Daemonia Nymphe uses authentic instruments, including lyre, varvitos, krotala, pandoura and double flute, which are made by the Greek master Nicholas Brass. Their shows are very theatrical, with members wearing masks and ancient dresses. Their lyrics are drawn from Orphic and Homeric hymns and Sappho's poems for Zeus and Hekate.
Daemonia Nymphe have composed music for many documentaries among which the documentary “Treasures of Athens and Olympia” for the British Channel Five in Summer of 2004. In 2005 they toured Greece with the support of the Greek ministry of Culture.
Hymn to Bacchus
Daemonia Nymphe Lyrics
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The song Hymn to Bacchus by Daemonia Nymphe is a vibrant praise to the god of wine and ecstasy, Bacchus or Dionysus. The opening words, "Hail, nymphs, hail, Bacchus," are a call to the nymphs that follow the god and to Bacchus himself. The following lines describe him as the loud, ancient, two-faced, three-formed, wild, secret, and veiled king of the Bacchantes. He is also called the "evocation of good counsel" and "son of Zeus and Persephone," suggesting his divine nature and heritage.
As the song progresses, Bacchus is described as a creature of many forms, including bull-horned, ivy-crowned, and clad in the skins of wild animals. He is also referred to as a "demon" and a "god," highlighting his dual nature as both a force of wildness and a divine ruler. The singer implores him to hear their voice and to breathe his sweet and accepting breath upon them in the company of the dancing maidens.
The lyrics to Hymn to Bacchus are a powerful evocation of the god's intense and ecstatic nature, as well as his ability to incite wildness and revelry. The song is infused with a deep sense of reverence and ritual, reflecting the ancient mythological beliefs of the Greeks.
Line by Line Meaning
Χαίρε Νύμφαι, χαίρε Βάκχε
Greetings, Nymphs! Greetings, Bacchus!
Κικλήσκω Διόνυσον ερίβρομον, ευαστήρα, πρωτόγονον
I call upon Dionysus, the roaring, the well-built, the first-born
διφυή, τρίγονον, Βακχείον άνακτα, άγριον, άρρητον, κρύφιον, ερνεσίπεπλον
The two-shaped, the three-shaped, the king of Bacchus, wild, unspoken, secret, wrapped in fawn skins
Ευβουλεύ, πολύβουλε, Διός καί Περσεφονείης, αρρήτοις λέκτροισι τεκνωθείς, άμβροτε δαίμον
Wise one, full of counsel, born of the secret bed of Zeus and Persephone, immortal daemon
Ευβουλεύ, πολύβουλε, δικέρωτα, δίμορφον, κισσόβρυον, εύιον ωμάδιον, ταυρωπόν, Διός καί Περσεφονείης αρρήτοις λέκτροισι τεκνωθείς, άμβροτε δαίμον
Wise one, full of counsel, with two horns, two-shaped, wreathed in ivy, well-nurtured, bull-faced, born of the secret bed of Zeus and Persephone, immortal daemon
κλύθι, μάκαρ, φωνής, ηδύς δ' επίπνευσον
Hear me, blessed one, and send forth a sweet breath
αμεμ[φ]ής ευμενές ήτορ έχων, σύν ευζώνοισι τιθήναις.
Having an unblemished and friendly heart, together with the well-girded maidens.
Contributed by Benjamin K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.