About the song
There is a song titled Lilium. It is the theme song of the Anime "Elfen Lied"1written by KONISHI Kayo and KONDO Yukio (MOKA☆)The song has lyrics in Latin and was written by them. The opening theme is set against a background image inspired by Klimt's paintings.2 the Music box version play the role of the key to access memories throughout the story and is also used as the background music for the climax.
There are also various cover versions available — including one by VTuberMachida Chima's versionwhich has garnered over 3.2 million views, as well as versions arranged for Organ, a version for Flute, and so on.
The lyrics consist of four stanzas, each based on Psalm 4-37, James 30-1, the Gregorian chant Kyrie Eleison, and the medieval Latin Marian hymn Ave mundi spes Maria (Hail Mary, Hope of the World). For details, please refer to Table 1. For this reason, it is sometimes said to resemble church music, and there are records of it being played by a choir of Kief, Ukraine and Chile. (There is also information that it has been performed in churches across denominations, but I was unable to verify this.) Additionally, in June 2025, it apparently charted at #1 in the J-Pop Top Songs category on the Ukrainian iTunes Store .ToNewly ranked #1 in the "Top J-Pop Songs" on Ukraine's iTunes Store
Elfen Lied Theme
The manga and anime storyline is quite intense [note: the manga and anime have different stories]. I have been following it since its manga serialization [note: serialized weekly in Young Jump from issue #XNUMX of XNUMX through issue #XNUMX of XNUMX]. Elfen Lied is a sci-fi suspense story centered on Lucy, a girl belonging to a new species of humanity called the Diclonius (二觭人) [note: refers to women with special abilities possessing "a pair of horns on the temples" and invisible arms known as "vectors"] — a species with the potential to bring about the extinction of mankind.
In the work, "Diclonius" are beings that have the potential to wipe out humanity, and are subject to isolation and control by the state. Their origins and symbolism can also be interpreted as metaphors for religion, evolutionary theory, and excluded minorities. In the real world, excluded minorities often only have weak military power, but in this work they have immense military power. This also serves as an opportunity to further ponder the subject.
In the story, the protagonist Lucy lives with a young man named Kouta, whom she meets by chance, and the people around her, while coming to terms with the tragic fate and harsh past of both humanity and the Diclonius. It's a bloody, pure-love, psychological suspense film that explores heavy themes such as violence and love, discrimination and forgiveness, and it's also a controversial work that confronts the very definition of discrimination in a post-911/XNUMX world. It's quite a splattery film, and the theme song, Lilium (White Lily), plays as if to purify it.
Lyrics for Lilium (Latin, provisional Japanese translation, source)
To understand this song, you must first know the lyrics and their origin. (Table 1) shows the lyrics (Latin, Japanese, source). The translation has been as faithful to the source as possible. (Moka☆'s own translation isCLICK HEREIt is located in.)
| latin | Translation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam, Et lingua eius loquetur iudicium. | The lips of the righteous speak wisdom His tongue speaks justice | “Psalm” 37:30Than |
| Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem, Quoniqm cumprobatus fuerit accipiet coronam vitae. | Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for when he has stood he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. | James 1:12Than |
| Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison | Lord Holy Fire, have mercy | A passage that the lyricist has composed himself, inspired by existing religious terms, the Bible, or hymn texts (such as "Kyrie eleison," "Beatus vir," and "Ave mundi spes Maria"). |
| O quam sancta, quam serena, Quam benigma, quam amoena esse Virgo creditur! O castitatis lilium | Oh, how holy, how serene, How gracious and how beautiful the maiden is, I can believe her! Ah, white lily of chastity | Medieval Latin hymn to the Virgin Mary "Ave mundi spes Maria” (quote at the end of the sentence)BilingualI'll post it here) |
Here, the "righteous" refers to a person who follows God's teachings and lives honestly (a righteous person). The question then becomes, what does this "God" refer to in Elfin Lied? Is the voice of DNA the voice of God? And "lips" and "tongue" symbolize the person's words and actions.
The next verse says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, for when he has stood the test of time, he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him." This means that believers do not simply endure and overcome difficulties, but by maintaining the hope and love that comes from their faith and persevering to the end, they will grow, mature as people and in faith, and receive the blessing of eternal life, which is entering the kingdom of God.
The next verse, "Lord, holy fire, have mercy," is a call containing deeper religious symbolism and an earnest plea for purification by "God's purity and power (fire)."
