [Zeus] was worshipped both as a household and polis divinity. The power to grant good or bad fortune was his, and his sacrifices were made as a way to stay in this god's good graces."

Divider by @/sweetmelodygraphics [1] Harrison, "Prolegomena to the Study of Greek Religion," 17. [2] Burton, "The Role of Zeus Meillichios in Argos,"