Babylonian Prayer For Health : BABYLONIAN PRAYER FOR HEALTH ("Exorcism of Spirits of Disease") "Tablet I" THE noxious god, the noxious spirit of the neck, the neck-spirit of the desert, the neck-spirit of the mountains, the neck-spirit of the sea, the neck-spirit of the morass, the noxious spirit of the city, this noxious wind...
Bibliography : BIBLIOGRAPHY Apache Prayer, from "The North American Indian", by special permission of Edward S. Curtis. "A partial list of the other scholars and works to whom the compiler is indebted": Daniel G. Brinton, "Rig Veda Americana". Francoise Lenormant, "La Magie chez les Chaldes". F. Max Muller...
To The Creative God : TO THE CREATIVE GOD ("Accadian") (The Accadian was already a dead language in the Seventeenth Century, B. C.) O LORD of Charms, Illustrious! who gives Life to the Dead, the Merciful who lives, And grants to hostile gods of Heaven return, To homage render, worship thee, and learn Obedience! Thou who...
Prayer Of The Gambler : PRAYER OF THE GAMBLER ("Hindu") THESE dice that have grown in the air on the great Vibhidaka tree, drive me wild when they roll on the board! This Vibhidaka seems to me intoxicating like a draught of Soma that has grown on Mount Mugovat. When I think that I shall not play with them again, then am I...
Hymn To The Unknown God : HYMN TO THE UNKNOWN GOD ("Peruvian") O RULER! Lord of the universe, Whether thou art male, Whether thou art female, Lord of reproduction Wherever thou mayest be! O Lord of divination Where art thou? Thou mayest be above, Thou mayest be below, Or perhaps around Thy splendid throne and sceptre. O...
A Prayer For Preservation Of The Heart : A PRAYER FOR PRESERVATION OF THE HEART ("Egyptian") MY HEART, my mother; my heart, my mother! My heart of my existence upon earth! May naught stand up to oppose me in judgment; may there be no opposition to me in the presence of the sovereign princes; may no evil be wrought against me...
Hymn To The All Mother : HYMN TO THE ALL-MOTHER ("Mexican") (This goddess is Teteo-inan, the "Mother of Gods"--also known by another name meaning "Heart of the Earth." Her chief temple was on the spot selected by the early missionaries for the "Lady of Guadaloupe" to make her appearance, and the native shrine was razed...
Apache Prayer : APACHE PRAYER ("American") STENATLIHAN, You are good! I pray for a long life. I pray for your good looks. I pray for good breath. I pray for good speech. I pray for feet like yours to carry me through a long life. I pray for a life like yours. I walk with people, ahead of me all is well. I pray...
Prayer To The Mexican God Of Fire : PRAYER TO THE MEXICAN GOD OF FIRE ("Mexican") (A victim is sacrificed for rain in the temple of the Earth Fire--a crater of a volcano) "Victim" "TN THE Hall of Flame let me not put to shame my ancestors; descending there let me not put you to shame! "I fasten a rope to the sacred tree. I twist it...
Mohammedan Prayer Of Adoration : MOHAMMEDAN PRAYER OF ADORATION ("Persian") SOUL of the Soul! Neither thought nor reason comprehend thy essence, and no one knows thy attributes. Souls have no idea of thy being. The prophets themselves sink in the dust of thy road. Although intellect exists by thee, has it ever yet found the path...
Invocation To Ormazd : INVOCATION TO ORMAZD ("Persian") IN THE name of God, the giver, forgiver, rich in love, praise be to the name of Ormazd, the God with the name who always was, always is, and always will be; the heavenly among the heavenly, with the name--"From whom alone is derived rule." With all strength bring I...
Hymn To Agni : HYMN TO AGNI ("Hindu") (Agni, god of fire in every form, worshipped in every manifestation--sun, lightning, earth, fire--also adored as the spark of life in all of growth, is here invoked as both the sacred flame on the altar, and the highest priest officiating) I IMPLORE Agni, the chief priest...
