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LULLABY TO ZAGRÉFS
ΝΑΝΟΥΡΙΣΜΑ ΝΑ ΖΑΓΡΕΥΣ
HellenicGods.org
Sweet Liknítis hear my plea,
Assist me that I might be free.
Great wond'rous God of blood-red wine,
May I join you in your realm divine.
Wee little Zagréfs, glorious mite!
Bearing thunderbolts so loud and bright!
With your lovely hair adorned with vine,
On the golden throne where you recline.
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Lullaby to Zagréfs is a hymn to the infant Diónysos composed by James Van Kollenburg, whose religious name is Kallímakhos. It was begun during the Brumal Festivities of 2011 but could not be completed until 2012 due to work on the songs for The Boy and the Well of Memory. Because it was written in this same time period, there is a sympathy between this song and the songs composed for that book, a taste of Scotland. For the author, this song will always have an association with the freedom of the Scots.
The lyrics are a prayer to the infant Zagréfs and his glorious childhood. Zagréfs is the Greek pronunciation of Zagreus; Gr. Ζαγρεύς). The little YouTube has many photographs and images of grapes. The connection between wine and grapes with Diónysos/Zagréfs is greatly misunderstood, both in ancient and in modern times. The wine is the influence of the mighty Aithír (Aether or Ether; Gr. Αἰθήρ) of Zefs (Zeus; Gr. Ζεύς) which intoxicates the soul. When we read in the mythology of the colorful entourage accompanying Diónysos, drunk with wine, the Sátyri (Satyrs; Gr. Σάτυροι) are, in reality, overflowing with the essence of great Zefs himself, which is so intoxicating that it is compared to the effects of wine. The thunderbolts in the song refer to the authority of Zefs which the God hands over to the child Diónysos:
"(Zeus speaks) Give ear ye Gods; this one have I made your king." (Orphicorum Fragmenta 208, Rhapsodic Theogony, preserved from Proklos, from Otto Kern's work, found in Orpheus and Greek Religion by W.K.C. Guthrie in 1952, p. 141 of the 1993 Princeton University Press edition, Princeton NJ USA)
This song would be appropriate as an offering during the Twelve Days of Dionysos.
To download printable music: Lullaby to Zagréfs Piano/Vocal arrangement.
To download the mp3 audio-file, click on this link, the mp3 file will appear playing in a new window, right-click and a new window will appear, click Save As: Lullaby to Zagréfs mp3 audio-file
To embed the video: <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IRTCQ9mZhZ8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Links to more religious hymns: Contemporary Hymns for Ællinismós (Hellenismos)
The Scottish songs for freedom: The Songs of The Boy and the Well of Memory
BABY DIÓNYSOS: This painting of the infant Diónysos which was used in the YouTube above was created by contemporary Hellenic artist Lykeia. The myth has it that the Goddess Ípta placed a líknon (winnowing basket) containing the newborn Diónysos on her head and climbed up Mount Ídi (Ida; Gr. Ίδη). Here in our painting we have baby Diónysos, cradled in the líknon, adorned with ivy and wrapped in the pelt of a leopard. Around the basket is a snake, symbolic of Earth. Encircling the little God are the signs of the zodiac, representing the Olympian Gods and the Mystery months and Natural Laws over which they have dominion. Ípta appears in the upper left corner of the painting with the líknon on her head.
The logo to the left is the principal symbol of this website. It is called the CESS logo, i.e. the Children of the Earth and the Starry Sky. The Pætilía (Petelia; Gr. Πετηλία) and other golden tablets having this phrase are the inspiration for the symbol. The image represents this idea: Earth (divisible substance) and the Sky (continuous substance) are the two kozmogonic substances. The twelve stars represent the Natural Laws, the dominions of the Olympian Gods. In front of these symbols is the seven-stringed kithára (cithara; Gr. κιθάρα), the lyre of Apóllohn (Apollo; Gr. Ἀπόλλων). It (here) represents the bond between Gods and mortals and is representative that we are the children of Orphéfs (Orpheus; Gr. Ὀρφεύς).
PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.
The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony.
We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.
Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.
SPELLING: HellenicGods.org uses the Reuchlinian method of pronouncing ancient Greek, the system preferred by scholars from Greece itself. An approach was developed to enable the student to easily approximate the Greek words. Consequently, the way we spell words is unique, as this method of transliteration is exclusive to this website. For more information, visit these three pages:
Pronunciation of Ancient Greek
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