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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.

SUMMARY: The quotations in this fragment discuss the idea of mystical “weaving.”

192. (211) Περὶ του εν Ὀδυσσεία τῶν νυμφῶν ἄντρου Πορφυρίου 14 p. 66, 13 Nauck:

καὶ χιτών γε τὸ σῶμα τῆι ψυχῆι ὃ ἠμφίεσται, θαῦμα τῶι ὄντι ἰδέσθαι, εἴτε πρὸς τὴν σύστασιν ἀποβλέποις εἴτε πρὸς τὴν πρὸς τοῦτο σύνδεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς. οὕτω καὶ παρὰ τῶι Ὀρφεῖ ἡ Κόρη, ἥπερ ἐστὶ παντὸς τοῦ σπειρομένου ἔφορος, ἱστουργοῦσα παραδίδοται, τῶν παλαιῶν καὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν πέπλον εἰρηκότων οἷον θεῶν οὐρανίων περίβλημα.

“Add, too, that the body is a garment with which the soul is invested, a thing wonderful to the sight, whether this refers to the composition of the soul, or contributes to the colligation (unification) of the soul [to the whole of a visible essence]. Thus, also, Proserpine (Κόρη), who is the inspective guardian of everything produced from seed, is represented by Orpheus as weaving a web, and the heavens are called by the ancients a veil, in consequence of being, as it were, the vestment of the celestial Gods.”

(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1823)

σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος 41 b. c (III 223, 3 E. Diehl):

καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ἄρα Ὀρφεύς τὴν τῶν μεριστῶν ζωιοποιὸν αἰτίαν ἄνω μένουσαν καὶ ὑφαίνουσαν τὸν διάκοσμον τῶν οὐρανίων νύμφην τε εἶναί φησιν ὡς ἄχραντον καὶ ταῦτα τῶι Διὶ συναφθεῖσαν καὶ μένειν ἐν οἰκείοις ἤθεσι, προελθοῦσαν δὲ ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτῆς οἴκων ἀτελεῖς (v. fragment 193) τε καταλείπειν τοὺς ἱστοὺς καὶ ἁρπάζεσθαι καὶ ἀναρπασθεῖσαν γαμεῖσθαι καὶ γαμηθεῖσαν γεννᾶν (fragments 195. 196), ἵνα ψυχώσηι καὶ τὰ ἐπείσακτον ἔχοντα ζωήν· τὸ γὰρ ἀτελές, οἶμαι, τῶν ἱστῶν ἐνδείκνυται κἀκεῖνο τὸ μέχρι τῶν ἀϊδίων ζώιων ἀτελὲς εἶναι τὸ πᾶν. διὸ καὶ ὁ Πλάτων ραρακελεύεσθαι φησι (41 d) τὸν ἕνα δημιουργὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς ‘προσυφαίνειν τὰ θνητὰ τοῖς ἀθανάτοις’ ἀναμιμνήσκων πως ἡμᾶς, ὅτι τῆς τοῦ παντὸς ὑφαντικῆς ζωῆς τελείωσίς ἐστιν ἡ προσθήκη τῶν θνητῶν, καὶ τῆς Ὀρφικῆς θεομυθίας καὶ τῶν ἀτελῶν ἱστῶν ἐξηγητικὰς ἐννοίας παρεχόμενος. ὁ μὲν οὖν θεῖος ἀριθμὸς ὅρον οἰκεῖον ἔσχε καὶ πέρας καὶ ἔστι τέλος.

“Hence Orpheus says that the vivific (life-giving) cause of partible natures (Κόρη), while she remained on high, weaving the order of celestials, was a nymph, as being undefiled; and in consequence of this connected with Jupiter (Ζεύς), and abiding in her appropriate manners; but that proceeding from her proper habitation, she left her webs unfinished (v. fragment 193), was ravished (by Πλούτων), having been ravished was married, and being married generated (fragments 195. 196), in order that she might animate things which have an adventitious (according to chance) life. For the unfinished state of her webs indicates I think, that the universe is imperfect or unfinished as far as to perpetual animals. Hence Plato says (41 d), that the one Demiurgus calls on the many Demiurgi to weave together the mortal and immortal natures, after a manner reminding us that the addition of the mortal genera is the perfection of the textorial (relating to weaving) life of the universe, and also exciting our recollection of the divine Orphic fable, and affording us interpretative causes of the unfinished webs [of Proserpine, i.e. Κόρη].”

(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1820)

The same in σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Τιμαίου Πλάτωνος 23 d (I 134, 26 E. Diehl):

μᾶλλον δὲ ἔσχατον μὲν ὁ πέπλος, τὸ τῆς ὑφαντικῆς ἔργον, εἴδωλον φέρων τοῦ κοσμικοῦ πολέμου καὶ τῆς δημιουργικῆς ἀπὸ τῆς θεοῦ τάξεως τῆς εἰς τὸ πᾶν προϊούσης, ὃν ἡ θεὸς ὑφαίνει μετὰ τοῦ πατρός.

