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The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 59 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth

Section 13 (part 26)

Φόρκυϊ δ᾽ αὖ Κητὼ Γραίας τέκε καλλιπαρῄους 270 ἐκ γενετῆς πολιάς, τὰς δὴ Γραίας καλέουσιν ἀθάνατοί τε θεοὶ χαμαὶ ἐρχόμενοί τ᾽ ἄνθρωποι, Πεμφρηδώ τ᾽ ἐύπεπλον Ἐνυώ τε κροκόπεπλον, Γοργούς θ᾽, αἳ ναίουσι πέρην κλυτοῦ Ὠκεανοῖο ἐσχατιῇ πρὸς Νυκτός, ἵν᾽ Ἑσπερίδες λιγύφωνοι, 275 Σθεννώ τ᾽ Εὐρυάλη τε Μέδουσά τε λυγρὰ παθοῦσα. Ἥ μὲν ἔην θνητή, αἳ δ᾽ ἀθάνατοι καὶ ἀγήρῳ, αἱ δύο· τῇ δὲ μιῇ παρελέξατο Κυανοχαίτης ἐν μαλακῷ λειμῶνι καὶ ἄνθεσιν εἰαρινοῖσιν. Τῆς δ᾽ ὅτε δὴ Περσεὺς κεφαλὴν ἀπεδειροτόμησεν, 280 ἔκθορε Χρυσαωρ τε μέγας καὶ Πήγασος ἵππος. Τῷ μὲν ἐπώνυμον ἦεν, ὅτ᾽ Ὠκεανοῦ περὶ πηγὰς γένθ᾽, ὃ δ᾽ ἄορ χρύσειον ἔχων μετὰ χερσὶ φίλῃσιν.
Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

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

The text depicts deities with human familial relationships such as fathers, daughters, and gendered identities.

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Living Godtheology

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

The passage describes divine beings as active agents who give birth, follow, and possess immortal minds.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The text specifies a precise number of divine entities, fifty daughters of Nereus, structuring the mythic genealogy.

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Sacred Namestheology

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

The passage consists primarily of a litany of specific divine names and epithets identifying the deities.

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