Hymn to Isis

Hymn to Isis from Her temple at Philae (the first hymn):

Praise to you Isis-Hathor,
God's Mother, Lady of Heaven,

Lady of Abaton, Queen of the Gods.

You are the Divine Mother of Horus,
The Mighty Bull, avenger of His father,
Who causes the rebels to fall.

Praise to You Isis-Hathor,
God's Mother, Lady of Heaven,
Lady of Abaton, Queen of the Gods.

You are the Divine Mother of Horus,
Min-Horus, the Hero Who smites His enemy,
And makes a massacre thereby.

Praise to You Isis-Hathor,
God's Mother, Lady of Heaven,
Lady of Abaton, Queen of the Gods.

You are the Divine Mother of Horus,
Khonsu-the-powerful, the Royal Child of the Lord of Eternity,
Lord of Kush (Nubia), Ruler of the foreign lands.

Praise to You Isis-Hathor,
God's Mother, Lady of Heaven,
Lady of Abaton, Queen of the Gods.

You are the Divine Mother of Horus,
The Mighty Bull, Who establishes the Temples of the Ennead,
And fashions every Divine Image

Praise to You Isis-Hathor,
God's Mother, Lady of Heaven,
Lady of Abaton, Queen of the Gods.

You are the Divine Mother of Horus,
The Mighty Bull who protects Egypt,
Lord of the Nome, for ever.

Praise to You Isis-Hathor,
God's Mother, Lady of Heaven,
Lady of Abaton, Queen of the Gods.

Aretalogy of Isis

(I originally published this on my personal blog. I'm reproducing it here for those who might find the subject matter interesting.)


An aretalogy is a sort of listing of a deity's virtues, usually as spoken by that deity. Here is an example of an aretalogy of Isis, from the Ptolemaic era; it can be commonly found, albeit with slightly different wording, in various places on the internet and in print. The version I am giving here is attributed to Frederick C. Grant's translation:

I am Isis, the mistress of every land, and I was taught by Hermes (Thoth) and with Hermes I devised letters, both the sacred (hieroglyphs) and the demotic, that all things might not be written with the same (letters).

I gave and ordained laws for men, which no one is able to change.
I am eldest daughter of Kronos.
I am wife and sister of King Osiris.
I am she who findeth fruit for men.
I am mother of King Horus.
I am she that riseth in the Dog Star.
I am she that is called goddess by women.
For me was the city of Bubastis built.
I divided the earth from the heaven.
I showed the paths of the stars.
I ordered the course of the sun and the moon.
I devised business in the sea.
I made strong the right.
I brought together woman and man.
I appointed to women to bring their infants to birth in the tenth month.
I ordained that parents should be loved by children.
I laid punishment on those disposed without natural affection toward their parents.
I made with my brother Osiris an end to the eating of men.
I revealed mysteries unto men.
I taught (men) to honor images of the gods.
I consecrated the precincts of the gods.
I broke down the governments of tyrants.
I made an end to murders.
I compelled women to be loved by men.
I made the right to be stronger than gold and silver.
I ordained that the true should be thought good.
I devised marriage contracts.
I assigned to Greeks and barbarians their languages.
I made the beautiful and the shameful to be distinguished by nature.
I ordained that nothing should be more feared than an oath.
I have delivered the plotter of evil against other men into the hands of the one he plotted against.
I established penalties for those who practice injustice.
I decreed mercy to suppliants.
I protect (or: honor) righteous guards.
With me the right prevails.
I am the Queen of rivers and winds and sea.
No one is held in honor without my knowing it.
I am the Queen of war.
I am the Queen of the thunderbolt.
I stir up the sea and I calm it.
I am in the rays of the sun.
I inspect the courses of the sun.
Whatever I please, this too shall come to an end.
With me everything is reasonable.
I set free those in bonds.
I am the Queen of seamanship.
I make the navigable unnavigable when it pleases me.
I created walls of cities.
I am called the Lawgiver (Thesmophoros).
I brought up islands out of the depths into the light.
I am Lord of rainstorms.
I overcome Fate.
Fate hearkens to me.
Hail, O Egypt, that nourished me!
Here is the same aretalogy, in a slightly different translation (translator unknown). This version uses slightly more modernized language:

