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Orphic Hymns · 71 of 86 · tr. Thomas Taylor

Hymn LXXI. FORTUNE

LXXI. TO FORTUNE. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. Approach strong Fortune, with propitious mind And rich abundance, to my pray'r inclin'd p. 203 Placid, and gentle Trivia, mighty nam'd, 3 Imperial Dian, born of Pluto fam'd; Mankind's unconquer'd, endless praise is thine, 5 Sepulch'ral, widely-wand'ring pow'r divine! In thee, our various mortal life is found, And some from thee hi copious wealth abound; While others mourn thy hand averse to bless, In all the bitterness of deep distress. 10 Bc present, Goddess, to thy vot'ry kind, And give abundance with benignant mind.
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Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

[auto] The deity is described with human-like physical attributes such as 'limbs', 'members', and a 'semblance'.

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Cosmic Dualismtheology

Ontological opposition between two primal principles (light/darkness, truth/lie, spirit/matter) as the fundamental structure of reality.

[auto] The passage explicitly defines the deity's nature through opposing qualities: 'Partly black thy limbs and partly white', 'From Pluto dark, from Jove etherial, bright'.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

Fortune is depicted as actively ordering mortal life, distributing wealth or distress according to her will.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

The deity is addressed as an active agent capable of action ('expel', 'bless') in response to human prayer.

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Prayerpraxis

Direct address to the divine, whether petitionary, contemplative, or liturgical; speech and silence offered upward.

[auto] The passage is explicitly a petitionary hymn addressing the goddess directly with requests for presence and abundance.

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Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

The text prescribes 'FUMIGATION from AROMATICS' and an 'incense shrine', which implies the use of fire to create smoke for ritual purposes.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

The hymn functions as an invocation calling upon the deity by name ('Call Melinoe') and specific epithets to summon her presence.

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Theurgypraxis

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

The text describes ritual fumigation and invocation intended to engage the goddess directly through consecrated material symbols.

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