by Briar

All Indo-European Pagan religions had a Goddess of Dawn, it seems – at least this applies to those cultures who have documented their Pantheons. In the case of the Celts, while we may probably safely conjecture that they had one, it is impossible to tell what name She might have born.

What follows below is a Slavic-inspired prayer to Dawn.  Among the Russians She was known as Zoria, which loosely translates as “glimmering light on the horizon”, somewhat akin to “aurora”.  As with much of Slavic Pagandom, not much is known about Her. She might have been a dual Goddess, or a set of twins, one for morning and one for evening.  She might or might not have been the same as a set of twins or triplets knows as the Three Stars: The Morning Star, The Evening Star, and the Midnight Star.

Some say that She is the Sun’s Gatekeeper – her function being to guard and open the gates through which the Sun rides forth on his chariot.  Judging from some late poetry, She may have been associated with protection, especially protection of warriors during battle – in the poem the warrior asks Dawn to put Her veil over him and shield him thereby.

The poem below is much less militant.  It is simply a paean to the first light of the day.

Thou Dawn Light, I bow deep before Thee,
And before Thy beauty bright
Do I bow my reckless head.

Throw open Thou the golden gates,
Pull aside Thou the rainbow veils,
Let the Sun ride forth across the sky.

Pour forth the pearls of Thy light,
Like the dew upon the waving grasses,
Like the dew upon the open steppes.

Let the birds fly upon the clean winds,
Let the wolves flow across the open steppes,
Let the fishes dance among the restless waves.

Let them cry to the whole white world:
Dawn is come!