The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 104 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth

Section 13 (part 71)

Αὐτὰρ ἐρισμαράγοιο Διὸς κλειτοὶ ἐπίκουροι 815 δώματα ναιετάουσιν ἐπ᾽ Ὠκεανοῖο θεμέθλοις, Κόττος τ᾽ ἠδὲ Γύης· Βριάρεών γε μὲν ἠὺν ἐόντα γαμβρὸν ἑὸν ποίησε βαρύκτυπος Ἐννοσίγαιος, δῶκε δὲ Κυμοπόλειαν ὀπυίειν, θυγατέρα ἥν.] Αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ Τιτῆνας ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ ἐξέλασεν Ζεύς, 820 ὁπλότατον τέκε παῖδα Τυφωέα Γαῖα πελώρη Ταρτάρου ἐν φιλότητι διὰ χρυσέην Ἀφροδίτην· οὗ χεῖρες μὲν ἔασιν ἐπ᾽ ἰσχύι, ἔργματ᾽ ἔχουσαι, καὶ πόδες ἀκάματοι κρατεροῦ θεοῦ· ἐκ δέ οἱ ὤμων ἣν ἑκατὸν κεφαλαὶ ὄφιος, δεινοῖο δράκοντος, 825 γλώσσῃσιν δνοφερῇσι λελιχμότες, ἐκ δέ οἱ ὄσσων θεσπεσίῃς κεφαλῇσιν ὑπ᾽ ὀφρύσι πῦρ ἀμάρυσσεν· [πασέων δ᾽ ἐκ κεφαλέων πῦρ καίετο δερκομένοιο·]

Themes

◆Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The text describes flashing light and lightning (αὐγὴ μαρμαίρουσα, κεραυνοῦ) emanating from the divine realm of Olympus.

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◆Living Godtheology

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

Zeus is depicted as an active, dynamic agent who loses strength and hurls thunderbolts rather than an abstract principle.

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◆Ritual Firepraxis

Fire as medium of divine presence.

The passage mentions 'sacred fire' (ἱερὴν φλόγα) surrounding the thunderbolts, associating fire with divine power.

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◇Anthropomorphismtheology

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

[auto] The passage explicitly attributes human physical characteristics to Zeus, mentioning his 'strong hand' (χειρὸς ἄπο στιβαρῆς) and the blinding of eyes (ὄσσε).

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