Prayer To Kami Dana : PRAYER TO KAMI-DANA ("Japanese") REVERENTLY adoring the great god of the two palaces of Ise,.............................. and the gods of the branch temples and branch palaces, and Sohodo no kami, whom I have invited to the shrine set upon this divine altar, and to whom I offer praises day by day...
The Salutation Of The Dawn : THE SALUTATION OF THE DAWN ("Hindu") LISTEN to the exhortation of the Dawn! Look to this Day! For it is Life, The very Life of Life. In its brief course lie all the Varieties And Realities of your Existence; The Bliss of Growth, The Glory of Action, The Splendor of Beauty; For Yesterday is but...
An Inca's Death Prayer : AN INCA'S DEATH PRAYER ("Peruvian") O CREATOR of men Thy servant speaks. Then look on him The king of Cusco. Do not forget me O thou noble creator. O thou of my dreams. Dost thou forget And I on the point of death? Wilt thou ignore my prayer Or wilt thou make known Who thou art? Thou mayest be wh...
Hymn To Panu : HYMN TO PANU ("Finnish") (Panu, God of fire, child of the Sun-mother) O PANU, Son of the Sun! Offspring thou of the dear day. Lift the fire up to the sky. In the middle of the golden ring, Within the rock of copper, Carry it as a child to its mother Into the lap of the ancient mother. Place...
Untitled : Marah Ellis Ryan was a popular author, actress, and activist for Native American rights at the turn of the 19th century. She wrote about twenty books between 1889 and 1924, primarily sentimental novels. Her books are today very much out of style; none of them has been reprinted in over forty years...
A Prayer For The Dying : A PRAYER FOR THE DYING ("Assyrian") BIND the sick man to Heaven, for from Earth he is being torn away! Of the brave man who was so strong, his strength has departed. Of the righteous servant, the force does not return, In his bodily frame he lies dangerously ill. But Ishtar, who in her dwelling, is...
Title Page : PAGAN PRAYERS COLLECTED BY MARAH ELLIS RYAN AUTHOR OF FOR THE SOUL OF RAFAEL, INDIAN LOVE LETTERS, ETC. CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. [1913] NOTICE OF ATTRIBUTION Scanned , January 2005. John Bruno Hare, redactor. This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published pri...
Prayer To Buddha : PRAYER TO BUDDHA ("Buddhist") THOU in whom innumerable creatures believe! Thou, Buddha, Victor over the hosts of evil! Thou, all-wise Being, come down to our world! Made perfect and glorified by in-numerable by-gone revolutions; always pitiful, always gracious toward all creatures! Look down up...
Address To Supreme Deity : ADDRESS TO SUPREME DEITY ("Assyrian") IN HEAVENS who is great? Thou alone art great! On earth who is great? Thou alone art great! When thy voice resounds in heaven, the gods fall prostrate! When thy voice resounds on earth, the genii kiss the dust!
Hymn To Cihua Coatl : HYMN TO CIHUA-COATL ("Mexican") (Cihua-coatl, mythic, mother of earth-born people) SERPENT Woman, plumed with eagle feathers, with the crest of eagles, comes, beating her drum, from the Place of the Old. She alone, who is our flesh, goddess of the fields and shrubs, is strong to support us. Our...
Navajo Liturgy : NAVAJO LITURGY (American) OH YOU! Who dwell in the house made of the Dawn. In the home of evening twilight. In the house made of dark cloud, In the house made of the he rains, In the house made of the dark mist, In the house made of the she rain, In the house made of peace; Where the dark mist...
Prayer Of The Sower : PRAYER OF THE SOWER ("Finnish") BLESSING to the seed I scatter, Where it falls upon the meadow, By the grace of Ukko mighty, Through the open finger spaces Of the hand that all things fashioned. Queen of meadow-land and pasture! Bid the earth unlock her treasures. Bid the soil the young seed...
