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[Pagan] Hermes prayer beads
Jan. 19th, 2008 03:06 pmHermes' sacred number is four, but I also associate him with eight. Eight has always been a number of fascination and magic to me. I can't remember where I got the connection with Hermes from (Is that your UPG, Sannion?)
Here there are three quartz crystals on the drop for purification prayers, then on the round, four sets of two silver beads (=8), and four sets of eight blue stone beads. I've done the blue bead prayers as a repeating call and response, which divides them into two sets of four again. The silver beads flank the blue beads as opening and closing prayers to each section. The beads are strung on white linen thread.
( The beads )
The prayers are heavily excerpted from the Orphic Hymns to Hermes, although there's a couple of things from the Homeric Hymns, too. They're arranged into four sets of four. Each section is dedicated to one of four aspects of Hermes, with four stages to the prayers: an opening prayer, a call, a response (these are repeated four times for the eight blue beads), and a closing prayer.
One final note: the first one is actually kind of more than one aspect, but I'm using "heart-delighter"/giver of good things as an umbrella term which luck-bringer and prophet come under. Also "hawk-faced" is entirely my UPG, but it's related to his association with hawks, and "birds of omen" (mentioned in the Homeric hymns). "Hawk-faced" is just what intuitively felt right when I was writing the prayers.
( The prayers )
Here there are three quartz crystals on the drop for purification prayers, then on the round, four sets of two silver beads (=8), and four sets of eight blue stone beads. I've done the blue bead prayers as a repeating call and response, which divides them into two sets of four again. The silver beads flank the blue beads as opening and closing prayers to each section. The beads are strung on white linen thread.
( The beads )
The prayers are heavily excerpted from the Orphic Hymns to Hermes, although there's a couple of things from the Homeric Hymns, too. They're arranged into four sets of four. Each section is dedicated to one of four aspects of Hermes, with four stages to the prayers: an opening prayer, a call, a response (these are repeated four times for the eight blue beads), and a closing prayer.
One final note: the first one is actually kind of more than one aspect, but I'm using "heart-delighter"/giver of good things as an umbrella term which luck-bringer and prophet come under. Also "hawk-faced" is entirely my UPG, but it's related to his association with hawks, and "birds of omen" (mentioned in the Homeric hymns). "Hawk-faced" is just what intuitively felt right when I was writing the prayers.
( The prayers )
