SECRECY IN ORPHISMÓS
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"...she (ed. Dimítir) showed the conduct of her rites and taught them all her Mysteries, to Triptolemus and Polyxeinus and Diocles also, -- awful Mysteries which no one may in any way transgress or pry into or utter, for deep awe of the Gods checks the voice. Happy is he among men upon earth who has seen these Mysteries; but he who is uninitiate and who has no part in them, never has lot of like good things once he is dead, down in the darkness and gloom." Homeric Hymn Εἲς Δημήτραν 475-479, trans. H. G. Evelyn-White, 1914, in the book entitled Hesiod:, Homeric Hymns, Epic Cycle, Homerica, Loeb Classical Library, Vol. 57, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA) and William Heineman (London). The ancient Greek writers were robustly poetic; they greatly enjoyed the use of metaphors, symbols, and allegories. Of course, to use language in this way is very beautiful and delightful, but when the subject of religion is involved...which is almost always the case in one way or another in these texts...the loveliness of the poetry is sometimes not the ultimate object, but rather to conceal something precious. This is true of the mythology in general, but of religious texts concerning the Mysteries, it is the rule. Orphismós (Orphism; Gr. Ορφισμός) and the traditions of the Mystíria (Mystery Religion; Gr. Μυστήρια) are well-known as being secret traditions and their texts are locked and require linguistic keys which are usually not so accessible to those who are unfamiliar with its imagery:
It is not simply that the poems and language are written in riddles, but the entire tradition, the actual content of the teaching itself is secret. The secrecy can be seen hinted at in conventions that are known from antiquity. For instance, there were the great mystery cults, from little groups of students surrounding a single teacher to the famous sanctuaries where the Mystíria (The Mysteries; Gr. Μυστήρια) were promulgated. The most famous of them all was at Ælefsís (Eleusis; Gr. Ἐλευσίς, modern Ελευσίνα), the Ælefsínia Mystíria (Eleusinian Mysteries; Gr. Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια); the central mythology involved with these mysteries was that of Dimítir (Demeter; Gr. Δημήτηρ) and her search for Pærsæphóni (Persephone; Gr. Περσεφόνη), but it was much more usual to see them referred to as the Mother and Daughter (Gr. Κόρη), avoiding saying the names. This practice is known as efphimía (euphemia; Gr. εὐφημία), a type of
religious silence. In the Orphic hymn to Ǽrohs (Eros; Gr. Ἔρως), Dimítir is not named except by inference; she is called "the Goddess who produces green fruits" (θεὰ βόσκει χλοόκαρπος), keeping her name hidden. Such a practice was true for all the Gods; it is thought that in very ancient times, they never spoke the names of the Gods...they were not even known...but later, names were given to us by Orphéfs (Orpheus; Gr. Ὀρφεύς) and Isíodos (Hesiod; Gr. Ἡσίοδος), but the pious avoided using those names; this is a type of secrecy. The Ælefsínia Mystíria were conducted for at least two-thousand years but many scholars believe they existed for much longer than that, extending into great antiquity. It is interesting to note that although countless people participated in the Ælefsínia Mystíria for all those centuries, we know very little about their content; we know many names and details about buildings in the temple complex and the titles of various priests, etc., but the initiations, rituals and liturgies which were conducted behind closed doors are largely lost. Ælefsís, like all the great sanctuaries of the mystery cults, had a strict policy of secrecy, and the people who participated in them viewed the experience as so very precious that they honored that secrecy. And the secrecy was valued so highly that it was protected by Athenian law; Athens had political control over the sanctuary after of the war won by Ærækhthéfs (Erechtheus; Gr. Ἐρεχθεύς), the archaic king of Athens, over Ælefsís. It is hard to conceive that something existed for so many years leaving very little record of its content, but it is true. When the practice of the ancient religion was forbidden by the Roman emperor Thæodósios I (Theodosius; Gr. Θεοδόσιος) in 379 CE, the rites began a decline which ended in 395 CE with the destruction of the sanctuary by Alaric the Visigoth and his Christians during the reign of the unlawful Iærophántis. Unless the initiation rites have been hidden in some unknown family or text (something not impossible), they have been entirely lost. If the Mystíria are secret, how do we know anything of them at all? On the other hand, the basic concepts of the Mystíria are known. Many things are hidden in the works of Plátohn (Plato; Gr. Πλάτων) and in those who followed him. We have the Orphic Hymns, fragments of Orphic theogonies, and other things. But why would we know anything at all? The reason is that there have been instances recorded in antiquity where secrets were revealed. Once something is revealed, it is no longer secret. In a way, everything of the mysteries that was ever known was due to people revealing something which was forbidden. According to Pafsanías (Pausanias; Gr. Παυσανίας), Orphéfs himself could be seen as the first to break the secrecy:
