This composition serves as ritual music for the cult of Ara, primordial demon; her presence weaves the unfolding of Kronos’ maternal tragedy as described in Hesiod’s Theogony. “Ara” evokes this original tragedy, cardinal point for the celebration of the primordial Titanic forces, re-discovered as divine entities for a post-societal humanity.

Ἀρὰ ἡ πρεσβυτάτη δαιμὀνων.

Ara, Oldest of demons.

Theogony 116 - 122

ἤτοι μὲν πρώτιστα Χάος γένετ', αὐτὰρ ἔπειτα

Γαῖ' εὐρύστερνος, πάντων ἕδος ἀσφαλὲς αἰεὶ

ἀθανάτων οἳ ἔχουσι κάρη νιφόεντος Ὀλύμπου,

Τάρταρά τ' ἠερόεντα μυχῷ χθονὸς εὐρυοδείης,

ἠδ' Ἔρος, ὃς κάλλιστος ἐν ἀθανάτοισι θεοῖσι,

λυσιμελής, πάντων τε θεῶν πάντων τ' ἀνθρώπων

δάμναται ἐν στήθεσσι νόον καὶ ἐπίφρονα βουλήν.

First came the Chasm; and then broad-breasted Earth,

secure seat for ever of all the immortals who occupy the

peak of snowy Olympus; the misty Tartara in a remote

recess of the broad-pathed earth;

and Eros, the most handsome among the immortal gods,

dissolver of flesh, who overcomes the reason and purpose

in the breasts of all gods and all men.

137 - 138

τοὺς δὲ μέθ' ὁπλότατος γένετο Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης,

δεινότατος παίδων, θαλερὸν δ' ἤχθηρε τοκῆα.

After them the youngest was born, crooked-schemer Kronos,

most fearsome of children, who loathed his lusty father.

147 - 160

ἄλλοι δ' αὖ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο

τρεῖς παῖδες μεγάλοι τε καὶ ὄβριμοι, οὐκ ὀνομαστοί,

Κόττος τε Βριάρεώς τε Γύγης θ', ὑπερήφανα τέκνα.

τῶν ἑκατὸν μὲν χεῖρες ἀπ' ὤμων ἀίσσοντο,

ἄπλαστοι, κεφαλαὶ δὲ ἑκάστῳ πεντήκοντα

ἐξ ὤμων ἐπέφυκον ἐπὶ στιβαροῖσι μέλεσσιν;

ἰσχὺς δ' ἄπλητος κρατερὴ μεγάλῳ ἐπὶ εἴδει.

ὅσσοι γὰρ Γαίης τε καὶ Οὐρανοῦ ἐξεγένοντο,

δεινότατοι παίδων, σφετέρῳ δ' ἤχθοντο τοκῆι

ἐξ ἀρχῆ; καὶ τῶν μὲν ὅπως τις πρῶτα γένοιτο,

πάντας ἀποκρύπτασκε καὶ ἐς φάος οὐκ ἀνίεσκε

Γαίης ἐν κευθμῶνι, κακῷ δ' ἐπετέρπετο ἔργῳ

Οὐρανός. ἡ δ' ἐντὸς στοναχίζετο Γαῖα πελώρη

στεινομένη, δολίην δὲ κακὴν ἐπεφράσσατο τέχνην.

And again there were born of Earth and Heaven

three more sons, mighty and stern, not to be spoken of,

Kottos, Briareos, and Gyges, overbearing children.

A hundred arms sprang from their shoulders

—unshapen hulks— and fifty heads grew from the shoulders

of each of them upon their stalwart bodies.

Strength boundless and powerful was upon their mighty form

For all those that were born of Earth and Heaven

were the most fearsome of children, and their own father

loathed them from the beginning.

As soon as each of them was born, he hid them all away in a

cavern of Earth, and would not let them into the light;

and he took pleasure in the wicked work, did Heaven,

while the huge Earth was tight-pressed inside, and groaned.

164 - 172

παῖδες ἐμοὶ καὶ πατρὸς ἀτασθάλου, αἴ κ' ἐθέλητε

πείθεσθαι, πατρός κε κακὴν τεισαίμεθα λώβην

ὑμετέρου; πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα.

ὣς φάτο; τοὺς δ' ἄρα πάντας ἕλεν δέος, οὐδέ τις αὐτῶν

φθέγξατο. θαρσήσας δὲ μέγας Κρόνος ἀγκυλομήτης

αἶψ' αὖτις μύθοισι προσηύδα μητέρα κεδνήν;

μῆτερ, ἐγώ κεν τοῦτό γ' ὑποσχόμενος τελέσαιμι

ἔργον, ἐπεὶ πατρός γε δυσωνύμου οὐκ ἀλεγίζω

ἡμετέρου; πρότερος γὰρ ἀεικέα μήσατο ἔργα.

“Children of mine and of an evil father, I wonder whether you

would like to do as I say? We could get redress for your

father's cruelty. After all, he began it by his ugly behaviour.”

So she spoke; but they were all seized by fear, and none

of them uttered a word. But the great crookedschemer

Kronos took courage, and soon replied to his good mother:

“Mother, I would undertake this task and accomplish it

—I am not afraid of our unspeakable father.

