ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 30
OTTO KERN
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For links to many more fragments: The Orphic Fragments of Otto Kern.
THRAX (Thrace or Thracia) [v. also s. Ὀἴαγρος nr. 23)
SUMMARY: This testimony is a collection of references to the Thracian origin of Orpheus.
ORPHIC CRITICAL TESTIMONY 30.
Ἄλκηστις Εὐριπίδου 965 nr. 82:
κρεῖσσον οὐδὲν Ἀνάγκας
ηὗρον οὐδέ τι φάρμακον
Θρῄσσαις ἐν σανίσιν, τὰς
Ὀρφεία κατέγραψεν
γῆρυς
“Nothing avails against Fate (Ἀνάγκη, Necessity)
Neither the Thracian tablets
Marked with Orphic symbols”
(trans. Richard Aldington, 1930 but in the Public Domain)
Ὑψιπύλη Εὐριπίδου nrr. 78. 79;
Ῥῆσος Εὐριπίδου anonymous (authorship debated) 943-4:
μυστηρίων τε τῶν ἀπορρήτων φανὰς
ἔδειξεν Ὀρφεύς, αὐτανέψιος νεκροῦ
“and those dark Mysteries with their torch processions
were revealed by Orpheus, cousin of this dead man*”
(trans. E. P. Coleridge, 1891)
*Ῥῆσος, who was slain, was a Thracian king nr. 91;
Ἡρακλείδης ὁ Ποντικός nr. 82.
Ἑρμησιάναξ nr. 61.
Φανοκλῆς nr. 7.7.
ψευδής Ἀριστοτέλης Pepl. 48 nr. 124.
Βίοι καὶ γνῶμαι τῶν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ εὐδοκιμησάντων Διογένους Λαερτίου· προοίμιον I 4 nr. 125.
And many other writers, both Greek and Roman, v. Gruppe in Rosch. III 1078.
Compare also to Aenium (?) nr. 67.
On the Κίκονες (the Cicones) see nr. 197.
On the Ὀδρύσαι (the Odrysians) see nrr. 103. 160. 198,
...besides which the Souda enumerates also:
Ὀρφεύς βασιλεὺς Φραικῶν ἐφ’ οὗ αἱ Ἀμαζόνες ἐδασμολόγησαν Φρύγας.
“Orphéfs (Ὀρφεύς), king of the Thracians, in the time of which the Amazons exacted tribute from the Phrygians.”
(trans. by the author)
Kern Orpheus 15: Whether there may have been extant the ethnic origin of Orpheus in the inscription on the pedestal of Míkythos (Μίκυθος) at Olympus, is uncertain.
On the small Attic vases showing him Thracian v. in addition to Gruppe F. Weber Platon. Notis. in Orpheus 30;
Vürtheim Mnemosyn. XXIX 1901, 199; Kern l. l.; Robert Heldens. I 411 n. 1.
On a very famous bas-relief see nr. 59;
On the small vases which represent Orpheus in the underworld see nr. 69.
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.
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