I am Isis, ruler of every land
I was taught by Hermes (Thoth) and with Hermes devised letters, both hieroglyphic and demotic, that all might not be written with the same.
I gave laws to mankind and ordained what no one can change
I am the eldest daughter of Kronos
I am the wife and sister of King Osiris
I am the one who discovered wheat for mankind
I am the mother of King Horus
I am the one who rises in the Dog-star
I am the one called Goddess by women
For me was built the city of Bubastis
I separated the earth from the Heaven
I showed the paths of the stars
I regulated the course of the sun and the moon
I devised the activities of seamanship
I made what is right strong
I brought together woman and man
I assigned to women to bring into light of day their infants in the tenth month
I ordained that parents should be loved by children
I imposed punishment upon those unkindly disposed towards their parents
I with my brother Osiris put an end to cannibalism
I taught men the initiation into mysteries
I instructed them to revere images of the gods
I established the sacred cult places of the gods
I abolished the rules of the tyrants
I put an end to murders
I compelled women to be loved by men
I made the right stronger than gold and silver
I ordained that the true should be considered good
I devised marriage contracts
I assigned to Greeks and barbarians their languages
I made the good and the bad to be distinguished by nature
I made that nothing should be more fearful than an oath
I have delivered him who unjustly plots against others into the hands of the one against whom he plotted
I impose retribution upon those who do injustice
I decreed that mercy be shown to suppliants
O honor those who justly defend themselves
With me the right has power
I am the mistress of rivers and winds and sea
No one is honored without my consent
I am the Mistress of War
I am the Mistress of the thunderbolt
I calm the sea and make it surge
I am in the rays of the sun
I attend the sun in its journey
What I decree, that is also accomplished
All yield to me
I set free those who are in bonds
I am the Mistress of seamanship
I make the navigable un-navigable, whenever I so decide
I founded enclosure walls of the cities
I am called the Lawgiver
I brought up islands out of the depths into the light
I am the Mistress of rain
I conquer Destiny
Destiny obeys me
Hail, O Egypt, that nourished me!

Still another version of an Isian aretalogy comes from the Metamorphoses of Lucius of Apuleius, also called The Golden Ass. In this one, Isis, moved by the pleadings of Lucius, speaks to the supplicant:

I am She that is the natural mother of all life, mistress of all the Elements, the first child of time, supreme deity, chief among powers divine, Queen of heaven! The principal of the celestial Gods, light of the Goddesses, the uniform manifestation of all gods and goddesses: I, who govern by my nod the crests of light in the sky, at my will the planets of the air, the wholesome wafts upon the Seas, and the lamentable silences below dispose; my name, my divinity is venerated throughout all the world in divers manners, in variable rites and in many names. Thus the Phrygians call me Pessinuntia, Mother of the Gods. The Athenians call me Cecropian Minerva. The Cyprians, in their isle home call me Paphian Venus. The archer Cretans call me Diana Dictynna. The three-tongue Sicilians call me Stygian Proserpina. The Eleusians call me the ancient goddess Ceres. Some call me Juno, by others, Bellona, still others Hecate, some call me Rhamnusia. But those who are enlightened by the earliest rays of that divine sun, principally the Ethiopians which dwell in the Orient, and the Egyptians which are excellent in all kind of ancient lore, and by their proper ceremonies accustomed to worship me, do call me Queen Isis.

We may see a parallel of sorts to these aretalogies in our modern Charge of the Goddess. I have utilized the Ptolemaic one above in ritual before, though I found it to be a bit lengthy; despite my theatrical verve in delivering it, the time elapsed did lead to some anxious shuffling of feet! I may do a little reworking of it to streamline it for better delivery in a modern context; I think it would be a nice addition to Iseum proceedings.

