Hymns to Isis at Her Faiyum Temple

The Egyptian Faiyum is in middle Egypt. In ancient times, it was an important oasis with its large, freshwater lake, fed by the Nile, and known in Greek as Moeris (from Egyptian Mer Wer, “Great Canal”). Humans have been in the area since pre-Neolithic times and a settlement, called Shedet, was established by the Old Kingdom.

The modern city of Faiyum is about 60 miles southwest of Cairo. The lake, now called Lake Qarun, is still there, but it’s much smaller, landlocked, and hyper-salty.

Anciently, the Faiyum was one of the main cult centers of the Crocodile God Sobek, where He was known as Sobek Shedety, “Sobek, He of Shedet.” Crocodiles, you see, were particularly plentiful in Lake Moeris. It is here in the Faiyum that Isis and Sobek meet up, especially in the temple complex at Medinet Madi (Gk., Narmouthis), at the southwestern entrance to the Faiyum. You can read more about Isis and Sobek here.

The Medinet Madi temple was originally built in the 12th dynasty and is the only surviving Middle Kingdom temple found to date. It was first dedicated to Sobek, to the cobra-formed Harvest Goddess Renenutet, and to Horus of Shedet. In the Greco-Roman period, the temple was dedicated to Isis as well.

Isis and Renenutet had long been syncretized, perhaps before the 5th century BCE. You will see the name of the combined Goddess as Isis-Thermouthis, Isis–Hermouthis, or Isis–Ermouthis. There’s also a version that combines the two Goddesses’ names as Isermouthis. So here we have the Goddesses continuing the Egyptian religious understanding of being able to combine, flow into, and “come forth as” each other.

Carved on the entrance pillars to the Medinet Madi temple’s forecourt, we find four hymns to Isis. If you read the hymns in order, their placement on the pillars leads the reader from outside the gate to inside the forecourt. In other words, the author of the hymns is leading his readers, through his knowledge of Isis, into Her temple.

Today, I’d like to tell you a little bit about those hymns.

They are the oldest of the famous Isis aretalogies (“speaking of virtues”) found throughout the Mediterranean world and were likely composed in the early part of the first century BCE. Unlike some of the other aretalogies/hymns, we know who composed them for he signed his name: Isidoros. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about Isidoros, other than he was a devotee of Isis and had enough wealth and prestige to have his compositions in Isis’ honor carved in Her temple grounds.

After his signature in the second of the hymns, Isidoros says that he has been given blessings of great happiness by the Deities, so the hymns as a whole may have been a thank offering. In his fourth hymn, Isidoros says that he investigated the history of the temple and “translated” his findings for the Greeks. This has made some scholars suggest that Isidoros may have been a bilingual Egyptian, maybe even a priest, who wanted to share his knowledge of his Goddess Isis with the Greeks. This was during the Ptolemaic period, when Greeks were ruling Egypt, and there were clearly enough Greek-speakers in Narmouthis that Isidoros wanted to write his hymns to the Goddess in Greek.

Isidoros’ hymns also demonstrate a blending of Greek and Egyptian religious traditions (the same type of blend we find in the Greco-Egyptian magical papyri, aka, the PGM.)

In these hymns, Isis is a universal Goddess and all powerful. She is benefactress to all human beings, the giver of all life, livelihood, and nourishment. She is the savior from all difficulties. Yet at the same time, She is also a local Goddess, using Her power for and giving Her favor to the people of the Faiyum as they celebrate Her local festivals.

Writing in Greek, and “translating” for Greeks, Isidorus uses a number of phrases also found in Greek epic poetry, as well as Greek poetic forms: hexameters (a rhythmic style) and elegiacs (metrical couplets). Earlier scholarship generally considered that the Greek Isiac hymns and aretalogies merely stuffed Isis into a Hellenized mold. But more recent study has shown that many of the phrases used in the hymns and aretalogies can be traced back to Egyptian originals, including specific Egyptian epithets of the Goddess. For instance, here’s a post on the aretalogy supposed to be from Memphis and the work scholars have done searching for the origins of its praises of the Goddess.

Interestingly, at least one scholar considers Isidorus’ hymns to be quite close to indigenous religious feeling—despite their Greek translations.

So that you can see the hymns for yourself and use or adapt them as you wish, I’ll reproduce two of Isidorus’ hymns, Hymn I and III. The English translations are from Vera Vanderlip’s The Four Greek Hymns of Isidorus & the Cult of Isis. You can download a copy of the whole book here. The work is a bit dated now, but still very valuable.

