THREE QUEENS - TREIS VASILEIAI - ΤΡΕΙΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΙ

THREE QUEENS - TREIS VASILEIAI - ΤΡΕΙΣ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΑΙ

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The Three Vasíleiai

The Three Vasíleiai (Basileiai, βασίλειαι, plural of βασίλεια.) are great deities of Ællinismόs (Hellenismos, Ἑλληνισμός), the ancient Greek religion. Vasíleiai is the ancient Greek word meaning "queens." The succession of the Three Queens is told in the Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony.

Orphéfs (Orpheus, Ὀρφεύς), the great Thæológos (Theologian, Θεολόγος), described the primordial state of the Kózmos (Cosmos, Κόσμος) as an unknowable mixture. Within this mixture exist two fundamental substances, Earth and Water. The Three Queens are the progression of the receptive primordial substance Earth. The Six Kings are the progression of the active primordial substance Water. According to the mythology, a serpent emerged from the interaction of Earth and Water which generated an enormous egg; this egg is our universe. The egg split in two and the top part became Ouranós (Uranus, Οὐρανός) and the lower part became Yaia (Gaia, Γαῖα) [1].

The progression of the Three Vasíleiai is as follows:

1. Yaia (Gaia, Γαῖα)

2. Rǽa (Rhea, Ῥέα)

3. Íra (Hera, Ήρα)

The progression of the Six Kings is as follows:

1. Phánis (Phanes, Φάνης)

2. Nyx (Νύξ)

3. Ouranós (Uranus, Οὐρανός)

4. Krónos (Cronus, Κρόνος)

5. Zefs (Ζεύς)

6. Diónysos (Dionysus, Διόνυσος)

Phánis and Nyx

In the Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony, the first two deities in the progression of Queens and Kings are Phánis and Nyx. These two deities are in the progression of Kings. They are impersonal Gods; they are great forces, but they cannot "hear your prayers," so to speak. Phánis is the primordial deity or divine power who, in the mythology, enters the Cave of Nyx and reveals what is pre-existent, but unexpressed, thereby "creating" the Kózmos (Cosmos, Κόσμος).

The Pairs of Queens and Kings

Ouranós is the first personal deity in the progression of kings; the next two, Krónos and Zefs, are also personal Gods; unlike Phánis and Nyx, all three of these deities are conscious entities. These three male deities are paired with the Three Queens. The Three Queens are also personal deities. This pairing is described by theologists as marriage. The pairs of the Kings and Queens are as follows:

Yaia and Ouranós

Rǽa and Krónos

Íra and Zefs

Diónysos and Pærsæphóni

Diónysos is the sixth king and in this role he is known as the Klironómos (Cleronomus, Κληρονόμος), the heir or successor. As is described in the Orphic Rhapsodic Theogony, Phánis ruled over the Golden Age; Krónos ruled over the Silver Age [2] . When Zefs became king, he created a new generation of beings: our generation. This generation of creatures have immortal souls but, although we experience great beauty in our lives, we have bodies subject to death resulting from old age, illness, or violence. Our souls return in new bodies, sometimes male, sometimes female, as tiny creatures, insects and all the myriad fish and animals, and also as humans, in a sorrowful circle of births (κύκλος γενέσεως). Constrained by natural laws which even the Gods cannot violate, this is the best possible universe. But Zefs in his great wisdom and compassion contrived a means of release from our misery; he conceived a son, Diónysos, born to free us from the sorrowful circle of births by means of his Mysteries. Intimately involved in the plan of Zefs is the illustrious Goddess Pærsæphóni who holds a similar position in the progression of the Queens.

NOTES:

[1] Orphic fragment 57.

[2] Ἔργα καὶ Ἡμέραι Ἡσιόδου 109-201 describes five ages of man, assigning the Golden and Silver ages differently.

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.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.

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, Πετηλία) and other golden tablets having this phrase (Γῆς παῖς εἰμί καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἀστερόεντος) 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, κιθάρα), the lyre of Apóllohn (Apollo, Ἀπόλλων). It (here) represents the bond between Gods and mortals and is representative that we are the children of Orphéfs (Orpheus, Ὀρφεύς).