Prayers and rites to Tinia (Jupiter)

Etruscan Hymn to Tinia, Lord of the Celestial Spheres

O Tinia! Sovereign of the vaulted heavens, whose brow is crowned with the fulgent circlet of stars, whose hand clasps the threefold scepter of fate, fire, and dominion! From thy throne of tempest-woven clouds, where the north wind prostrates itself and the east wind sings thy decrees, thou dost survey the passage of time, cleaving the epochs of mortals and immortals alike.

Lo! The aether trembles at thy footfall, and the earth, thy footstool, quakes in reverence. Thy breath is the storm that scatters the oak’s pride; thy voice, the crackling flame that divides the veil betwixt the seen and unseen. The lightning, thy swift and argent messenger, descends as a spear of judgment, piercing the hearts of the impious, yet kindling the altars of the devout.

We, the children of this land, the keepers of the sacred libations, implore thee: turn thy gaze, O Thundering One, upon these groves where the laurel whispers thy name. Accept the smoke of frankincense, the blood of the bull, the honeyed wine poured forth in vessels of bronze. Remember, O Father of the Gods, the covenant sworn when the first augur traced the flight of birds in thy honor, when the liver of the lamb revealed thy will in its labyrinthine veins.

Thou who dost ride the chariot of the sun by day and the moon’s pale barge by night, who dost command the Semla to bow and the Letham to surge—preserve thy people from the discord of enemy hordes, from the hunger of the wolf, from the shadow that creeps when the world is silent. Let thy trident of light sunder the mists of falsehood; let thy scales, hung betwixt Orion and the Pleiades, weigh our deeds in mercy.

For thou art the Unseen King, the Weaver of the Capeva, the One whose eyes are twin suns piercing the abyss. Thy consort, Uni, softens thy wrath with her diadem of roses, yet none dare supplicate thee save with trembling hands and hearts purged of guile. As the river flows to the sea, as the flame ascends to thee, so let our vows rise, O Tinia, and find favor in thy court of winds.

Etruscan hymn to Tinia

Venerable Tinia, Thou art the Supreme Might of the Empyrean vast, the very Zenith of Power amongst the deathless Immortals! Thou art the Fount from which divine Authority doth spring, the celestial Spark that animates the storm-cloud, the First Principle of Law and the Ordainer of Destinies. Thou art the Voice that thundereth across the Firmament, the Glory of the Gods, the vigilant Eye whose gaze doth encompass the world from the highest heaven.

Thine alone is the Prerogative to interpret the Unseen Will, to command the very Heavens; the circuit of the stars obeys Thy decree, and Thou dost govern the tempests and the seasons with Thy majestic hand. For Thou alone dost hold dominion over the fateful lightning, dispensing warning, judgment, or transformation according to Thy wisdom, apportioning the sky's thirteen regions for Thy signs. The awful flash that rends the veil is Thy pronouncement, the thunder Thy commanding word.

It is for this reason that Thou art acknowledged Lord of the Threefold Bolt: that which forewarneth mortals, that which striketh down by divine council, and that which doth reshape the very fabric of the cosmos. Dost Thou not, by this sacred Triplicity, reveal the harmony of Thy rule, standing pre-eminent alongside Thy noble Consort Uni, and wise Menrva? Thou art named Tinia, for Thy radiant Authority doth banish darkness as the rising Sun dispels the night; they say Thy sacred symbol is the Thunderbolt grasped firmly in Thy hand, charged with the fire of Creation itself. They speak also of the Eagle, Thy swift and noble messenger, who bears Thy dictates betwixt the celestial sphere and the lands of men below. Thou art the Power whom the Haruspices seek in the entrails, whose Will the Augur discerns in the flight of birds and the patterns of the lightning-strike; whom Kings invoke for the sanction of their reign. Though differing cities and peoples may offer Thee diverse honours, calling Thee by regional epithets, it is Thy singular Majesty they perceive in the rolling thunder and the sudden, illuminating flash. Even the Latins, in their tongue, perceive Thy grandeur, naming Thee Jove, Father of Gods and Men. Thus all Etruria doth raise its voice to Thee, acknowledging Thy sway. Hail, August Countenance of the Sky Father, Arbiter of Fates! Grant unto us, Thy devoted supplicants, the understanding to read Thy signs aright when Thou dost write Thy Will upon the heavenly vault; shield our cities and our folk with Thy protective Power, and vouchsafe that our spirits, when their time is come, may ascend unto Thy starry realm. Yea, let it be done.

Prayer to Tinia

You, O Tinia, who are acknowledged First Father, regent of the empyrean vault, you whom our ancient lore reveres by the sacred cognomina of Cilens and of Thuf! A numen preeminent among the celestials, it is you whom now, through the consecrated ministry of your priests within this hallowed precinct, this entire citizenry and populace invoke, amidst the gravitas of this present solemnity.

Behold, then, Tinia, as the pure wine, our potent invocation, streams forth in libation! You who, with the coruscating terror and beauty of your celestial fires, are accustomed to rend the very fabric of the firmament, thereby to declare your formidable presence! Therefore, O Tinia, whose essence is of stainless majesty and undiminished purity, we implore you, incline your divine ear to these, our earnest entreaties!

With a spirit of unstinting munificence, bestow upon us, O Tinia truly magnificent, the unimpaired vigor of existence, and extend your inviolable aegis to shield our demarcated territories and our cultivated, fruitful fields. Let your benevolent regard, Tinia, encompass every soul of our people, and may it settle with an enduring and prosperous grace upon this, our cherished city. As the great cycles of time revolve, thricefold in their annual passage, so too are these sacred obligations, with unwavering diligence, rendered unto your divinity.

