From the book
The Orphic Collection, Volume I: The Hymns
Attributed to Orpheus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordἹκέτης names a person who approaches for help or protection.
- In the Orphic HymnsAt IX.12 the Moon is asked to shine while saving νέους ἱκέτας σέο, the new or young suppliants of her.
- TranslationThe supplied English can render νέους as “new,” but “young” remains within the adjective’s ordinary range.
- A place to readThe Moon’s light and saving activity are directed toward her new or young suppliants.
- English renderings
- suppliant; one seeking aid
Meaning
Ἱκέτης names a person who approaches for help or protection. It describes a relation to the one appealed to, not necessarily a permanent office or a complete account of the suppliant’s social status. The noun’s only primary occurrence here is a plural accusative in the closing request to the Moon.
Use in the book
At IX.12 the Moon is asked to shine while saving νέους ἱκέτας σέο, the new or young suppliants of her. The possessive genitive makes their relation explicit: they seek her aid. Their newness or youth deserves to remain visible. Although the collection elsewhere addresses initiates and rites, this noun is not itself the word μύστης, and the phrase does not securely identify a formal stage of initiation.
The preceding request asks the goddess to come kindly with her light, so protection is connected to a favourable luminous presence. That is the local benefit for which the suppliants appeal. Related ἱκετηρίς describes the supplicatory voice heard by other gods, giving a useful comparison between the person’s position and the manner of the prayer. Neither word alone reconstructs a physical gesture such as touching an altar or clasping knees.
Places to read
- Hymn IX · Line 12The Moon’s light and saving activity are directed toward her new or young suppliants.
Translation
The supplied English can render νέους as “new,” but “young” remains within the adjective’s ordinary range. The apparatus reports a fused and uncertain ending against the adopted σέο κούρη. The printed text clearly contains the relation “of you” and the address “maiden”; the alternative should not be repaired into an invented compound.
Attested forms
ἱκέτας
Occurrence inventory
1 in total. IX.12
Further source
LSJ, ἱκέτης. Lexical range, consulted in the official Perseus XML text.