Ge (Gaia)

Ge, also known as Gaia, is the oracular goddess of the Earth. She is the earth itself. She witnesses oaths, rules over the souls of the dead and controls their fate.

Selected Epithets

Offerings

• Fruits
• Grains

Prayers and Hymns

“Gaia, the beautiful, rose up,

Broad blossomed, she that is the steadfast base

Of all things. And fair Gaia first bore

The starry Heaven, equal to herself,

To cover her on all sides and to be

A home forever for the blessed Gods.”

I will sing of well-founded Earth, mother of all, eldest of all beings. She feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land, and all that are in the paths of the seas, and all that fly: all these are fed of her store. Through you, O queen, men are blessed in their children and blessed in their harvests, and to you it belongs to give means of life to mortal men and to take it away. Happy is the man whom you delight to honour! He has all things abundantly: his fruitful land is laden with corn, his pastures are covered with cattle, and his house is filled with good things. Such men rule orderly in their cities of fair women: great riches and wealth follow them: their sons exult with ever-fresh delight, and their daughters in flower-laden bands play and skip merrily over the soft flowers of the field. Thus is it with those whom you honour O holy goddess, bountiful spirit. Hail, Mother of the gods, wife of starry Heaven; freely bestow upon me for this my song substance that cheers the heart! And now I will remember you and another song also.

The Fumigation from every kind of Seed, except Beans and Aromatics.

O Goddess, Earth, of Gods and men the source, endu'd with fertile, all destroying force;

All-parent, bounding, whose prolific pow'rs, produce a store of beauteous fruits and flow'rs,

All-various maid, th' eternal world's strong base immortal, blessed, crown'd with ev'ry grace;

From whose wide womb, as from an endless root, fruits, many-form'd, mature and grateful shoot.

Deep bosom'd, blessed, pleas'd with grassy plains, sweet to the smell, and with prolific rains.

All flow'ry dæmon, centre of the world, around thy orb, the beauteous stars are hurl'd

With rapid whirl, eternal and divine, whose frames with matchless skill and wisdom shine.

Come, blessed Goddess, listen to my pray'r, and make increase of fruits thy constant care;

With fertile Seasons [Horai] in thy train, draw near, and with propitious mind thy suppliant hear.