ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 134

OTTO KERN

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

SUMMARY: This testimony consists of three quotations from Philostratus: the first concerns the oracular head of Orpheus at Lesbos, the second explains the singing rocks of Lyrnessus, and the third describes the silencing of the oracle of Orpheus’ head by Apollo.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 134

Φιλοστάτου Ἡρωϊκὸς V 3 (II 172, 12 Kays. Using another numbering 703-704):

Λέσβου δὲ ὀλίγον ἀπεχούσης τοῦ Ἰλίου στέλλειν ἐς τὸ ἐκεῖ μαντεῖον τοὺς Ἕλληνας. ἔχρα δέ, οἶμαι, ἐξ Ὀρφέως, ἡ κεφαλὴ γὰρ μετὰ τὸ τῶν γυναικῶν ἔργον ἐς Λέσβον κατασχοῦσα ῥῆγμα τῆς Λέσβου ὤικησε καὶ ἐν κοίληι τῆι γῆι ἐχρησμώιδει. ὅθεν ἐχρῶντό τε αὐτῆι τὰ μαντικὰ Λέσβιοι τε καὶ τὸ ἄλλο πᾶν Αἰολικὸν καὶ Ἴωνες Αἰολεῦσι πρόσοικοι, χρησμοὶ δὲ τοῦ μαντείου τούτου καὶ ἐς Βαβυλῶνα ἀνεπέμποντο, πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἐς τὸν ἄνω βασιλέα ἡ κεφαλὴ ἦιδε, Κύρωι τε τῶι ἀρχαίωι χρησμὸν ἐντεῦθεν ἐκδοθῆναι λέγεται· ‘τὰ ἐμά, ὦ Κῦρε, σά’, καὶ ὁ μὲν οὕτως ἐγίγνωσκεν, ὡς Ὀδρύσας τε καὶ τὴν Εὐρώπην καθέξων, ἐπειδὴ Ὀρφεύς ποτε μετὰ τοῦ σοφοῦ καὶ δυνατὸς γενόμενος ἀνά τε Ὀδρύσας ἴσχυσεν ἀνά τε Ἕλληνας, ὁπόσοι τελεταῖς ἐθείαζον, ὁ δ᾽ οἶμαι, τὰ ἑαυτοῦ πείσεσθαι ἐδήλου τὸν Κῦρον· ἐλάσας γὰρ Κῦρος ὑπὲρ ποταμὸν Ἴστρον (sic!) ἐπὶ Μασσαγέτας τε καὶ Ἰσσηδόνας — τὰ δὲ ἔθνη ταῦτα Σκύθαι — ἀπέθανέ τε ὑπὸ γυναικός, ἣ τούτων ἦρχε τῶν βαρβάρων, καὶ ἀπέτεμεν ἡ γυνὴ τὴν Κύρου κεφαλήν, καθάπερ αἱ Θρᾶιτται τὴν Ὀρφέως. τοσαῦτα, ξένε, περὶ τοῦ μαντείου τούτου Πρωτεσίλεώ τε καὶ Λεσβίων ἤκουσα.

“But since Lǽzvos (Λέσβος) is a short way from Troy (Ἴλιος), they sent the Greeks to the oracle of that place. And the oracles came from Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς), by way of song; for the head, after the murder of Orphéfs by the women, had come in from the sea to Lǽzvos, and was situated in a chasm of the island, prophesying from a hollow in the earth. Wherefore both the Lǽzvians and all the Aeolians, and the Ionians dwelling near the Aeolians, were consulting it, and the responses of this oracle were being sent back to Babylon. For the head was also singing many prophesies regarding the old king, and it is said from thence that the following oracle was given to Cyrus the Great: ‘My things, Oh Cyrus, are yours,’ and the king was understanding the oracle in this way, that he would become master of both the Odrysians and Europe, seeing that once Orphéfs became wise and powerful, he had influence over both the Odrysians and the Greeks, as all those were inspired by the sacred rites. But I think Orphéfs was revealing that Cyrus would suffer the same fate as his own fate. For when Cyrus marched over the river against the Massayǽtai (Μασσαγέται) and the Issîdónæs (Ἰσσηδόνες) —these Scythian people — he died at the hand of a woman who ruled over these barbarians, and the woman cut off the head of Cyrus, just as the Thracian women had done to that of Orphéfs. So much, my guest, I have heard about this oracle from both Prôtæsílaos (Πρωτεσίλαος) and the Lǽzvians.”

(trans. by the author)

Φιλοστάτου Ἡρωϊκὸς X 7, (II 181, 17. Using another numbering: 713):

πόλις Αἰολὶς Λυρνησσὸς ὠικεῖτο τειχήρης τὴν φύσιν καὶ οὐδὲ ἀτείχιστος, ἧι φασι τὴν Ὀρφέως προσενεχθῆναι λύραν καὶ δοῦναί τινα ἠχὴν ταῖς πέτραις, καὶ μεμούσωται ἔτι καὶ νῦν τῆς Λυρνησσοῦ τὰ περὶ τὴν θάλατταν ὑπ᾽ ὠιδῆς τῶν πετρῶν.

“The Aeolian city Lyrnîssós (Λυρνησσός) is situated in a naturally walled place and is not unfortified; they say that the lyre of Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς) was brought there and gave a certain loud echo to the rocks, and yet even now the area around the sea of Lyrnîssós is endowed with harmonious voice by the song of the rocks.”

(trans. by the author)

Τὰ ἐς τὸν Τυανέα Ἀπολλώνιον Φιλόστρατου IV 14 (I 133, 27 Kays.):

παρῆλθε καὶ ἐς τὸ τοῦ Ὀρφέως ἄδυτον προσορμισάμενος τῆι Λέσβωι. φασὶ δὲ ἐνταῦθά ποτε τὸν Ὀρφέα μαντικῆι χαίρειν, ἔστε τὸν Ἀπόλλω ἐπιμεμελῆσθαι αὐτόν. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μήτε ἐς Γρύνειον ἐφοίτων ἔτι ὑπὲρ χρησμῶν ἄνθρωποι μήτε ἐς Κλάρον μήτ᾽ ἔνθα ὁ τρίπους ὁ Ἀπολλώνειος, Ὀρφεὺς δὲ ἔχρα μόνος ἄρτι ἐκ Θράικης ἡ κεφαλὴ ἥκουσα, ἐφίσταταί οἱ χρησμωιδοῦντι ὁ θεὸς καὶ ‘πέπαυσο’ ἔφη ‘τῶν ἐμῶν, καὶ γὰρ δὴ <καὶ add. Kays.> ῾καἲ ἄιδοντά σε ἱκανῶς ἤνεγκα’.

“He (Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Τυανεύς) also visited in passing the shrine of Orpheus when he had put in at Lesbos. And they tell that it was here that Orpheus once on a time loved to prophesy, before Apollo had turned his attention to him. For when the latter found that men no longer flocked to Gryneium for the sake of oracles nor to Clarus nor (to Delphi) where is the tripod of Apollo, and that Orpheus was the only oracle, his head having come from Thrace, he presented himself before the giver of oracles and said: ‘Cease to meddle with my affairs, for I have already put up long enough with your vaticinations.’ ”

(trans. F. C. Conybeare, 1912)

About the representation on an Attic vase reported in respect to the prophesying head of Orpheus see Carl Robert Archaeol. Jahrb. XXXII 1917, 146; Otto Kern Orpheus 9.

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.