In Hymn I, we find Isis of the Many Names as a universal Goddess. Isidorus notes that the Egyptians call Her Thiouis, for they know that She, being One, is all Goddesses. Thiouis is a Hellenized version of the Egyptian epithet of Isis, Ta Uaet, “The Only One.”

Isis Hymn I from Medinet Madi temple

O wealth-giver, Queen of the Gods, Hermouthis, Lady,
Omnipotent Agathē Tychē, greatly renowned Isis,
Dēo, highest Discoverer of all Life,
Manifold miracles were Your care that you might bring livelihood to mankind and morality to all.

You taught customs that justice might in some measure prevail;
You gave skills that men’s life might be comfortable,
And You discovered the blossoms that produce edible vegetation.
Because of You, heaven and the whole earth have their being; and the gusts of the winds and the sun with its sweet light.

By Your power the channels of Nile are filled, every one, at the harvest season and its most turbulent water is poured on the whole land that produce may be unfailing.

All mortals who live on the boundless earth, Thracians, Greeks and Barbarians, express Your fair Name, a Name greatly honoured among all, but each speaks in his own language, in his own land.
The Syrians call You Astarte, Artemis, Nanaia. The Lycian tribes call You Leto the Lady; the Thracians also name You as Mother of the Gods. And the Greeks call You Hera of the Great Throne, Aphrodite, Hestia the goodly, Rheia and Demeter.

But the Egyptians call You “Thiouis” because they know that You, being One, are all other Goddesses invoked by the races of men. Mighty One, I shall not cease to sing of Your great power.

Deathless Savior, many-named, mightiest Isis, saving from war, cities and all their citizens: men, their wives, possessions, and children.

As many as are bound fast in prison, in the power of death; as many as are in pain through long, anguished, sleepless nights; all who are wanderers in a foreign land; and as many as sail on the Great Sea in winter, when men may be destroyed and their ships wrecked and sunk, all these are saved if they pray that You be present to help.

Hear my prayers, O One whose Name has great Power; prove Yourself merciful to me and free me from all distress.

Isidoros wrote this.

Isis Hymn III from Medinet Madi temple

O ruler of the Highest Gods, Hermouthis, Lady, Isis, pure and sacred, mighty, of mighty name, Dēo,
O most hallowed bestower of good things; to all men who are righteous, you grant blessings: to possess wealth, a life that is pleasant, and most serene happiness: material gain, good fortune, and happy soundness of understanding.

All who live lives of greatest bliss, the best of men: sceptre-bearing kings and those who are rulers, if they depend on You, rule until old age, leaving shining and splendid wealth in abundance to their sons and sons’ sons, and to men who come after.

But the one whom the heavenly Queen has held most dear of princes, rules both Asia and Europe,
keeping the peace; the harvests grow heavy for him, with all kinds of good things, bearing fruit.

And where indeed there are wars and slaughter of countless throngs, Your strength and Godly power
annihilates the multitude; but to the few with him it gives courage.

Hear me, Agathētychē [“Good Fortune”: that is, Isis], when I pray to You, Lady…

Whether You have journeyed into Libya or to the south wind, or whether You are dwelling in the outermost regions of the north wind ever sweetly blowing,
Or whether You dwell in the blasts of the east wind, where are the risings of the sun,
Or whether You have gone to Olympus, where the Olympian Gods dwell,
Or whether You are in heaven above, a judge with the immortal Gods, or whether You have mounted the chariot of the swift-driving sun, You are directing the world of men, looking down on the manifold deeds of the wicked and gazing down on those of the just.

If You are also present here too, You witness mens‘ individual virtue, delighting in the sacrifices, libations, and offerings of the men who dwell in the nome of Suchos [Sobek], the Arsinoïtes [that is, those who live in the Faiyum], men of mixed races who all, yearly, are present on the twentieth of the month of Pachon and Thoth, bringing a tenth for You and for Anchoēs [Isis’ and Sobek’s son], and Sokonopis [Sobek], most sacred of Gods, at Your feast.

O Hearer of Prayers, Black-Robed Isis, the Merciful—and You Great Gods who share the temple with Her—send Paean to me, Healer of All Ills.

Isidoros wrote this.

For me, these ancient hymns and praises of Isis serve as rich pools of inspiration for my own work. I hope you enjoy reading them and may as serve as inspiration for your own heart-words to Isis.