ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 146

OTTO KERN

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SUMMARY: This testimony, from an epigram of Martial, describes a glittering statue of Orpheus surrounded by mesmerized animals at the Fountain of Orpheus in Rome.

ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 146

In Rome at the Lacus Orphei [1] (Huelsen-Jordan Topogr. der Stadt. Rom I 3, 345; Richter Topographie von Rom 308. 333) Marci Valerii Martialis Epigrammata X 19, 4 (also numbered Epigram 522):

brevis est labor peractae altum vincere tramitem Suburae. Illic Orphea protinus videbis udi vertice lubricum theatri, mirantesque feras avemque regis, raptum quae Phryga [2] pertulit Tonanti (i. e. Ganymedem).

“When you have passed the Suburra, it is no long labour to ascend the steep pathway over the Esquiline hill. There you will see a glittering statue of Orpheus on the top of a perfume-sprinkled theatre, surrounded by beasts wondering at his music; and among them the royal bird which carried off Ganymede [2] for the Thunderer.”

(trans. anonymous, Bohn’s Classical Library, 1865)

Concerning pictorial representations of Orpheus see v. nrr. 30. 38. 55. 69 (The Descent to the Underworld of Polygnotus [3]). 107; on the most famous bas-relief see nr. 59.

TRANSLATOR’S NOTES:

[1] The Lacus Orphei, the Fountain of Orpheus, was a fountain in Rome on the Esquiline Hill (Regio V) which featured a statue of Orpheus.

[2] literally, “the Phrygian” but clearly meaning Ganymedes, as can be seen in depictions of him wearing a Phrygian cap.

[3] Πολύγνωτος, the ancient Greek painter from the 5th century BCE.


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).

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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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