Salutations to Alexandros,
The eminent defender of men,
Salutations to Agerie,
The mistress to whom Argos belongs.
Skin the shade of ripened wheat,
Eyes bright and hazel shaded,
Her hair flows down in lovely brownish waves,
Accompanied by the lion, her epitome.
A flowing chiton adorns your graceful frame,
White and bright like the sun's first rays,
Upon your hands rests a sceptre of golden lotus,
Hail Ammonia, the Oracle of Zeus Ammon in Libya.
Protective like the panther,
Your rage surpasses that of the thunder,
You shall tear apart the man,
Who dares to harm your children.
You are ever protective of your rights,
Which some say is your vindictiveness,
Yet they too wish for the same,
Oh mother, forgive our hypocrisy!
You are the mother of all,
The creator of all universe,
You are the unparalleled queen of heavens,
No one shall ever replace you in power or beauty.
You are the great virgin,
Thus they named thee Autorôtê,
You are referred as the widow too,
For Khera is your other epithet.
You are the lady of contradictions,
Sometimes you rage, sometimes you are calm,
You are the quintessence of a woman's patience,
And her anger at being betrayed.
You are the supreme deity presiding over the scared bond of marriage,
Hence the poets called you Gamelia,
You praise dedication in a bond,
And punish those have broken it.
You are the lady of many shapes,
Yet you are the formless deity,
You have the great strength of prophecy,
A prophet like you this world has never seen.
No one speaks in verses of your pain,
But blame you for every action,
They never see the anguish you withhold and make remarks inappropriate,
But forgive them, o merciful mother, for they are ignorant.
Yiu reside in the horizon of the sky,
And blow with the northern wind,
You travel around the world,
To inspect the security of your children.
You are the Supreme breath,
The source from where we came from,
Upon our deaths we shall return back to you,
Freed from every anguish and hate.
Thus here ends the hymn to the great mother,
She who birthed this beautiful world,
May she bless us with bliss,
That is my wish to her.
***
(Old Version)
Like a peacock;
Regal and proud,
The rightful queen of heaven she is,
Hera.
Like a lotus;
The quintessence of womanly grace and stature,
Of divinity and austerity,
Hera.
Like a cow;
Full of affection and tolerance,
Motherly and loving she is,
Hera.
Like a panther;
She pounces on the sinners,
Slays those who have broken their oath of loyalty,
Hera.
Like a lion;
Fierce and protective,
A queen by birth and right,
Misunderstood of all she is,
Hera.
***
Note; Hera is the goddess of women, marriage, family and childbirth in ancient Greek religion and mythology, one of the Twelve Olympians and the sister and wife of Zeus. She is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Hera rules over Mount Olympus as the queen of the gods. A matronly figure, Hera served as both the patroness and protectress of married women, presiding over weddings and blessing marital unions. Her famous symbols include the Pomegranate, peacock feather, diadem, cow, lily, lotus, cuckoo, panther, sceptre, throne, and lions.
Personally, I think that Hera is greatly misunderstood as a jealous and vengeful goddess. But if one reads her tales carefully, one would understand how wonderful, powerful Hera is, how the tales are very metaphorical and how very wronged she was. Look at the irony; the goddess of marital bliss never knew what it means to be in a blissful relationship. (Thanks to Zeus, obviously.)
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Forgotten ✓
Poetry"My heart resides in these pages." A collection of nonfiction poetry about the magnificent and benevolent gods of the past told through the eyes of a mortal girl millions of years younger than them. "What I hate, is the smallness of mind, the lack...
