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Zeus Chant & Prayer by Drew Campbell

This tune is a much simplified phrase from Mikis Theodorakis's "Ode to Zeus" which appears on the disc Summon the Heroes. The lyrics refer to a line in Roberto Calasso's The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony: "And in Dodona, the first women ever to chant poetry would say: 'Zeus was, and is, and shall be, oh great Zeus.'" (p. 304)

Opera fans will recognize the upbeat melody of this song as the opening section of the aria "Ein Mädchen oder ein Weibchen wünscht Papageno sich" from Mozart's Zauberflöte. The words are drawn from one of my favorite ancient hymns, the Orphic Hymn to Zeus, the final lines of which read, "Hear me, o many-faced one, and grant me unblemished health, divine peace, and riches and glory without blame." (trans. A. Athanassakis) This prayer has always struck me as expressive of a great confidence in the gods' ability to provide for our very human needs and desires. I appreciate its unabashed practicality so much that it has become a regular part of my evening devotions. If there is a "Prayer of Jabez" for Hellenists, this is it. <g>

This page was last updated on April 5, 2002.

This article originally appeared on Andrew Campbell's Nomos Arkhaios site which is currently on hiatus.
This article is copyright © 2000-2003 by Andrew Campbell and is reprinted here with permission.