An Aretalogy of Hathor

Aretalogies, divine biographies in which a deity's attributes are listed and extolled, are commonly found in the sacred texts of later-period Egypt and Mesopotamia. Aretalogies of Isis are well-known, and I'll reproduce some here at a later time. Today, I have a more unusual one:


-AN ARETALOGY OF HATHOR-
(from the Colophon of the Bremner-Rhind papyrus)

"Isis the divine speaks to thee
with joyful voice from the river
which the pure abed-fish cleaves
in front of the barque of Ra

the Lady of Horns is come into being with joy
the egg is come into being in the canal

the heads of the froward are cut off
in this Her name of Lady of Aphroditopolis

the Lady of Horns is come in peace
in this Her name of Hat-Hor Lady of Malachite

the Lady of Thebes is come in peace
in this Her name of Hat-Hor Lady of Thebes

She is come in peace as Tayt
in that Her name of Lady of Hetepet

She is come in peace to overthrow Her foe
in that Her name of Hat-hor
Lady of the temple of Herakleopolis

"Gold" is come in peace
in that Her name of Hat-Hor Lady of Memphis

Thou being at peace in the presence of the Lord of All
in this Thy name of Hat-Hor Lady of the Red Mountain

‘Gold’ rises beside Her father
in this Her name of Bast

who has gone in front of the houses
beside the Sanctuary of Upper Egypt
in this Her name of Satis

who makes green the Two Lands
and guides the gods
in this Her name of Wadjyt

Hat-Hor has power over those
who rebelled against Her father
in that Her name of Sakhmet

Wadjet has power over good things
in that Her name of Lady of Momemphis

myrrh is on Her tresses
in that Her name of Neith


Hail to the gods, each in his place :

Hat-Hor Lady of Thebes
Hat-Hor Lady of Herakleopolis
Hat-Hor Lady of Aphroditopolis
Hat-Hor Lady of Sycomore-town
Hat-Hor Lady of Rohesa
Hat-Hor Lady of the Red Mountain
Hat-Hor Lady of Sinai
Hat-Hor Lady of Memphis
Hat-Hor Lady of Wawat
Hat-Hor Lady of Momemphis
Hat-Hor Lady of Imet."

The Bremner-Rhind papyrus is held at the British Museum. The "colophon" spoken of here is generally attributed to a priest called Nes-Min and dated to some time in the 3rd or 4th century BCE, during the Ptolemaic period. More information about the Bremner-Rhind papyrus can be found here.

FOI Oracle of the Month - September 2012

ORACLE: The Goddess Selene
BOOKLET: "Ishtar of the Starry Heavens"
BY: Olivia Robertson

INVOCATION:
Shining Selene, Queen of magic. Goddess of lovers, mirror of Truth, enliven us in our graveyard of this world with visions of our future Heaven! We long to hear the Oracle of the Moon Goddess Selene!

ORACLE:
To achieve purity of purpose you need to achieve a shaft of the Light of Truth from Deity. Within you dormant is the uncreated Flame, Source of all that is. It shines in the mind as the mirror of Truth, and in the heart, as Infinite Love. Nothing else matters. Some courageous spirits choose earthly incarnation. They follow the lengthy and weary toil of developing the physical body, from rock, to reptile, from reptile to bird, until the human condition is attained. Know that each creature is a sacred expression of unique creativity.

You wonder when you realise the alarming fate of fallen angels. Usually, their problem is that these are too angelic, and despise other creatures, who are also offspring of Divine Parents. So it is good for them to come down to Earth. To fall.

All the best secrets are open to all! Can you understand the Sphinx? Yet you may look upon it. In verity, the spiritual Moon is the Sphinx. It holds up the mirror to you, as it reflects the light of Sun and Stars so you can receive their beauty.

Gaze with naked eyes at the Sun and you will be blinded. See and enjoy the Deity in what you may safely look at: a lover, a child, a dog, and through love you will attain the truth beneath the passing drama you call reality. And when you fear the dark occulted moon, fear not. You look at the shadow of the Earth, your true Self.

Visualise the Moon now, and see yourself reflected in Her.



(c) Olivia Robertson, FOI co-founder
All Rights Reserved
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