These various examples attempt to explain why Plátohn and others felt comfortable speaking of things which are obviously of the Mysteries, things which through the passage of time must have become known and, thereafter, could no longer be considered secret, albeit that such things are of their own nature self-secret. And it is said of Plátohn that he himself hid secrets in the dialogues which are concealed, but somehow "in plain sight." Christian writers: We know of some things from the Mysteries which were revealed by Christian writers who felt no need to keep them secret. How they obtained this knowledge is not certain. We know, for instance, of the Toys of Diónysos from the writings of Clement of Alexandria. [5] This author gives an extraordinary explanation of how the Greeks hid things in the mythology:
And further in the same chapter:
It can be clearly seen from these quotations of Clement that when educated Christian writers tried to humiliate our religion by interpreting our myths literally, they were very selective in revealing their own knowledge, for they actually knew that the mythology was written in a secret code. For us in the 21st century, the most important consideration is that there are teachers who live the tradition and who know things or whispers of things from antiquity. We know enough to continue, and when it is needed, the Gods will reveal anything which has been lost. But what was taught in the various Mystery cults was, for the most part, secret; this is the tradition and we maintain that tradition, particularly as regards our rituals. In the second line of the hymn to Apóllohn (Apollo; Gr. Ἀπόλλων) by Kallímakhos (Callimachus; Gr. Καλλίμαχος) of Alexandria (Gr. Ἀλεξάνδρεια), we find this phrase:
This hymn commemorates the great festival of Apóllohn Kárneios in the ancient Spartan colony of Kyríni (Cyrene; Gr. Κυρήνη); so here we see the idea of casting out those who are inappropriate being applied to a religious practice not usually thought of as Orphic, yet this very phrase is very much associated with Orphismós, being found as a prelude to Orphic texts. This is a recognition of the problem of pollution, or in ancient Greek, míasma (Gr. μίασμα). Pollution is connected with the profane (Gr. ἀνόσιος or βέβηλοι) and the profane is not to approach the sacred. This is true in all of Greek religion. And the secrecy is related to keeping the profane and the sacred separate. There are variants on this idea:
We can put these two phrases together and recite them just before ritual begins in Orphismós, immediately before we say the hymn to Æstía (Hestia; Gr. Ἑστία), as a type of purification:
This invocation is a type of seal (σφραγίς) found at the commencement of literature in the Orphic tradition, warning the reader to close the book if he or she is not suitable to read what is inside. We cast out those who are impious or those who are unprepared. This is a form of self-purification because in saying these words we attempt to let go of all our negativities before ritual begins, for in reality there is no-one inappropriate present as we would never perform ritual where we would admit someone who would pollute the tælætí (telete, the ritual or rite; Gr. τελετή). It is important to fully realize that despite the wording of this phrase, we do not put ourselves “above” others; all people have immortal souls and are at their natural state of progress, so no-one is “better” than anyone else. Having purified, the tone changes entirely; we now welcome in the virtuous and pious (Gr. ὅσιος), those who are competent to perform ritual, for Orphefs says that…
And:
Therefore, we welcome the mystics, but also we welcome the best of our own nature, freed from our negativities, so we recite:
And now the tælætí may commence. The rituals we have inherited are privy to our community. We do not perform them in a public place and we do not publish their content. This behavior is not consistent with other modern people practicing Ællinismόs (Hellenismos; Gr. Ἑλληνισμός), the ancient Greek religion. It seems that these other practitioners are trying to make available easy means by which to learn the ways of the worship the Gods, for those who have converted to the religion, and are seeking a stepping-stone by which to begin; their intentions are benevolent and admirable. But we are different. It is not that we are unwilling to help people...quite the contrary...but the way we view ritual prevents us from sharing it publicly. Ritual is communion with Gods. It is based on Ǽrohs (Eros; Gr. Ἔρως), a mighty force that flows back and forth between Gods and mortals. This is an intimate and beautiful labor, a true expression of love, which is not appropriate for all to see. Just as when we make love with our spouses, we do not perform the act in front of glass walls or photograph ourselves to make a YouTube for the Internet. No, we regard ritual as so very sacred that it must be kept from the curiosity of the profane. This is the privacy and secrecy of Orphic ritual. Reconstructionists believe that it is legitimate to conduct public rituals. They say that their activities emulate the great festivals of antiquity…which were public. They say that these endeavors are beneficial for the participants and society at large. And they say that these rituals are not specifically “Orphic,” of the Mysteries. So should such activities be public or private? It would seem that they should be out of the eyes of non-believers. Why? In ancient times the vast majority of people believed in our religion. The state approved of and financially supported these festivals. This is not the case now. Although the nature of the festivities is not particularly secret, it is deeply sacred and all sacred activity should be separated from the profane. Nonetheless, what other people do is their business and they should not be condemned for their views. In antiquity, the Orphic rites were only for the initiated Innate Secrecy, the Self-Secret, and the Forbidden Innate Secrecy: Some phenomenon of the Kózmos are secret by nature. The great term for this is árritos (arretus; Gr. ἄρρητος), which means "unutterable." Examples of this would be the unfathomable nature of Nyx (Gr. Νύξ), the "darkness" of Ækáti (Hecate; Gr. Ἑκάτη), and the Árritos Arkhí (Ἄρρητος Ἀρχή), the Unutterable Beginning or primordial nature of the universe. The forbidden: Finally, there are things which are forbidden to be told except to those in the Orphic circle. The Greek word for this is apórritos (aporrhetos; Gr. ἀπόρρητος), which means "not to be divulged." There are teachings which are not permitted to be publicly shared, and this is for various reasons, the primary being that it is a míasma (Gr. μίασμα), a pollution, to reveal sacred things to those who might profane them. A very real example of what happens when the profane gain access to the sacred is the svástika (swastika; Gr. σβάστικα) which was a great symbol in our religion, but was contaminated by the Nazis and can no longer be used. Please visit this page: Glossary of Secrecy in Ancient Greek Mystery Religion. The story of the birth of the Gods: Orphic Rhapsodic 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. NOTES TO THE TEXT [1] Dærvǽni (Derveni; Gr. Δερβένι) Papyrus Column 7, trans. André Laks and Glenn W. Most, 1997. We are using the 2001 reprint entitled Studies on the Derveni Papyrus, Oxford Univ. Press (Oxford, UK and New York, NY USA) where this quotation may be found on p. 12. [2] Pafsanías (Pausanias; Gr. Παυσανίας) Desc. of Greece, IX. Boeotia, 30.5, trans. W. H. S. Jones, 1935; found here in the 1961 Loeb edition on p. 303. [3] Aristotǽlis (Aristotle; Gr. Ἀριστοτέλης) Ithikhóhn Nikomakheiohn (Nicomachean Ethics; Gr. Ηθικών Νικομαχείων) Book 3 line 1111a 8-11. [4] Diódohros Sikælióhtis (Diodorus of Sicily; Gr. Διόδωρος Σικελιώτης) Βιβλιοθήκη ἱστορική 5.77.3, trans. C. H. Oldfather, 1939. We are using the 2000 edition entitled Diodorus of Sicily: The Library of History Vol. III, Harvard Univ. Press (Cambridge, MA and London, England), where this quotation may be found on pp. 307-309. [5] Clement of Alexandria Exhortation to the Heathen, Chapter II.176. [6] Clement of Alexandria Stromata 5.8, trans. in the text entitled The Ante-Nicene Fathers edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, 1867 and 1873. [7] Καλλίμαχος Hymn 2, εἰς Απόλλωνα line 2. [8] Ὀρφεύς, Frag. 5 Abel. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς Προτρεπτικός πρός Ἕλληνας 7, trans. G. W. Butterworth, 1919. We are using the 1953 edition entitled Clement of Alexandria, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard Univ. Press (Cambridge, MA) and William Heinemann (London), where this quotation may be found on pp. 166-167. The phrase, φθέγξομαι οἷς θέμις ἐστί· θύρας δʹ ἐπίθεσθε βέβηλοι, is also found in Kern OF 247 (p. 261), cited by Ἀριστόβουλος as quoted in Εὐσέβιος Εὑαγγελικὴ προπαρασκευή 13.12.5. Another variant, φθέγξομαι οἷς θέμις ἐστί· θύρας δʹ ἐπίθεθε βέβηλοι πάντες ὁμῶς, is found in Justin Martyr Λόγος παραινέτικος πρὸς Ἕλληνας, Chapter 15. [9] This may be accompanied with the use of a seistron (sistrum; Gr. σεῖστρον). [10] The word ego, not in the Freudian sense, but, rather, in the common sense of exaggerated self-importance.
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