After all, he began it by his ugly behaviour.”

176 - 187

ἦλθε δὲ νύκτ' ἐπάγων μέγας Οὐρανός, ἀμφὶ δὲ Γαίῃ

ἱμείρων φιλότητος ἐπέσχετο, καί ῥ' ἐτανύσθη

πάντῃ; ὁ δ' ἐκ λοχέοιο πάις ὠρέξατο χειρὶ

σκαιῇ, δεξιτερῇ δὲ πελώριον ἔλλαβεν ἅρπην,

μακρὴν καρχαρόδοντα, φίλου δ' ἀπὸ μήδεα πατρὸς

ἐσσυμένως ἤμησε, πάλιν δ' ἔρριψε φέρεσθαι

ἐξοπίσω. τὰ μὲν οὔ τι ἐτώσια ἔκφυγε χειρός;

ὅσσαι γὰρ ῥαθάμιγγες ἀπέσσυθεν αἱματόεσσαι,

πάσας δέξατο Γαῖα; περιπλομένων δ' ἐνιαυτῶν

γείνατ' Ἐρινῦς τε κρατερὰς μεγάλους τε Γίγαντας,

τεύχεσι λαμπομένους, δολίχ' ἔγχεα χερσὶν ἔχοντας,

Νύμφας θ' ἃς Μελίας καλέουσ' ἐπ' ἀπείρονα γαῖαν.

Great Heaven came, bringing on the night, and,

desirous of love, he spread himself over Earth, stretched out

in every direction. His son reached out from the ambush

with his left hand; with his right he took the huge sickle

with its long row of sharp teeth and quickly cut off

his father's genitals, and flung them behind him to fly

where they might. They were not released from his hand

to no effect, for all the drops of blood that flew off were

received by Earth, and as the years went round she bore

the powerful Erinyes and the great Giants in gleaming

armour with long spears in their hands, and the nymphs

whom they call Meliai on the boundless earth.

207 - 225

τοὺς δὲ πατὴρ Τιτῆνας ἐπίκλησιν καλέεσκε

παῖδας νεικείων μέγας Οὐρανός, οὓς τέκεν αὐτός;

φάσκε δὲ τιταίνοντας ἀτασθαλίῃ μέγα ῥέξαι

ἔργον, τοῖο δ' ἔπειτα τίσιν μετόπισθεν ἔσεσθαι.

Νὺξ δ' ἔτεκε στυγερόν τε Μόρον καὶ Κῆρα μέλαιναν

καὶ Θάνατον, τέκε δ' Ὕπνον, ἔτικτε δὲ φῦλον Ὀνείρων.

δεύτερον αὖ Μῶμον καὶ Ὀιζὺν ἀλγινόεσσαν

οὔ τινι κοιμηθεῖσα θεῶν τέκε Νὺξ ἐρεβεννή,

Ἑσπερίδας θ', αἷς μῆλα πέρην κλυτοῦ Ὠκεανοῖο

χρύσεα καλὰ μέλουσι φέροντά τε δένδρεα καρπόν;

καὶ Μοίρας καὶ Κῆρας ἐγείνατο νηλεοποίνους,

Κλωθώ τε Λάχεσίν τε καὶ Ἄτροπον, αἵ τε βροτοῖσι

γεινομένοισι διδοῦσιν ἔχειν ἀγαθόν τε κακόν τε,

αἵ τ' ἀνδρῶν τε θεῶν τε παραιβασίας ἐφέπουσιν,

οὐδέ ποτε λήγουσι θεαὶ δεινοῖο χόλοιο,

πρίν γ' ἀπὸ τῷ δώωσι κακὴν ὄπιν, ὅστις ἁμάρτῃ.

τίκτε δὲ καὶ Νέμεσιν πῆμα θνητοῖσι βροτοῖσι

Νὺξ ὀλοή; μετὰ τὴν δ' Ἀπάτην τέκε καὶ Φιλότητα

Γῆράς τ' οὐλόμενον, καὶ Ἔριν τέκε καρτερόθυμον.

But great Ouranos used to call the sons he begot

Titans, a reproachful nickname, because he thought they

Had over-reached themselves and done a monstrous deed

For which vengeance later would surely be exacted.

And Night bore hateful Doom and black Fate

And Death, and Sleep and the brood of Dreams.

And sleeping with no one, the ebony goddess Night

Gave birth to Blame and agonizing Grief,

And to the Hesperides who guard the golden apples

And the fruit-bearing trees beyond glorious Ocean.

And she generated the Destinies and the merciless,

Avenging Fates, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos,

Who give mortals at birth good and evil to have,

And prosecute transgressions of mortals and gods.

These goddesses never let up their dread anger

Until the sinner has paid a severe penalty.

And deadly Night bore Nemesis too, more misery

For mortals; and after her, Deception and Friendship

And ruinous Old Age, and hard-hearted Eris.

Sheet Music

Ara is composed for Vocalist plus four instrumental parts: First Electric Guitar (doubled), Second Electric Guitar (doubled), Electic Bass, Drumset.

Full Score

Instrumental Parts