Rihanna's Hymn to Zeus (otherwise known as Umbrella)

Although she has never admitted as much, and I'm sure many will find the assertion that this catchy pop tune is in reality a heartfelt devotional prayer to the most august divinity in the Greek pantheon a strange proposition to make, at the very least, I think if you look beneath the surface you'll find that to be a pretty inescapable conclusion.

Even before the song gets started proper the connections surface.

While Jay-Z is doing his lame rap-over Rihanna quietly chants "eh" 12 times. This is a vocalization of the English A, cognate to the Greek Alpha, the first and arguably most important letters in both languages, suggesting the supremacy of Zeus and also the Orphic refrain, "Zeus is first, Zeus is last, Zeus the middle and by Zeus was made all things that are." The fact that she chants this mantra twelve times evokes Zeus' place at the head of the Dodekatheon or Twelve Great Gods who rule Olympos.

Next Rihanna goes on to sing:

But you'll still be my star
Baby cause in the dark
You can't see shiny cars
And that's when you need me there

Here we find an expression of her personal relationship with Zeus and the god is called upon in his form of Soter ("Savior") who safely guides people through the dark and dangerous things that they face - such as cars which lack proper lighting at night. This hearkens back to the cult of Zeus Soter in Alexandria, where a statue of the god surmounted the famous Pharos lighthouse, which provided a beacon of light so strong that it could be seen for miles out to sea, by which sailors were able to navigate their way safely into port under the protection of the god.

Rihanna then sings:

When the sun shines, we'll shine together

Which, beyond reaffirming her close connection with the god, is a clear reference to Zeus Olympios. This cult-title is derived from the Greek word lampto meaning "brightly shining", and referred to Zeus in his role as god of the upper heavens, the fiery aithur or portion of the sky nearest the sun. It is also, perhaps, an expression of that late but popular syncreticism which linked Zeus and Helios together, for instance in the exclamation found in the Greek magical papyri, "The one Zeus-Helios-Serapis!"

However, when she sings:

Said I'll always be a friend

We think immediately of Zeus Philios, the god of friendship and hospitality.

While:

Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end

References Zeus Horkios, the god of oaths and their protection.

One of the most striking ways that the poet Rihanna invokes the god is by mentioning nephelegereta or "cloud-gathering" Zeus' well-known ability to cause the rain to fall:

Now that it's raining more than ever

and

It's raining, Ooh baby it's raining

As she repeats these lines with greater and greater intensity, it as if we are drawn into an epiphany of the god in his most elemental form, the sudden rain storm. One can almost feel the drops of rain falling upon one's head!

Nor are these necessarily the only references to this aspect of the god. Some have discovered what they conjecture are a subtle insertion of another reference to Thundering Zeus - though it's one that the average listener is likely to miss if they aren't careful.

Numerous times Rihanna chants:

Ella ella eh eh eh

What is this but an affirmation of the equivalence between Zeus and the Canaanite deity El? Both are mighty storm-gods who rule from the mountain-top, frequently manifest in bull form, and rose to power by overthrowing the previous generation of primeval and amoral titanic forces which had governed creation up to that point. In fact, the equation goes further: in Hebrew we find the divine name El Elyon "the Most High God" - an exact cognate to the Greek Zeus Hypsistos. Some have conjectured that this is what Rihanna is trying to pronounce in her charmingly Barbados-accented English.

Rihanna goes on to sing:

You can stand under my umbrella

And this is one of the most powerful metaphors in the piece. Here she is comparing Zeus to an umbrella, by which she means that Zeus is our shelter and protection from the storm, a noble sentiment indeed, and one that is truly worthy of the god that she hymns so lovingly. No doubt that is why she chose to give such a name to her piece, for it is truly the central theme of the song.

But these are not the only references to Zeus that may be detected in Rihanna's work. Some feel that the frequent refrain:

Ooh baby ... ooh baby

Hearkens back to the myth of Zeus' birth on Krete, and how the Kouretes danced with their brazen shields to create such a raucous din that it blotted out the shrill cries of the newborn infant. Some have inferred that the incessant, repetitive beat of the drum machine that is looped throughout the song is intended as an invocation of that all-important clangorous rhythm.

One of the most controversial lines of the song, however, must certainly be the closing refrain:

Come into me ... come into me

Different scholars take a different approach to this enigmatic line:

Does it suggest the numerous amorous affairs of Zeus? It certainly brings to mind the scenes in which Danae lies supine, ready to receive the god into her in the form of a shower of gold. To say nothing of his trysts with Leto, Lyda, Semele, Demeter, Maia, Dione, et al.

However, others feel that it is best interpreted as a reference to the well-known ecstatic element in the worship of the Phrygian deity Zeus Sabazius, in which the god was thought to take possession of his devotees and literally come inside them via enthousiasmos induced by dancing (much like that performed by Rihanna in the video) and alcoholic consumption (clearly the cause for Jay-Z's incomprehensible opening monologue).

Others still see it as a clear reference to Zeus Herkeios the god of the fence and forecourt, whose duty it was to protect the home. In this interpretation we can envision Zeus in his domestic guise standing by the fencepost, ushering the weary traveler safely back to his home by uttering those enigmatic words himself, the very house personified.

Alas, I suspect we will never know for sure what the great poet of modern-day Hellenism exactly had in mind with that line, since Rihanna has not been forthcoming in that regard. In fact, she has yet to even admit to her worship of the King of the Gods, clinging to the persona of a simple-minded pop crooner slash model/actress. But it is clear for all to see that something much greater is going on in her work, and we all look forward to seeing what revelations she will share with us next.