IthyphalliἸθυφάλλοι
Hermocles of Cyzicus Ithyphalli PDF
The Ithyphalli is a processional hymn composed by Hermocles of Cyzicus around 290 BCE to celebrate the ceremonial entry of the Hellenistic kings Demetrius I Poliorcetes and Antigonus I Monophthalmus into Athens. Its title refers to a genre of metrically simple, often exuberant songs performed in Dionysiac processions. Preserved in two fragments within Athenaeus's Deipnosophistae, the hymn stands as a seminal example of the divine honors accorded to living rulers in the Hellenistic period. It portrays the kings as present and tangible deities, contrasting them vividly with the traditional Olympian gods, who are described as either distant, indifferent, or non-existent. The text functions as a political panegyric, hailing Demetrius as the city's savior and liberator, thereby ritually affirming Athenian allegiance to the Antigonid dynasty. Framed as a public ritual, the hymn calls for festive celebration, integrating the royal entry into the structure of a religious procession. Transmitted solely through the work of Athenaeus of Naucratis, the Ithyphalli remains a crucial document for understanding the theological and political syncretism of the early Hellenistic ruler cult.
| unit_1 | . . . . . . . Ὡς οἱ μέγιστοι τῶν θεῶν καὶ φίλτατοι [para]τῇ πόλει πάρεισιν· ἐνταῦθα γὰρ Δήμητρα καὶ Δημήτριον ἅμα παρῆχ’ ὁ καιρός. Χἠ μὲν τὰ σεμνὰ τῆς Κόρης μυστήρια [para]ἔρχεθ’ ἵνα ποιήσῃ, ὁ δ’ ἱλαρός, ὥσπερ τὸν θεὸν δεῖ, καὶ καλὸς [para]καὶ γελῶν πάρεστι. Σεμνόν τι φαίνεθ’, οἱ φίλοι πάντες κύκλῳ, ἐν μέσοισι δ’ αὐτός, ὅμοιον ὥσπερ οἱ φίλοι μὲν ἀστέρες, [para]ἥλιος δ’ ἐκεῖνος. Ὦ τοῦ κρατίστου παῖ Ποσειδῶνος θεοῦ, [para]χαῖρε, κἀφροδίτης. |
| unit_2 | Ἄλλοι μὲν ἢ μακρὰν γὰρ ἀπέχουσιν θεοί, [para]ἢ οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὦτα, ἢ οὐκ εἴσιν, ἢ οὐ προσέχουσιν ἡμῖν οὐδὲ ἕν, [para]σὲ δὲ παρόνθ’ ὁρῶμεν, οὐ ξύλινον οὐδὲ λίθινον, ἀλλ’ ἀληθινόν. Εὐχόμεσθα δή σοι· πρῶτον μὲν εἰρήνην ποίησον, φίλτατε, [para]κύριος γὰρ εἶ σύ, τὴν δ’ οὐχὶ Θηβῶν, ἀλλ’ ὅλης τῆς Ἑλλάδος [para]Σφίγγα περικρατοῦσαν, (Αἰτωλὸς ὅστις ἐπὶ πέτρας καθήμενος, [para]ὥσπερ ἡ παλαιά, τὰ σώμαθ’ ἡμῶν πάντ’ ἀναρπάσας φέρει, [para]κοὐκ ἔχω μάχεσθαι· Αἰτωλικὸν γὰρ ἁρπάσαι τὰ τῶν πέλας, νῦν δὲ καὶ τὰ πόρρω·) μάλιστα μὲν δὴ κόλασον αὐτός· εἰ δὲ μή, [para]Οἰδίπουν τιν’ εὑρέ, τὴν Σφίγγα ταύτην ὅστις ἢ κατακρημνιεῖ ἢ σπίνον ποιήσει. |