National Anthem of the Northern States

The National Anthem of the Northern States is the first couplet of an untitled poem by Visiphorus (f. 1570) set to the tune of Hymn 134. The poem is known as the "universal psalm" because it ascribes all humanity as the beneficiaries of the work of the Godhead and intercedes on behalf of all of them.

Words

The national anthem of the Northern States is one of the shortest in the world, consisting of 18 words.

hanāmuš xmō āmarətāt-te holūwotāt-te βā arətā́-ke haduwṓ

To the end that the nations of Earth shall have immortality, soundness, and indeed righteousness,

žiiō dédā āhúš-te áždō pāeš áiiū marətim xātiyṓ-tə̄ nū nanā́ diθí

Give now [these things] to us, thou giving god, lord of truth, that has upheld life and vanquished death.

Other sections and antiphony

The poem composed by Visiphorus contains many extra lines that are not considered part of the Northian anthem, but are often sung with the national anthem anyway.

There is a concluding antiphony of the nationa anthem, which is pronounced by the officiating priest in response to the hymn sung by the laity. This antiphonal text has since become an unofficial national creed for the Northern States.

mémnušā-tə ϑitatā ϑβə̄m āhim piroāśum-kə hvā pāsmúš ϑxmāmúš hidóā

We know that the Godhead that has given birth to you has likewise given [the same] to every sort of earthly man

pāsi xšəm-ərə, híiārō aēuuōi ϑā aiiōi hϑi, ϑβə̄m-kə βā ϑo hāti aōtōi

In this entire Earth, on which account, what is holy to one shall be [holy] to another, and [what to them] is satisfactory [shall be satisfactory] to you.

The antiphon said by the laity after the hymn was chanted was:

Peace and rejoicing in every land, it is decided, made, and caused to pass!

History

The "Universal Psalm", written with a somewhat less-than-perfect command of Galic Northian, is not an actual hymn dating to the Bronze Age as its language outwardly suggests. Rather, it is dated to the 1570s and attributed to the priest Visiphorus, who was also the first plenary priest to have included it in his liturgy.

It was penned as an intermedial psalm and was (at least originally) addressed to Hāuuərə, the Sun goddess. In the Renaissance period, the Galic text, which was chanted in the holiest part of the cyclical service, was broken into two halves to permit officiating priests to take respite, as otherwise the hymns took an hour to chant. However it was deemed an irreverence to break the chain of praiseful hymns, and so psalms in Galic language were inserted and chanted by either non-officiating priests or even the laity, while the officiating priests rested.

The Universal Psalm gained popularity very rapidly through the Northian dioceses and was inserted at the behest of the laity in many instances. Martius Kronen, a wealthy merchant of Cleiden, said it was a "most beloved psalm and evidence of great piety of anyone who sings it". From 1597, it was used as an intercessory hymn at the Congress of the States, which had the vestigial form of intercity religious festivals. Held in such high esteem and demanded by the delegates, it was spoken six times by the officiating priests, and it therefore became a canon at the Congress of the States. From there, it became one of several standard psalms used when religious offices were involved in public functions.

See also

• Northern States