Prayer To The God Of Thieves : PRAYER TO THE GOD OF THIEVES ("South Pacific Island") O THOU divine Outre-reter! We go out for plunder. Cause all things to sleep in the house. Owner of the house, sleep on! Threshold of the house, sleep on! Little insects of the house, sleep on! Central-post, ridge-pole, rafters, thatch...
Prayer Of Transformation Into A Lotus : PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION INTO A LOTUS ("Egyptian") HAIL, thou lotus! Thou type of the god Nefer-Temu! I am the man that knoweth you, and I know your names among those of the gods, the lords of the under-world, and I am one of you. Grant ye that I may see the gods who are the divine guides...
Prayer Of The Singer : PRAYER OF THE SINGER ("Mexican") IN THE place of tears, I, the singer, watch my flowers, they enthrall my spirit as I walk alone with them--My spirit sad amid the flowers. In this spot where the herbage is as sweet ointment, and green as the turquoise and emerald, I dream of a song of beauty while...
Prayer To The Sun : PRAYER TO THE SUN ("Chaldean") THE LORD has sent me; the great god Hea, has sent me. Thou, in thy course thou directest the human race Cast upon him a ray of peace, and let it cure his suffering. The man, son of his god, has laid before him his shortcomings and transgressions; his feet and hands...
Hymn Of Tla Loc : HYMN OF TLA-LOC ("Mexican") (Tla-loc is the God of Storms. He dwells in Tlalocan where the spirits of the elements toss the balls of thunder, and cast the reeds of lightning. This is a masked dramatized ceremony to the rain god) "Priests" TO OUR land the god appears! His banner unfolds to the Four...
Preface : PREFACE THIS little book of thoughts big, and thoughts childish, goes to the reader with the hope that it bears the little known fact that Ancient America had a written aboriginal literature--much of which was beautiful. The Apache and the Navajo prayers are oral, transmitted from priest to priest...
Hymn To Amun Ra : HYMN TO AMUN-RA ("Egyptian") HAIL to thee, Amun-Ra, Lord of the thrones of the earth, the oldest existence, ancient of heaven, support of all things; Chief of the gods, lord of truth; father of the gods, maker of men and beasts and herbs; maker of all things above and below; Deliverer...
On The Writing Of A Prayer Of Praise : PAGAN PRAYERS ON THE WRITING OF A PRAYER OF PRAISE ("Mexican") (This introduction to a volume of annals, written centuries ago by an unknown poet of ancient America, gives glimpse of the beauty of the native book craft, and the sacredness to them, of literature) LIKE a red-winged heron of wonder...
Chinese Liturgy : CHINESE LITURGY ONE in spirit, We invoke thee! Hail, Amit-abha of the world! O would that our merciful teacher, Sakya-muni, And our great Father Amit-abha Would now descend and be present with us. Would that the perfect compassion-ate heart would now draw near And receive our offerings. May...
Chinese Prayer : CHINESE PRAYER I THE EMPEROR, have respectfully prepared this paper to inform the spirit of the sun, the spirit of the moon, the spirits of the five planets, of the stars, of the clouds, of the four seas, of the great rivers, of the present year, That on the first of next month we shall reverently...
Magical Incantation : MAGICAL INCANTATION ("Chaldean") I HAVE invoked thee, O Sun, in the midst of the high heavens. Thou art in the shadow of the cedar, and thy feet rest on the summits. The countries have called thee eagerly, they have directed their looks towards thee, O Friend, thy brilliant light illuminates every...
Hymn Of The God Of Flowers : HYMN OF THE GOD OF FLOWERS ("Mexican") (High Priest, masked as the god, chants) (Kin-teotl--God of maize) (Tla-loc--God of storms and the wide plains) O FRIENDS! The quetzal bird sings--it sings its song at midnight to Kin-teotl. The god now hears my song by night, he will hear my song as the night...
The Prayer Of The Maize : THE PRAYER OF THE MAIZE ("Mexican") (This is a conventional ceremony where a high priest, masked, personates Kin-teotl, god of the maize. An altar priest chants of the loves and greatness of the gods, but with an earthly love in his heart for a vestal who personates the goddess of art in a similar...