1. Hekate
Hekate is a goddess associated with crossroads, the night, magic, witchcraft, and the Moon. She is often depicted holding a pair of torches, a key, snakes, or accompanied by dogs.
Hymn to Hekate
Lovely Hekate of the roads
and of the crossroads I invoke.
In heaven, on earth,
then in the sea, saffron-cloaked,
tomb spirit reveling
in the souls of the dead,
daughter of Perses, haunting deserted places,
delighting in deer,
nocturnal, dog-loving,
monstrous queen,
devouring wild beasts,
ungirt and repulsive.
Herder of bulls,
queen and mistress of the whole world,
leader, nymph,
mountain-roaming nurturer of youths,
maiden, I beseech you to come
to these holy rites,
ever with joyous heart,
ever favoring the oxherd.
2. Eileithyia
Eileithyia is a goddess associated with childbirth and midwifery. In the Orphic Hymns, she is addressed as “Prothyraia” meaning “at the door,” a cult title shared with Artemis and Hekate.
Hymn to Prothyraia
Hear me, O revered goddess,
O many-named divinity,
O sight sweet to women in labor,
you offer them aid in travail.
You save women, and you alone
love children,
O kindly goddess
of swift birth, ever helpful to young women,
O Prothyraia.
You hold the keys,
you are accessible to all, O mistress,
gracious and fond of nurture,
you have power in every house,
and you delight in festivities.
You loosen girdles, and though invisible
you are seen in every deed,
you share pain,
you rejoice in every birth,
O Eileithyia, you free from pain
those in terrible distress.
Upon you alone pregnant women call,
O comforter of souls, and in you alone there is relief from pains of labor.
Artemis, Eileithyia,
reverend Prothyraia,
hear, O blessed one,
help me and grant offspring;
save me, savior of all,
for it is in your nature to do so.
3. Nyx
Nyx is the personification of night. She is depicted as a primordial deity, the offspring of Chaos itself, giving birth to the sky and earth in the form of Ouranos and Gaia respectively. She is typically depicted with wings, wearing a black dress or a dress with black highlights.
Hymn to Night
I shall sing of Night,
mother of gods and men;
we call Night Kypris,
she gave birth to all.
Hear, O blessed goddess,
jet-black and starlit,
for you delight in the quiet
and slumber-filed serenity.
Cheerful and delightful, lover
of the nightlong revel, mother of dreams,
you free us from cares,
you offer us welcome respite from toil.
Giver of sleep, beloved of all,
you gleam in the darkness as you drive your steeds,
Ever incomplete, terrestrial,
and then again celestial,
you circle around in pursuit
of sprightly phantoms,
you force light into the nether world,
and then again you flee
into Hades, for dreadful Necessity
governs all things.
But now, O blessed one-beatific,
desired by all – I call on you
to grant a kind ear
to my voice of supplication,
and to come, benevolent,
to disperse fears that glisten in the night.
4. Ouranos
Ouranos is the personification of the sky. He is generally considered the father of the Titans. He was castrated by his son Kronos, after which the Titans assumed rulership of the cosmos.
Hymn to Ouranos
Sky, father of all,
eternal cosmic element,
primeval beginning of all,
end of all,
lord of the universe,
moving about the earth like a sphere.
You are home of the blessed gods,
your motion is a roaring whirl,
you envelop al,
celestial and terrestrial guard.
Physis’ invincible drive
lies in your breast.
Dark-blue, indomitable,
shimmering, variform,
all-seeing father of Kronos,
blessed and most sublime divinity,
hearken, bring a life of holiness
to the new initiates.
5. Ether
Ether is the personification of the upper sky. Ether was the offspring of Chronos and is notable for being, in a sense, the father of Protogonos, one of the most important figures in Orphic cosmology.
Hymn to Ether
Yours are Zeus’ lofty swelling,
endless power, too;
of the stars, of the sun,
and of the moon you claim a share.
O tamer of all, O fire-breather,
O life’s spark for every creature,
sublime Ether,
best cosmic element,
radiant, luminous,
starlit offspring,
I call upon you and I beseech you
to be temperate and clear.
6. Protogonos
Protogonos is a primeval deity born from the cosmic egg at the birth of the universe. As such, they are the origin of both the gods and mortal humans. In Orphism, Protogonos is often equated with Eros, Dionysos, and Mithras, the subject of the famous secret religion Mithraism. Protogonos is associated with light and goodness.
Hymn to Protogonos
Upon two-natured Protogonos,
great and ether-tossed, I call;
born of the egg,
delighting in his golden wings,
the begetter of blessed gods and mortal men;
he bellows like a bull.
Erikepaios, seed unforgettable,
attended by many rites,
ineffable, hidden, brilliant scion,
forever in whirring motion,
you scattered the dark mist,
the mist that lay before your eyes.
Flapping your wings, you whirled about
throughout this world,
you brought pure light.
For this I call you Phanes,
yes, I call you Lord Priapos,
I call you bright-eyed Antauges.
O blessed one of the many counsels
and of the many seeds, come joyfully
to the celebrants of this holy rite,
of this very intricate rite.
7. The Stars
While not gods or goddesses, some mystery cults like Mithraism called upon the stars as divine beings. There was an ancient belief that al people became a star after death, so each star corresponded to a living person. Ideally, a group of three or more would portray the Stars.
Hymn to the Sun
Hear me, O blessed one,
eternal eye that sees all,
Titan radiant as god,
Hyperion, celestial light,
self-born, untiring,
sweet sight to living creatures.
On the right you beget dawn,
on the left you beget night,
you temper the seasons
as you ride your dancing horses,
you rush, you rush very swiftly,
O fiery and bright-faced charioteer,
you press on your course
in endless whirl.
Harsh to the impious,
you teach good to the pious
as you hold the golden lyre,
the harmony of cosmic motion,
as you command noble deeds,
as you nurture the seasons.
Piping lord of the world,
fiery circle of motion
life-bringing, coruscating,
life-giving, fruit-bearing, Paian,
eternal and pure father of time,
O immortal Zeus,
you are the clear, you are the brilliant,
you are the all-encompassing cosmic eye,
both when you set and when you shine
your lopvely and radiant light.
A paragon of justice,
O water-loving lord of the cosmos,
you guard pledges and ever the highest,
you do help all.
Eye of justice and light of life,
O charioteer,
your screaming whip
drives the four-horse chariot on.
Hear my words and show
life’s sweetness to the initiates.
9. Selene
Selene is the personification of the moon. She is depicted driving her moon chariot across the sky. She had little cult following in ancient Greek, but was associated with Artemis and Hekate.
Hymn to Selene
Hear me, O divine queen,
O light-bringing and splendid Selene,
O bull-horned Moon,
crossing the air as you race with night.
Nocturnal, torch-bearing,
maiden of beautiful stars, O Moon,
waxing and waning,
feminine and masculine,
luminous, lover of horses,
mother of time, bearer of fruit,
amber-colored, moody,
shining in the night,
all-seeing and vigilant,
surrounded by beautiful stars,
you delight in the quiet
and in the richness of the night,
you grant fulfillment and favor
as, like a jewel, you shine in the night.
Long-cloaked marshal fo the stars,
wise maiden whose motion is circular,
come, O blessed and gentle lady,
lady of the stars, through your own light
shine and save, O maiden,
your new initiates.