“Or rather, the veil is the last work of the weaving art, containing in itself an image of the mundane war, and of the demiurgic order proceeding from the Goddess (Ἀθηνᾶ) into the universe; which veil she wove in conjunction with her father.”

(trans. Thomas Taylor, 1820)

See the same in σχόλιον Πρόκλου επὶ Κρατύλου Πλάτωνος 387 c, 22, 2 G. Pasquali (fragment 178):

καὶ γὰρ αὕτη (sc. Κόρη) καὶ πᾶς αὐτῆς ὁ χορὸς ἄνω μενούσης ὑφαίνειν λέγονται τὸν διάκοσμον τῆς ζωῆς

“And for this (Goddess, Κόρη), and all her entourage abiding on high, it is said that she weaves the catalogue of life.”

(trans. by the author)

and σχόλιον Συριανοῦ τὰ μετὰ τὰ φυσικά τοῦ Ἀριστοτέλους B 2 (26, 25 Kr.) fragment 180.

Ἀπορίαι καὶ λύσεις περὶ τῶν πρώτων ἀρχῶν εἰς τὸν Πλάτωνος Παρμενίδην Δαμασκίου 339 (II 200, 14 Rue.; Add. 387):

πρὸς μὲν τοίνυν τὸ πρῶτον ἐροῦμεν ὅτι τῶν θεολόγων οἱ μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας ὁρμώμενοι παραδόσεως ‘ἀρχικὴν’ καλοῦσι ταύτην τὴν διακόσμησιν, ὁ δὲ μέγας Ἰάμβλιχος ‘ἡγεμονικὴν’ αὐτὴν ἀνευφημεῖ…ἤδη δὲ οἱ νεώτεροι (sc. θεολόγοι) καὶ ‘ἀφομοιωτικὴν’ αὐτὴν (sc. τὴν διακόσμησιν) κεκλήκασιν, ἴσως μὲν ἀπὸ τῆς παρ’ Ὀρφεῖ Κορικῆς ὑπερκοσμίου πεπλοποιΐας ὁρμηθέντες --- ἐν ἧι τὰ μιμήματα τῶν νοερῶν εἰδῶν ἐνυφαίνεται ---, σαφῶς δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν λογίων. v. also fragment 196.

“To the first (idea), therefore, we will seek that from the theologians, those starting from the divine transmission call this order ‘ruling*’, and the great Iámvlikhos (Ἰάμβλιχος) proclaims it “capable of command” ... and now the younger (theologians) have called it ‘assimilative**’, like as from the making of the pǽplos (πέπλος) by the supramundane Kórî as in (the poems of) Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) --- upon where copies of the intellectual forms are woven ---, and clearly also from the Oracles.” v. also fragment 196

(trans. by the author)

*ἀρχικὴν could be translated as “primal” as Liddell & Scott specifically mentions Damáskios using it to mean ‘belonging to the ἀρχαί (i.e. the origin or beginning), but reading further in the passage, we find Iámvlikhos using a different word but with a meaning closer to “ruling.”

**ἀφομοιωτικὴν. Brill defines this word as “assimilative;” Liddell & Scott also defines it “assimilative,” but then it links it to δύναμις “power” (Πρόκλος) and διακόσμησις θεοὶ, Gods who “set in order” or make “orderly arrangement” (Δαμάσκιος and Ἰάμβλιχος).

Lobeck I 380. 550; Kern De Theogon. 96; Diels Sitz.-Ber. Akad. Berlin 1897, 147; Marie Gothein Archiv Religionsw. IX 1906, 339; Eisler Weltenmantel und Himmelszelt I 117 n. 1.

Pherecyd. Syr. fr. 2 (Diels II³ 202, 23):

κἀπειδὴ τρίτη ἡμέρη γίγνεται τῶι γάμωι, τότε Ζὰς ποιεῖ φᾶρος μέγα τε καὶ καλὸν καὶ ἐν αὐτῶι ποικίλλει Γῆν καὶ Ὠγηνὸν καὶ τὰ Ὠγηνοῦ δώματα ... ἡ δέ μι<ν ἀμείβε>ται δεξαμ<ένη εὑ τὸ φᾶ>ρος .

“On the third day to the wedding, at that time Zas (Ζὰς = Ζεύς) produces a great and beautiful cloak, and on it he embroiders Yî (Earth, Γῆ) and Ôyænós (Ὠγενός = Ὠκεανός) and the houses of Ôyænós ... and she herself reciprocates and graciously accepted the cloak from him.”

(trans. by the author)

Compare to (the description of statue at the Liberalia of) Διόνυσος-Ἥλιος:

πέπλον φοινίκεον πυρὶ εἴκελον infra s. ΒΑΚΧΙΚΑ.

“crimson pǽplos (πέπλος) like fire” later on s. ΒΑΚΧΙΚΑ

Same as line four of the poem in fragment 238.

The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Theogony.

We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

Introduction to the Thæí (the Gods): The Nature of the Gods.

How do we know there are Gods? Experiencing Gods.

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We know the various qualities and characteristics of the Gods based on metaphorical stories: Mythology.

Dictionary of terms related to ancient Greek mythology: Glossary of Hellenic Mythology.

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