Hylaean Anathem

First Appearance and Context

During a witnessed rite of Provener in the chancel of the Mynster, the avout perform the Hylaean Anathem while winding the great clock. The text also recounts its much older roots in ceremonies once held beneath the Halls of Orithena, with later revivals and adaptations after periods of disruption and reorganization.

Description and Role

The Hylaean Anathem is a fixed‑text hymn with many musical settings across the maths—“as various as clouds”—while retaining the same words and overall structure. Ancient renderings are monophonic, whereas the version in use at Saunt Edhar is polyphonic, with different voice parts weaving together before aligning in a single pure tone. In performance, that convergence produces a resonant vibration in the Mynster’s light‑well strong enough to loosen the winding shaft’s static friction, after which the capstan can turn and the meteorite weight begins to rise. The action takes place at the heart of the complex, around the hub linked through the pillars of the Præsidium.

Musically, the hymn first depicts a state of pre‑order (“Kaos”) before resolving to unison, then divides again into two lines symbolizing the daughters of Cnoüs—Hylaea and Deät—before continuing the rite. Different cohorts contribute parts; green‑robed Unarians may lead some of the lines, while deep notes are traditionally provided by the Thousanders.

Relationships and Functions

• Addresses and venerates Hylaea; the text invokes Cnoüs and Deät in its symbolic sections.
• Integral to the daily winding at Provener, performed within the Mynster and mechanically coupled to the Præsidium’s works.
• Historically adapted from rites associated with Orithena and later re‑anchored within mathic liturgy after major upheavals.

Current Status

Actively sung at Provener, with thousands of recognized settings in circulation across the maths. The local setting is polyphonic, coordinated across the naves, and remains part of the standard rite used to wind and sustain the great clock.