HellenicGods.org - ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 128

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 128

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: This testimony is an anonymous epitaph or elegy for Orpheus from the Greek Anthology.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 128

Ἑλληνική Ἀνθολογία VII 10 ἀνώνυμος (or Ἀντίπατρος ὁ Σιδώνιος? Stadtmuell.):

Καλλιόπης Ὀρφῆα καὶ Οἰάγροιο θανόντα

ἔκλαυσαν ξανθαὶ μυρία Βιστονίδες·

στικτοὺς δ᾽ ἡιμάξαντο βραχίονας ἀμφὶ μελαίνηι

δευόμεναι σποδιῆι Θρηίκιον πλόκαμον·

καὶ δ᾽ αὐταὶ στοναχεῦντι σὺν εὐφόρμιγγι Λυκείωι*

ἔρρηξαν Μοῦσαι δάκρυα Πιερίδες

μυρόμεναι τὸν ἀοιδὸν· ἐπωιδύραντο δὲ έτραι

καὶ δρύες ἃς ἐρατῆι τὸ πρὶν ἔθελγε λύρηι.

“The fair-haired daughters of Bistonia shed a thousand tears for Orpheus dead, the son of Calliope and Oeagrus; they stained their tattooed arms with blood, and dyed their Thracian locks with black ashes. The very Muses of Pieria, with Apollo*, the master of the lute, burst into tears mourning for the singer, and the rocks moaned, and the trees, that erst he charmed with his lovely lyre.”

(trans. W. R. Paton, 1917)

*W. R. Paton is translating Λύκειος as “Apollo” because Λύκειος, a word with many gradations of meaning, is one of the major epithets of Apollo.

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.

This logo is the principal symbol of this website. It is called the CESS logo, i.e. the Children of the Earth and the Starry Sky. The Pætilía (Petelia, Πετηλία) and other golden tablets having this phrase are the inspiration for the symbol. The image represents this idea: Earth (divisible substance) and the Sky (continuous substance) are the two kozmogonic substances. The twelve stars represent the Natural Laws, the dominions of the Olympian Gods. In front of these symbols is the seven-stringed kithára (cithara, κιθάρα), the the lyre of Apóllôn (Apollo, Ἀπόλλων). It (here) represents the bond between Gods and mortals and is representative that we are the children of Orphéfs (Orpheus, Ὀρφεύς).

PLEASE NOTE: Throughout the pages of this website, you will find fascinating stories about our Gods. These narratives are known as mythology, the traditional stories of the Gods and Heroes. While these tales are great mystical vehicles containing transcendent truth, they are symbolic and should not be taken literally. A literal reading will frequently yield an erroneous result. The meaning of the myths is concealed in code. To understand them requires a key. For instance, when a God kills someone, this usually means a transformation of the soul to a higher level. Similarly, sexual union with a God is a transformation.

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.

SPELLING: HellenicGods.org uses the Reuchlinian method of pronouncing ancient Greek, the system preferred by scholars from Greece itself. An approach was developed to enable the student to easily approximate the Greek words. Consequently, the way we spell words is unique, as this method of transliteration is exclusive to this website. For more information, visit these three pages:

Pronunciation of Ancient Greek

Transliteration of Ancient Greek

Pronouncing the Names of the Gods in Hellenismos

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