Stand, therefore, as our indomitable bulwark, Tinia! Repel, we fervently beseech, the consuming wrath of the airborne flame, avert from us those very bolts that carry swift and utter ruin!

Etruscan Liturgy to the August Tinia, Celestial Sovereign

Setting: Before the temple dedicated to Tinia, upon a day deemed auspicious by the interpreters of signs. Braziers emit fragrant smoke of juniper and pine. The Zilath (Chief Magistrate or Priest) stands facing the assembled populace, attendants bearing libation vessels and offerings nearby.

I. The Invocation and Establishment of Sacred Space

[The Zilath raises hands towards the sky.]

Hark now, lend thine ears unto the invocation of the Highest! Let the consecrated precinct be hushed, save for the sacred murmurs and the breath of devotion. We stand beneath the vast and immeasurable canopy, the very raiment of Him we seek to honour. Let profane thoughts be banished, let worldly concerns recede as mist before the morning sun, for we approach the numinous presence of Tinia, Father of the Gods, Master of the Firmament!

O Tinia, Thou who art enthroned beyond the sight of mortals, dwelling in the radiant citadel of the uppermost heaven! Thou whose voice reverberates in the rolling thunder, whose glance is the piercing levin-flash that illuminates the destiny inscribed upon the world! First among the Triad, arbiter of celestial concord, from whose divine will proceeds the order of the cosmos and the governance of gods and men. We, Thy children, assembled in humble piety, do raise our voices and our hearts unto Thine Empyrean abode. Reveal Thyself not in wrath, but in majesty; attend, we pray Thee, to this our solemn rite.

II. The Enumeration of Divine Attributes and Praises

[The Zilath lowers hands slightly, adopting a posture of recitation.]

Who comprehends the full measure of Thy might? Thou art the Axis Mundi, the pivot upon which the spheres revolve. The sun traces its diurnal path by Thy decree; the moon waxes and wanes according to Thy celestial rhythm. From Thy right hand dost Thou dispatch the levin-bolt, the threefold messenger – the warning strike, the destructive blast, the fateful illumination whose trajectory deciphers fate itself, understood only by those initiated into the sacred arts of fulguration and the lore contained within the Libri Fulgurales.

Beside Thee sits Uni, the Regal Mother, sharing Thy dominion, tempering power with nurturing grace. From Thine own divine intellect sprang Menrva, armoured in wisdom, patroness of craft and strategy, reflecting Thine own profound understanding. Thou art the ultimate source of authority, granting legitimacy to rulers, upholding the sacred boundaries, and overseeing the compacts that bind society. The winds are Thy messengers; the clouds, the chariots of Thy lesser attendants. The eagle, soaring highest, is Thy chosen symbol, surveying all below with piercing vision akin to Thine own. Thou art the fount of prophecy, whispering truths not only in the thunderclap but in the flight of birds and the configuration of the liver, shouldst Thou deem mortals worthy of such guidance.

III. The Supplication for Favour and Guidance

[The Zilath gestures towards the assembled people, then back to the heavens.]

Great Tinia, King of Heaven, look down upon Thy people gathered here. We stand amidst the turning seasons, subject to the vagaries of fortune and the breath of circumstance. We beseech Thee, turn Thy countenance favourably towards our cities, our fields, our homes.

Grant unto us prosperity in the furrowed field and abundance in the laden vine, that our granaries may be full and our tables laden. Avert the blight that withers the crop, and the pestilence that walks in shadow amongst man and beast. Shield our dwellings from the tempest's fury and the earth's unsettling tremors.

Guide the deliberations of our magistrates, that their judgments may be wise and just, reflecting Thine own cosmic order. Endow our artisans with skill, our warriors with courage tempered by prudence, and our priests with clarity in discerning Thy will through auspices benign. When Thou dost speak through the fiery alphabet of the storm, grant that the portents may be favourable, or that we possess the wisdom to interpret them rightly and act accordingly, navigating the intricate pathways of destiny Thou dost reveal. Protect us from discord within and aggression from without. May peace, born of strength and justice under Thy divine oversight, prevail in our lands.

IV. The Presentation of Offerings

[Attendants bring forward vessels of wine, incense burners, and perhaps representations of first fruits or crafted goods. The Zilath gestures towards them.]

Behold, O Sovereign Tinia, the tokens of our reverence, the substance of our devotion offered freely unto Thee. Accept these libations poured forth – the pure essence of the grape, nurtured by the sun Thou commandest, drawn from the earth Thou sustainest. May its pouring forth upon consecrated ground be pleasing to Thee.

Receive the fragrant smoke ascending from these sacred resins, juniper and cedar, pine and myrrh, a testament to our veneration, rising like our prayers towards Thy celestial court. Accept these first fruits of our labour, symbols of the sustenance we owe to Thy benevolent providence. These are but humble echoes of the magnificence that is Thine, yet offered with sincere hearts and minds intent upon Thy worship. Let the savour ascend and find favour in Thy sight.

V. The Concluding Acknowledgement and Dismissal

[The Zilath raises hands once more in a gesture of finality.]

Tinia, Greatest Father, Sky-Bearer, Wielder of the Thunderbolt! We have spoken our praises; we have laid bare our petitions; we have presented our offerings. Thy presence has sanctified this space and this time. Though Thy full glory remains veiled, we trust that Thou hast inclined Thine ear to our collective voice. Depart not utterly from us, O Tinia, but let Thy watchful gaze remain upon Thy people of Etruria. May Thy blessings manifest in the tangible world, and Thy guidance illuminate our path. May Thy will, inscrutable yet just, be done. Let Thy power be acknowledged, Thy majesty revered, now and through the cycles of seasons yet to unfold.