And the final verse, "How merciful, how loving, O pure white lily," is a phrase of salvation, as the Virgin Mary, symbolized by the white lily, brings people peace and admiration, comfort and an ideal. The title of the song, "Lilium," appears here. The phrase "castitatis lilium" is a quote from Ave mundi spes Maria, which itself is a quote from Matthew 6:28, "And do not be anxious about clothing; consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: for they toil not, nor spin not." The white lily here is a symbol of an innocent soul, purity adorned by God - generally the Virgin Mary in Christianity. When combined with the story and the use of this song at the climax of the anime, it takes on weight. FYI, I have included a parallel translation and its religious positioning of Ave mundi spes Maria as an appendix at the end of the article, so please take a look if you are interested.
Musical score
I don't think there is an official score for the anime opening version. (There is no soundtrack either...) On the other hand, there are versions arranged by the composer for mixed chorus with organ, chorus with piano, and solo piano avaliable as a scoreand CD available. I bought them too. A sample performance of the piano accompaniment version is shown in Figure 2 (personally, I prefer the pipe organ accompaniment version, but you can't hear it unless you buy the CD). I think it expresses the composer's intentions well. Incidentally, I believe this version reached number one on the J-POP rankings in the Ukrainian iTunes Store in June 2025.
When I watch other choir videos, I see that many of them are sung by choirs from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, so considering the current situation in Ukraine and Palestine, I thought I would use this song as my greeting for this year.6This blog is also a preparation for that.
By the way, when the Ukraine conflict started, I held an emergency workshop on this topic in the US. A fairly large room was filled to capacity, and there was a serious exchange of opinions.
Incidentally, the Vice Chair of the OpenID Foundation (I am the Chair) is Ukrainian (and actually comes from a conflict-affected region), so I feel it is important to do this.
(Appendix A1) Ave mundi spes Maria (Hail Mary, Hope of the World) - Translation and its Position
A.1 Ave Mudi Spes Maria Parallel Translation
First, Table 3 lists the translation of Ave mundi spes Maria.
| latin | Bilingual |
|---|---|
| Ave mundi spes Maria | Hail Mary, Hope of the World |
| Ave mitis, ave pia, | Hail, Most Gracious, Hail, Most Merciful |
| Ave plena gratia. | Hail, O Gracious One. |
| Ave virgo singularis, | Hail, my one and only maiden, |
| Quae per rubum designaris | The One Revealed by the Shiba |
| Non passum incendia. | It never burned out. |
| Ave rosa speciosa, | Hail, beautiful rose, |
| Ave Jesse virgula: | Hail, Jesse7Young branch of. |
| Cujus fructus nostri luctus | The fruit of our sorrow |
| Relaxavit vincula. | I was freed from my bonds. |
| Ave cujus viscera | Hail, your womb |
| Contra mortis foedera | Against the death pact |
| Ediderunt Filium. | He gave birth to a Son. |
| Ave carens simili, | Hail, O peerless one, |
| Mundo diu flébili | In a world that has long been in mourning |
| Reparasti gaudium. | Joy was restored. |
| Ave virginum lucerna, | Hail, lamp of maidens, |
| Per quam fulsit lux superna | Through Him shines the heavenly light, |
| His quos umbra tenuit. | He shed light on those who were in the shadows. |
| Ave Virgo de qua nasci, | Hail, born of Him, |
| Et de cujus lacte pasci | To be nourished by His milk |
| Rex caelorum voluit. | The King of Heaven desired. |
| Ave gemma caeli luminarium. | Hail, jewel of heavenly light. |
| Ave Sancti Spiritus sacrarium. | Hail, Holy Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. |
| O quam mirabilis, | Oh, how strange |
| Et quam laudabilis, | How to be praised, |
| Haec est virginitas! | What a virgin this is! |
| In qua per Spiritum | By the Holy Spirit |
| Facta Paraclitum | In whom dwells the Comforter, |
| Fulsit foecunditas. | It brought out the abundant harvest. |
| O quam sancta, quam serena, | Oh, how holy, how serene, |
| Quam benigna, quam amoena | How gracious and how beautiful, |
| Esse Virgo creditur! | That maiden is trustworthy! |
| Per quam servitus finitur, | Through him slavery will end, |
| Porta caeli aperitur, | The gates of heaven are open, |
| Et libertas redditur. | Freedom was returned. |
| O castitatis lilium, | White lily of chastity, |
| Tuum precare Filium, | Pray to your Son, |
| Qui salus est humilium: | For his Son is the salvation of the humble, |
| Ne nos pro nostro vitio, | Because of our mistakes, |
| In flebili judicio | In the judgment of lamentation |
| Subjiciat supplicio. | May they not be punished. |
| Sed nos tua sancta prece | But save us by your holy prayers |
| Mundans a peccati faece | Wash away the stain of sin, |
| Collocet in lucis domo. | Place us in the house of light. |
| Amen dicat omnis homo. | "Amen," all say. |
A.2 Theological background
(1) The central theme of Mariology
This poem is a reflection of Catholic theology.Mary's Special RoleThe following three points are particularly emphasized:
- Mediators in Salvation History
- The call "spes mundi" (hope of the world) symbolizes Mary as the portal through which salvation through Christ is brought to the world.
- The term "Porta Caeli" (Gate of Heaven) suggests its role as a passageway through which God's grace reaches humanity.
- Fulfillment of Old Testament types
- "The bush that burns without burning (rubum designaris non passum incendia)"出エジプト記3章It refers to the miracle of Moses' burning bush and symbolizes the mystery of a virgin bearing the Son of God.
- "The Branch of Jesse (Jesse Virgula)"Isaiah 11:1The quote from emphasizes the lineage of the Messiah.
- Balancing virginity and motherhood
- The series of phrases, "How holy, how pure...", is a strong reference to the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception and perpetual virginity.
- At the same time, the honorific title of Mother of God (Theotokos) is repeated, portraying Mary as a central figure in the history of salvation, rather than simply an exemplary believer.
(2) Relationship with Christology
- Mary is always praised as the path to Christ. In this poem, she is referred to as "the Son (Filium)" and "King of Heaven (Rex caelorum)."The ultimate goal is worship of ChristIt is clear that this is the case.
- Theologically, the praise of Mary is directly connected to the praise of Christ, and through Mary it leads to God.Marian MediationThis idea is at the foundation of the
A.3 Examples of Biblical Allusions
| Poetic Expression | Bible References | Symbolic meaning |
|---|---|---|
| The bush that burns without burning | Exodus 3:2 | A symbol of purity, a virgin who conceived the Son |
| The Shoot of Jesse | Isaiah 11:1 | Signs of the Messianic Lineage (Royal House of David) |
| Heaven's Gate | Genesis 28:17, Revelation 21:12 | Heaven and Earth are united through Mary |
| Rose | Song of Songs 2:1 | Symbol of God's love and Mary's virtues |
| Lily (castitatis lilium) | Matthew 6:28 (lilies of the field)8 | Symbol of chastity and purity (sinless soul, purity adorned by God) |
A.4 Liturgical position
(1) Situations in which it is used
- Feast of the Virgin Mary
- Especially on major feast days such as the Assumption of the Virgin Mary (August 8th) and the Immaculate Conception (December 15th),Second VespersIt is sometimes used as a hymn.
- A special consecration to Mary
- It is sometimes sung after the Rosary as one of the Marian Antiphons.
- Monastic traditions
- It tends to be sung by religious orders with a strong devotion to Mary, such as the Cistercians and Benedictine Orders.
(2) Musical Tradition
- From the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, many pieces were composed in the style of Gregorian chant or polyphony.
- In particular, Renaissance composers (such as Josquin des Prez and Palestrina) made it polyphonic, and it was sometimes used as the text for liturgical masses and motets. Figure 3 is Palestrina's version.
A.5 Summary of the Theological Message
This poem is:
- Old Testament Symbols (Types) and New Testament FulfillmentConnecting
- It has a theological structure that leads to salvation in Christ through Mary,
- In the prayer of the Church communityPersonal devotion and public liturgyText that supports both
に な っ て い ま す.
So this is not just a poem,Hymns that combine biblical theology, doctrine, and liturgy.
footnote
- Nowadays, I think that because of "political correctness," anime like this can no longer be made.
- [Discussion] Considering the painting in the opening scene of "Elfen Lied" [Comparison with Gustav Klimt's paintings]There is a research site called
- The story is different between the manga and the anime
- Weekly serialization in Young Jump from issue 2002 in 27 to issue 2005 in 39
- It refers to a woman with special abilities who has "two paired horns growing from the sides of her head" and invisible arms called "vectors."
- I can't promise anything, but I think a big problem will be how to reduce a four-part mixed chorus for flute.
- Father of King David in the Old Testament
- And do not take thought for clothing; consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; for they do not toil nor spin.